1980s Ethan Allen Hutch Flip

This was the piece that started it all, my interest in refinishing furniture. And, let's be honest, the rabbit hole of tools, supplies, hardware, paint, top coats, sanding discs... and everything else you find out you need for this hobby.

This Ethan Allen hutch is solid pine wood (and soft wood came with its own issues when refinishing). It is a 1980's piece based on the information stamped and written on the backboard.

I inherited this hutch from my late grandmother, Edith. It's a special piece because it was a focal point in her dining room. A space where she held many family gatherings over the years. It was well cared for, as were most of the things my grandmother owned. She always took great pride in keeping her things in pristine condition.

When this piece came to me, it had suffered some surface damage from the moving tape that had been on it for months and through varying degrees of temperature changes. The finish was in old tavern.

My goal was to modernize the look so it could find a new home and live a whole new life with a new family.

This thing ate my lunch. It's the most time-intensive piece I've completed to date. While finishing this hutch, I completed (or partially) 5 other projects. The top is the part that really gave me hell, and if I could do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I would have left the top in its original finish.

But one year later, I feel like the time investment was worth it. If I had a space for it, I would keep it.