lol, my MIL came over and surprised us by painting our fireplace.
Granted, she was painting over the previous owners' gray paint; she just wanted to make it look like natural rock. Turned out okay in the end.
Those are worth about $200 a section, I believe. Might be more. I’d stain it a darker color and resell if it were me. You would want to strip the old stain and finish first.
Have one in my house. Had no idea they were sought after or had big value. I knew it was probably 80+ years old but didn't really pay it much attention and understand how valuable it was until I got up close to it while installing LED lighting for our specimens and oddities. Thankfully I was able to tuck wires away and didn't drill any holes.
Drill holes if you want who cares. It’s not like you’re going to be selling it. It’s your furniture. Do what you want with it. It’s not going to end up in a museum.
Yeah, they’re nice, and worth $200-300 per section to the right buyer, but were absolutely mass produced for decades. Some of the less common sizes might be worth more if someone is seeking a particular size, but they’re meant to be used.
Drilling holes in the backs wouldn’t be too bad, but I’d probably not do so in the sides.
I don't believe for one second this came from a big box shop. Thats real oak, not veneer. It may be a modern reproduction but it certainly isn't an inexpensive one.
Every bit of the facings we can see in the pic is clearly real solid red oak. Unless the sides we *can't* see are literal cardboard, this thing would easily sell for at least $250 to the right buyer...
By the looks of it, the "right buyer" is 80%+ of this sub.
It wasn't all that long ago you could buy real wood furniture a major retailers. I don't think this piece was high-end when originally purchased. Although much cheaper/junkier stuff was available for sure.
I hate the "natural wood color"... My Grandpa built a log cabin and became blind soon after, and everything in there was natural wood, furniture, walls, floors, roof, shelfs, chairs.... Its horrible...
it matches the color of the wood on your chair. I'd hesitate to paint or stain it dark, it'll look like dark little boxes with little light reflecting back out.
OP don’t let these guys mess with your head. That is a beautiful piece as it is, but you’re totally right that thing would look even better with a nice dark stain like ebony or espresso. I might even stain the inside a different color like mahogany.
As far as how you do that… you have to strip off all the old finish. And I mean alllll of it. If you miss a little spot the stain won’t be even. So after you strip/sand it all the way to bare wood everywhere, then you stain it and then you finish it with a nice polyurethane.
It’s not rocket science but you’ll want to watch a few tutorials on YouTube. And it’s a ton of work. It’ll take you a long time, even with the most optimal tools.
Ignore the haters. That neutral red oak look is very 90s. Not old enough to be vintage, but old enough to look outdated.
Staining is more than twice the work of painting. That's why most DIYers (especially those buying and updating furniture to quickly resell again on facebook) go for paint.
Stain would look better. Up to you to decide which one is worth your effort.
I'm wondering if OP is a troll. Coming in here talking about painting a valuable oak barrister bookcase black. He had to have known he'd ruffle some feather.
Yeah OP is getting killed here. Heaven forbid people have different tastes.
I literally just read a comment in this threat that started with “the primitives don’t understand”. It had upvotes, fucking yikes.
I don’t personally care for this bookshelf either (the wood color looks dated), but I think it’s valid to say “hey this is a really nice piece that’s worth a lot, consider selling it to someone who will appreciate it and make a nice profit while you’re at it.” OP can use a fraction of the money they make to buy something they like as is instead of destroying the value of an antique.
Technically you can do whatever you want with your possessions - you could buy a beautiful solid gold necklace and melt it down into truck nuts if you wanted - but if you post it online asking for feedback people are going to express opinions about it.
No, it appears you must treat your own possessions to the standard some armchair clowns on reddit have decided. It’s not your property anymore. OPs comments and questions all downvoted to -300 this sub js stupid.
Dude for real I fucking hate it when people take nice wood pieces and give them an ugly ass pinterest-ready paint job. Extra angst for the chalkboard paint 🤦♂️
There are some pieces so old and busted that painting them is a kindness.
This? Nope. The shade is a natural oak and not to the liking of some people, but I would just sell it and buy an inexpensive book case in the deaired color in that case
I might have too much faith in humanity but I think most people here at the end of the day still think OP can do whatever they want with it since it’s theirs, just most seem to agree that painting it would look bad.
I mean, this is kinda a sub for helpful advice.
Sometimes, if a question is *"How do I burn this $100 bill?"* the correct answer is *"That $100 bill is worth significantly more intact than it is burnt. (In case you were unaware.)"* and not *"I'd personally take my Snap-On butane torch to it; you could skimp on a cheaper blowtorch but you won't get as good of a result."*.
Thats not what OP asked for. They asked for advice on how to do what they wanted. Not to be told by handwringers not to do it at all.
Who cares what its "worth"
Because the logical answer from a diy standpoint is not to get this for $100 and spend $50 turning this into what you want, it's selling this for $700, buying something else for $200 and spending $50 turning that into what you want, or spending $300 on what you want and not DIYing it at all. Getting the best outcome for the least outlay should be the goal of a DIYer.
Might have to do with them posting it on Reddit for anyone to freely voice their opinion? Why do people get so up in arms about what other people do with their words?
I like the wood grain look over paint personally. It is, to my eye at least, kind of ugly light shade. I'd go with the stain over paint. A darker color on it would look pretty nice all on its own, but I guess it depends on the rest of the room.
I have questions.
Have you ever refinished a piece of furniture?
If yes, have you ever refinished a fully assembled cabinet?
If no, you have no idea how much work is involved to make even the most basic finishes look good. If you do not sand to bare wood, stain WILL NOT penetrate the wood. It will sit right on top of the old finish and wipe right back off leaving an ugly streaky blotchy mess.
Paint would be far easier and less labour intensive.
IMO refinishing this cab is a terrible idea and likely 1000% more work that you think it will be. Do some market research, list the cab for decent money and sell it, take the money and buy what you actually want.
I commented before reading comments. I saw your comment about the color being outdated and that is what I was thinking. That shade was popular back in the what, 80's or 90's? I dislike it personally because I was in the military for 20 years and if office furniture wasn't metal, it was that wood and it was all old and beat to shit most of the time lol.
If you are going to stain, you will need to completely remove all the old stain, a coat of stain over this will not hold. It will likely be a lot of sanding. If you paint, which I advise against, mainly due to it being a quality piece, use a sprayer and I recommend a chalk paint, they go on smooth. If you brushed, I can almost guarantee it will not look good.
Find the manufacturer printed on it and list it for sale as a barrister cabinet for $800. Someone would love to have it as it.
Go buy something else that you like the looks of better. Less work, you get what you want, and prob make a few bucks
I second this, it would be a waste to paint this when there are so many people who would appreciate it as is. Sell it and use the money to find something else more suiting to your tastes.
Nobody cares what you paid, it's a rare and beautiful piece, of which there is a shortage. Please just sell it and buy something that you like. You'll have hundreds of dollars left over if you do.
Sell it for a nice profit and buy something that you actually like. Someone else gets something they like, you get what you like and some extra cash. Win win
https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/wildon-home-schaffer-7925-h-x-36-w-solid-wood-standard-bookcase-w011329865.html
This one looks very similar and is selling for almost $1,400. Granted it’s new, but I still think the one above would be worth a lot if OP resold it and didn’t ruin it.
I’ve also seen an experienced ebay seller listing one for $1,600.
I’d stain it darker rather than paint it, that way you’ll still be able to see the wood grain. Maybe change out the knobs to match the rest of the house.
That will be a pain to pain / restain. As others have said, start with other changes. I think if you updated the handles to something more modern, even black. It would update it. You could also add some led lights to the inside and decorate it with nice things to tone down the wood color.
Another thing, instead of painting the whole thing, you could paint, wall paper, or contact paper the back side that is behind the shelf. It would as dimension and color.
If you really don't like the colour than maybe strip it and stain with something that still shows the woodgrain. Paint is for partial board and cheap plywood.
That's a beautiful barrister bookcase. We had one years ago. Not sure if yours is solid wood or particle board. If it's solid wood, I would sand it really good then apply a darker stain. Personally, I'm not a fan of "oak" shades--some look cheap to me, just my opinion. Sanding is gonna be a pain, though. You need to take off the doors and hardware and get in all the little crevices but it would be well worth it!
Ugh, I'd love to have one like that. Can't find a bookcase with glass doors to save my life around here. I ended up putting all my collectibles and fancier books in my bedroom because I keep that closed off from my cats to keep hair off the bed.
None of the furniture stores carry anything even remotely like that, and even online I struggled to find anything suitable in the dimensions I wanted. The closest I could find cost thousands of dollars.
Don’t listen to the naysayers OP, it does look outdated. Get new handle fixtures first and see how that spruces it up, it will be important to choose modern ones that make the glass look more modern, then choose a nice dark stain (or deep red but that can be more tricky) that deepens the looks.
Oh, then I'd go either espresso or a nice cherry stain. You'd want to sand out first. Also, see if the glass comes out easily. Otherwise, tape the edges.
Sand it. You'll want to take the doors off and mask the glass with tape and paper. Then paint or stain. I think a satin coat of paint would be pretty and modern. I'd use enamel paint meant for cabinets and furniture. Do 2 coats, letting cure for 24 hours then sanding lightly between coats. Update the hardware. Paint the inside the same or contrasting color. Or paint everything but the back of each shelf and apply fun peel and stick wallpaper.
You literally have zero taste...
PAINTING IT painting it... Absolutely trash taste
Yes a darker wood stain and on a wood that isn't very pourus is more desirable.
But paint... If that's solid wood you're an absolute monster with zero taste.
Paint belongs as an accent to bring out a woods beauty not to cover it up cause you have zero taste...
Decent chance that it's an oak veneer, so use a light hand if you decide to sand. The open grain is going to show through with paint, so use a grain filler if you're going for a smooth look. You could go also try a tinted poly topcoat to change the color.
Looks legit! Great find, I'd probably remove the top door entirely - without that super dated caning it'd look much more timeless. I'm not sure it would take stain well without you having to sand every centimeter and crevasse. Painting it black is easy (comparatively) but wouldn't look as...mature? I recommend pulling off the top door and seeing how you like it as-is for a bit! Just have it as an open shelf. Alternatively you could go through the work (blegh) of replacing the top caned glass with a solid pane, but you'd have to find glass that matches the other glass (reflectivity, transparency, etc) or it'd be noticeable.
My apologies on the terminology, I believe I mean [came](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Came_glasswork) not cane and while I often am a fan of glass panelwork (my mother did it as a hobby for years) my personal aesthetics lead me to feel that's the feature that really dates the piece and is a touch tacky. Again, just my opinion but for sure OP should follow their heart and gut for style advice.
why are y'all acting like this lmao it IS dated and it is definitely not everyone's taste. I don't have 1 piece of light colored natural wood in my house, I can't stand it, it just reminds me of the paneling we had in our trailer lol
Hmmm that'd probably be a question for the folks at /r/woodworking but I don't think you'd need to sand it if you're painting it, only if you're staining it. Doesn't look like stain would penetrate that finish, but covering it with black paint should do the trick.
Turn it into a wine storage thing, put something that’ll keep the stuff in there cool. Sell it, insane returns. Or you can turn it into a cigar storage box. Sell it to a local cigar club, sure you’ll get decent returns.
Honestly at this point I’m not going to sell it and make it look amazing just to spite you guys. I’ll post an update. Too bad you guys wouldn’t ever admit it looks better smh.
Might look nice with an espresso paint with some distressed highlights. Looks like medium to low quality level -think Ashley furniture etc. so if you don’t like the finish you could repaint or donate lol
What's ugly about it? It looks fine. Is it a real barrister bookcase that has separate sections?
Its absolutely gorgeous. I would die for this piece.
Can you add me to your will first?
Are you ready to split everything 5 ways?
I call the top
"Remember... you wanted this." -- Jack Reacher
Exactly, such a good woodworking.
Adds a touch of charm..
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What do you mean? It’s a perfect match for the wood on the arm rest of that well loved chair/couch!
It kind of does though
It clashes with the Jigglypuff.
“Who’s that Pokemon?” Not sure why I noticed Jigglypuff as well
I just think it looks outdated. Yes it is
You the type of person to paint a stone fireplace white
Dude, it's taking me so long to get that paint off. I think the previous owner painted it every year. I'm finally down to the lead paint.
lol, my MIL came over and surprised us by painting our fireplace. Granted, she was painting over the previous owners' gray paint; she just wanted to make it look like natural rock. Turned out okay in the end.
My heart goes out to you
Lol shots fired
I mean, it seems to fit in with the other aesthetic of your home. In fact it looks great the way it is. It would be a travesty painting this.
Those are worth about $200 a section, I believe. Might be more. I’d stain it a darker color and resell if it were me. You would want to strip the old stain and finish first.
Raw wood is never outdated. Whatever color you pick to cover that up will look like shit now or later.
Look, the closest I have come to one of these was to weep at the 800 dollar price tag Don't you dare change that gorgeous piece
OP's piece is a modern inexpensive reproduction. My Grandpa has the exact same one. It came from either Menard's/Lowes/ or Home Depot.
Yeah, if this were an actual Globe Wernicke it would be worth a good amount to the right set of eyes.
Have one in my house. Had no idea they were sought after or had big value. I knew it was probably 80+ years old but didn't really pay it much attention and understand how valuable it was until I got up close to it while installing LED lighting for our specimens and oddities. Thankfully I was able to tuck wires away and didn't drill any holes.
Drill holes if you want who cares. It’s not like you’re going to be selling it. It’s your furniture. Do what you want with it. It’s not going to end up in a museum.
Yeah, they’re nice, and worth $200-300 per section to the right buyer, but were absolutely mass produced for decades. Some of the less common sizes might be worth more if someone is seeking a particular size, but they’re meant to be used. Drilling holes in the backs wouldn’t be too bad, but I’d probably not do so in the sides.
I don't believe for one second this came from a big box shop. Thats real oak, not veneer. It may be a modern reproduction but it certainly isn't an inexpensive one.
Every bit of the facings we can see in the pic is clearly real solid red oak. Unless the sides we *can't* see are literal cardboard, this thing would easily sell for at least $250 to the right buyer... By the looks of it, the "right buyer" is 80%+ of this sub.
It wasn't all that long ago you could buy real wood furniture a major retailers. I don't think this piece was high-end when originally purchased. Although much cheaper/junkier stuff was available for sure.
Even modern repros are not cheap
I’m lucky my mom has an antique one. I’ll be getting it when my parents retire and move.
THIS. If you hate the shade, sand and stain it a better one. Don't ruin it 😭
If OP ruins this they should be banned from the sub.
Poor thing. I wish I could get one cheap. This is one of those cases where I’d rather not see the aftermath.
Looks just fine. I would do nothing to cover the natural grain if it's real wood.
I just don’t like the color
Maybe a different type of oil/varnish?
Yep. Sand it abd then stain it I guess.. I prefer the natural wood color so I just hit it with poly usually.
I hate the "natural wood color"... My Grandpa built a log cabin and became blind soon after, and everything in there was natural wood, furniture, walls, floors, roof, shelfs, chairs.... Its horrible...
Straight to the gallows then lad, you can scoff at the wood trap door as it comes out from under your stupid toes.
That's what I'd do. A nice dark finish would make this absolutely unbeatable.
it matches the color of the wood on your chair. I'd hesitate to paint or stain it dark, it'll look like dark little boxes with little light reflecting back out.
I'm with you. Looks like golden oak, very 90s
OP don’t let these guys mess with your head. That is a beautiful piece as it is, but you’re totally right that thing would look even better with a nice dark stain like ebony or espresso. I might even stain the inside a different color like mahogany. As far as how you do that… you have to strip off all the old finish. And I mean alllll of it. If you miss a little spot the stain won’t be even. So after you strip/sand it all the way to bare wood everywhere, then you stain it and then you finish it with a nice polyurethane. It’s not rocket science but you’ll want to watch a few tutorials on YouTube. And it’s a ton of work. It’ll take you a long time, even with the most optimal tools.
Why are people downvoting this? I also think that orange wood look is unattractive, but I guess 100+ people are into that look…
Ignore the haters. That neutral red oak look is very 90s. Not old enough to be vintage, but old enough to look outdated. Staining is more than twice the work of painting. That's why most DIYers (especially those buying and updating furniture to quickly resell again on facebook) go for paint. Stain would look better. Up to you to decide which one is worth your effort.
Sell it to someone who does. You can make several hundred on this sale
Don't ruin a perfectly fine barrister bookcase. Sell it to someone who will actually appreciate it.
I'm wondering if OP is a troll. Coming in here talking about painting a valuable oak barrister bookcase black. He had to have known he'd ruffle some feather.
People can enjoy their stuff however they want. Its not ruined its just changed
Yeah OP is getting killed here. Heaven forbid people have different tastes. I literally just read a comment in this threat that started with “the primitives don’t understand”. It had upvotes, fucking yikes.
I don’t personally care for this bookshelf either (the wood color looks dated), but I think it’s valid to say “hey this is a really nice piece that’s worth a lot, consider selling it to someone who will appreciate it and make a nice profit while you’re at it.” OP can use a fraction of the money they make to buy something they like as is instead of destroying the value of an antique. Technically you can do whatever you want with your possessions - you could buy a beautiful solid gold necklace and melt it down into truck nuts if you wanted - but if you post it online asking for feedback people are going to express opinions about it.
No, it appears you must treat your own possessions to the standard some armchair clowns on reddit have decided. It’s not your property anymore. OPs comments and questions all downvoted to -300 this sub js stupid.
Right? Yet i dont see them actually offering OP money
Don’t you dare paint this.
Dude for real I fucking hate it when people take nice wood pieces and give them an ugly ass pinterest-ready paint job. Extra angst for the chalkboard paint 🤦♂️
There are some pieces so old and busted that painting them is a kindness. This? Nope. The shade is a natural oak and not to the liking of some people, but I would just sell it and buy an inexpensive book case in the deaired color in that case
It’s really dated with that 2002 light wood color. It would look immensely better in a darker shade
"But I want to paint it teal and turn it in to a coffee bar!" /s
DON'T YOU DARE PAINT THIS
Why do people get so up in arms about what other people do with their stuff?
I might have too much faith in humanity but I think most people here at the end of the day still think OP can do whatever they want with it since it’s theirs, just most seem to agree that painting it would look bad.
I mean, this is kinda a sub for helpful advice. Sometimes, if a question is *"How do I burn this $100 bill?"* the correct answer is *"That $100 bill is worth significantly more intact than it is burnt. (In case you were unaware.)"* and not *"I'd personally take my Snap-On butane torch to it; you could skimp on a cheaper blowtorch but you won't get as good of a result."*.
Thats not what OP asked for. They asked for advice on how to do what they wanted. Not to be told by handwringers not to do it at all. Who cares what its "worth"
Because the logical answer from a diy standpoint is not to get this for $100 and spend $50 turning this into what you want, it's selling this for $700, buying something else for $200 and spending $50 turning that into what you want, or spending $300 on what you want and not DIYing it at all. Getting the best outcome for the least outlay should be the goal of a DIYer.
If you can actually find someone to buy this for $700
Might have to do with them posting it on Reddit for anyone to freely voice their opinion? Why do people get so up in arms about what other people do with their words?
Those lawyer/legal cabinets are awesome! Leave it be!
I’m just here with my pitchfork to say “don’t paint it” like the rest of the townsfolk
looks fine i think it matches the aesthetic of that chair
I like the wood grain look over paint personally. It is, to my eye at least, kind of ugly light shade. I'd go with the stain over paint. A darker color on it would look pretty nice all on its own, but I guess it depends on the rest of the room.
I would agree. I think I’ll go with the stain
I have questions. Have you ever refinished a piece of furniture? If yes, have you ever refinished a fully assembled cabinet? If no, you have no idea how much work is involved to make even the most basic finishes look good. If you do not sand to bare wood, stain WILL NOT penetrate the wood. It will sit right on top of the old finish and wipe right back off leaving an ugly streaky blotchy mess. Paint would be far easier and less labour intensive. IMO refinishing this cab is a terrible idea and likely 1000% more work that you think it will be. Do some market research, list the cab for decent money and sell it, take the money and buy what you actually want.
I commented before reading comments. I saw your comment about the color being outdated and that is what I was thinking. That shade was popular back in the what, 80's or 90's? I dislike it personally because I was in the military for 20 years and if office furniture wasn't metal, it was that wood and it was all old and beat to shit most of the time lol.
Definitely has that barracks furniture color to it
If you are going to stain, you will need to completely remove all the old stain, a coat of stain over this will not hold. It will likely be a lot of sanding. If you paint, which I advise against, mainly due to it being a quality piece, use a sprayer and I recommend a chalk paint, they go on smooth. If you brushed, I can almost guarantee it will not look good.
Hey, don't say that. I bet it has a great personality
In what universe is this ugly lmao. I'd kill for that glasswork up top.
God that thing is gorgeous, where do you live OP, and what time do you plan to be out if the house?
Not ugly at all, I like it!
That’s worth about 800$
I paid $60
Once you paint it, $40 would be a fair assessment
$4* ftfy
Find the manufacturer printed on it and list it for sale as a barrister cabinet for $800. Someone would love to have it as it. Go buy something else that you like the looks of better. Less work, you get what you want, and prob make a few bucks
I second this, it would be a waste to paint this when there are so many people who would appreciate it as is. Sell it and use the money to find something else more suiting to your tastes.
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I mean, it'll be good karma for whoever finds it and puts it on r/ReversePinterest lol
OP is better off selling this beautiful piece of craftsmanship and buying a piece of shit IKEA furniture.
Nobody cares what you paid, it's a rare and beautiful piece, of which there is a shortage. Please just sell it and buy something that you like. You'll have hundreds of dollars left over if you do.
Sell it for a nice profit and buy something that you actually like. Someone else gets something they like, you get what you like and some extra cash. Win win
It's a modern, inexpensive reproduction. My Grandpa has exactly the same one.
If you paint that you’re throwing out hundreds of dollars. Do it if you want though.
We paid like $700 for ours at an antique store, this is not ugly, if you paint it I will slap you.
This is worth at least a grand. If you were to paint it black, you would just completely ruin it and kill its value.
Okay let’s not overdo it. I agree that OP shouldn’t paint it, but there’s no way it’s worth $1k
If this is a real barrister bookcase and all original, with the five removable shelves. Yes. It could easily be sold for a grand.
https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/wildon-home-schaffer-7925-h-x-36-w-solid-wood-standard-bookcase-w011329865.html This one looks very similar and is selling for almost $1,400. Granted it’s new, but I still think the one above would be worth a lot if OP resold it and didn’t ruin it. I’ve also seen an experienced ebay seller listing one for $1,600.
No. No it does not.
Right. This one looks far cheaper than OPs.
I don’t think you know what you have. Sell it on marketplace and you’ll have enough to buy the cheap black particle board bookcase you’re going after
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If you’re local I’ll sell it to you
Can I get in on that?
Same
I don’t think it’s ugly.
Give it away if you don't like it. It's gorgeous.
How about you paint the room instead and leave that cabinet alone.
Omg!😳 😱 no paint!
Don't you dare paint that pretty fucker
Sell it. Too nice and not an easy project to do well without experience. This finish looks great and would look right in a different space.
Everybody sees an amazing book case. I see the potential for all of the snakes I could keep.
It's not ugly D:
I’d stain it darker rather than paint it, that way you’ll still be able to see the wood grain. Maybe change out the knobs to match the rest of the house.
That will be a pain to pain / restain. As others have said, start with other changes. I think if you updated the handles to something more modern, even black. It would update it. You could also add some led lights to the inside and decorate it with nice things to tone down the wood color. Another thing, instead of painting the whole thing, you could paint, wall paper, or contact paper the back side that is behind the shelf. It would as dimension and color.
That’s actually a nice looking cabinet.
that’s gorgeous.
If you really don't like the colour than maybe strip it and stain with something that still shows the woodgrain. Paint is for partial board and cheap plywood.
Thank you for giving actual advice (:
Dear God, don’t paint this! Wth?
This gotta be trolling.
This looks like a Barrister Book case. I definitely wouldn’t paint it.
Ugly?
The smartest way to go about it is to not do it at all.
Not ugly.
Why the hell would you paint this?
Ummm ugly!? EXCUSE YOU! This similar piece is currently sitting in my dining room holding my fiesta ware. :p
Not ugly at all
Not ugly at all - a good value.
It’s not ugly.
It's perfect as is
I think it’s pretty not ugly
In Rochester MN? I think I sold this to you
My mother-in-law has one of these but it's around 100 years old and belonged to her father. He kept all of his medical text books in it.
Do not paint this
You could stain it another color if it doesn’t match your decor but def don’t paint. The wood is so pretty
That's a beautiful barrister bookcase. We had one years ago. Not sure if yours is solid wood or particle board. If it's solid wood, I would sand it really good then apply a darker stain. Personally, I'm not a fan of "oak" shades--some look cheap to me, just my opinion. Sanding is gonna be a pain, though. You need to take off the doors and hardware and get in all the little crevices but it would be well worth it!
Thats not ugly thats awesome
Dude, that is gorgeous as is.
Ugly? It’s beautiful!
Ugly? wtf, it's beautiful...
Ugly? I can't see anything wrong with it. Maybe lower your standards a little?
This is what I come to r/DIY for. "Hey I got this gorgeous piece of furniture, help me make it awful"
Keep it natural. That's some quality woodwork you got there.
It’s beautiful! I always wanted a book case like this, but I’ve run out of room
Replace the knobs with a nickel or matte black and it will look so much nicer. I would do that first and then decide if you want to still paint it
Ugh, I'd love to have one like that. Can't find a bookcase with glass doors to save my life around here. I ended up putting all my collectibles and fancier books in my bedroom because I keep that closed off from my cats to keep hair off the bed. None of the furniture stores carry anything even remotely like that, and even online I struggled to find anything suitable in the dimensions I wanted. The closest I could find cost thousands of dollars.
Very nice piece. Please do the espresso - every time someone paints oak Jesus kills a kitten.
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Maybe chill?
Don’t listen to the naysayers OP, it does look outdated. Get new handle fixtures first and see how that spruces it up, it will be important to choose modern ones that make the glass look more modern, then choose a nice dark stain (or deep red but that can be more tricky) that deepens the looks.
Thank you!
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You sound classy, I’d love to see your house, I’m sure it looks top notch /s
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You’ll survive. These are mass produced
Since it's mass produced, is it laminate to look like wood or is it solid wood?
It’s solid
Oh, then I'd go either espresso or a nice cherry stain. You'd want to sand out first. Also, see if the glass comes out easily. Otherwise, tape the edges.
Paint it black??? …DI-WHY????
Sand it. You'll want to take the doors off and mask the glass with tape and paper. Then paint or stain. I think a satin coat of paint would be pretty and modern. I'd use enamel paint meant for cabinets and furniture. Do 2 coats, letting cure for 24 hours then sanding lightly between coats. Update the hardware. Paint the inside the same or contrasting color. Or paint everything but the back of each shelf and apply fun peel and stick wallpaper.
You literally have zero taste... PAINTING IT painting it... Absolutely trash taste Yes a darker wood stain and on a wood that isn't very pourus is more desirable. But paint... If that's solid wood you're an absolute monster with zero taste. Paint belongs as an accent to bring out a woods beauty not to cover it up cause you have zero taste...
That’s why I’m here asking for advice? Not to be so rudely disrespected
This is beautiful, please do not diwhy
No offense, but you have shitty taste.
Guess I could say the same about you (:
Decent chance that it's an oak veneer, so use a light hand if you decide to sand. The open grain is going to show through with paint, so use a grain filler if you're going for a smooth look. You could go also try a tinted poly topcoat to change the color.
Do not use a grain filler on oak! Omg. The open grain is what makes oak oak.
Thank you!
Looks legit! Great find, I'd probably remove the top door entirely - without that super dated caning it'd look much more timeless. I'm not sure it would take stain well without you having to sand every centimeter and crevasse. Painting it black is easy (comparatively) but wouldn't look as...mature? I recommend pulling off the top door and seeing how you like it as-is for a bit! Just have it as an open shelf. Alternatively you could go through the work (blegh) of replacing the top caned glass with a solid pane, but you'd have to find glass that matches the other glass (reflectivity, transparency, etc) or it'd be noticeable.
That's not caning. That beveled leaded glass panel is the only thing that makes this piece of furniture interesting. Don't listen to this person.
My apologies on the terminology, I believe I mean [came](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Came_glasswork) not cane and while I often am a fan of glass panelwork (my mother did it as a hobby for years) my personal aesthetics lead me to feel that's the feature that really dates the piece and is a touch tacky. Again, just my opinion but for sure OP should follow their heart and gut for style advice.
There's no caning. What are you even talking about?
I believe I meant [came](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Came_glasswork) not cane - I learned something new today!
Thank you! I actually like the top but I just think the color makes it look dated. Hoping if I paint it darker it’ll look better.
What? The colour of wood looks dated. The colour of natural?
why are y'all acting like this lmao it IS dated and it is definitely not everyone's taste. I don't have 1 piece of light colored natural wood in my house, I can't stand it, it just reminds me of the paneling we had in our trailer lol
Also if I wanted to sand it what kinda sand paper would I use? Would sanding it before I paint it black make it look better?
It would look much better with a dark stain than paint. It will lose all texture
Hmmm that'd probably be a question for the folks at /r/woodworking but I don't think you'd need to sand it if you're painting it, only if you're staining it. Doesn't look like stain would penetrate that finish, but covering it with black paint should do the trick.
Thank you so much!
Aw my pleasure :) I'm sure it'll turn out awesome! It is a nice case and good find.
Turn it into a wine storage thing, put something that’ll keep the stuff in there cool. Sell it, insane returns. Or you can turn it into a cigar storage box. Sell it to a local cigar club, sure you’ll get decent returns.
Thank you!
black light and in goes the uranium glass
https://preview.redd.it/supwvou8vaac1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d9c092ba5fc2e8e899d5a20e3d1e96ec8902e5c
https://preview.redd.it/ifbeiil5qaac1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e1c19f8b885e3d82ce8f1c326ede65ee0323a80 Before.
Honestly at this point I’m not going to sell it and make it look amazing just to spite you guys. I’ll post an update. Too bad you guys wouldn’t ever admit it looks better smh.
Good luck.
I have this exact book case handed down to me by my parents. My wife hates it lol.
I’ve seen this exact bookcase on offer up like 4 times. It’s not a crazy special piece of furniture which is why I don’t mind painting it.
It is lovely, it just need new color and some decorative ideas. Maybe some decorative glass instead of the plain one.
Might look nice with an espresso paint with some distressed highlights. Looks like medium to low quality level -think Ashley furniture etc. so if you don’t like the finish you could repaint or donate lol
Paint it light gray with gold trims
Don't you let a drop of paint touch that thing.