Restoration

Ryan and Megan bought an old dresser that we're fixing up to be used as a changing table for Baby Smith. It's been a long time since I've don't this kind of work, but I used to do a lot way back when. Here's a reflection from those days...

Restoration

I have to do something with this old dresser
Painting it yet again won't do any good
It has been painted over one too many times already
No, it has to be stripped down to the wood
And restored from the ground up

So I brush on a chemical gel to strip the paint
Man, this stuff is caustic
I'm glad the dresser doesn't feel pain
Because this would surely hurt

I wipe off the gel and meticulously scrape the stuff
Out of the cracks

Well, what do you know?
Solid cherry wood
Dovetail joints
Inlay on the top and on the drawer fronts

After an entire afternoon of cleaning and sanding
I stand back and admire the thing
Four hours ago it was trash
Now it is a treasure!

That's the difference between covering and restoring
Covering is quick and easy
It hides the damage and the blemishes
But only for a while
Until the thing is destroyed from within

Restoration is slow and tiresome
Stripping away the layers is painful
And repairing damage is hard, hard work
But it is God's way of turning
Trash into treasure!