When I first bought my vintage tulip table and chairs, the steel bases were pocked and rusted… the fiberglass shell chairs were dirty and dingy… and the laminate tabletop and rubber edge were yellowed and soiled. How did I get them to look like new? Secrets revealed today!
Above: A shell chair “after” complete restoration.
First, how to clean and revive the vintage fiberglass shell chair … the seat portion? After buying the dingy chairs, I went online to search for help and pretty much right away found: Chairfag.com’s Original Shell Chair Restoration Guide. I do not like the name of this site at all, but there you go. As part of their tutorial, they recommended a product called Penetrol — it’s available at big box home stores, or you can buy via my little Amazon widget and disclosure: I get a teensy spiff that helps keep the blog boat afloat.
To do this work… and to repaint the metal bases of the table and chairs, I called in a pro — Shaun Guinan of Reworks Vintage Interiors in Pittsfield, Mass. I actually met Shawn at my first garage sale of the summer. He came by and bought some old metal chairs I had for sale. We got to talking, and I learned that he specialized in metal refinishing and repair. So after the sale, he came back, took a look, and gave me an estimate that seemed fair. Most importantly, he seemed to have the caution, patience — and sensibility – that is required to mess with old stuff.
Above: All done!
For the metal bases on the table and chairs, Shaun thought that the prep and repainting would be pretty straightforward — and it was. He told me that he sanded down the rust, then primed with two coats of a basic auto body primer (sand between coats), then spray-repainted with a single-stage auto body lacquer with matting agent to bring down the shine. He did NOT put a clearcoat on, because I did not want a super-high-gloss finish. He had all the equipment and the dust-free booth to do the work. And, he even came back once to my house to review some shades of white so that I could pick the one I wanted.
Above: The shell chair, restored and purty.
To restore the luster on the shell chairs — he used the chairfag / penetrol method as described – and it worked beautifully. He told me that he cleaned the fiberglass lightly, then used the penetrol, all per the instructions. This method brought the shine right out — the chairs look great. In addition, there was a bit of a chip in the top back of one of the chairs. He filled this with marine epoxy, trying to match the epoxy to the white fiberglass as best he could. Matching was impossible – but he came close enough and honestly, you’d have to really be focused on looking for flaws. Note, read through the comments on the post referenced above, and you can see feedback that trying to fix serious cracks in fiberglass shell chairs can be futile; I hope the little chippy cracky in mine holds up; we’ll see. The guidance seems to be: Find chairs with shells that are intact — preferred. As a final step in the chair restoration, Shaun replaced the old wrecked vinyl seat cushion with a rich cherry-colored leather — he actually had a remmant in his shop and when he showed it to me, I thought it would be fine. It’s a deeper red than the previous candy-apple cushions and looks great. When he took the original cushions apart, he found that the plywood base of the cushion (which is screwed into the chair) is actually contoured. The plywood was grody — but to try and replicate the contour was nigh on impossible. So he cleaned it up best he could, added new foam, and the leather. The chairs … and the table base… look fantabulous.
Above: Crest whitening toothpaste in action. I wonder if the plaque-fighting stuff is making any difference.
When it came to cleaning up the table top, Pammy got DIY-crafty. First, the edge of the table — which I *think* is rubber or some such composite – was all scuffy and grody. What should I use? How about Crest whitening toothpaste, which I had in the bathroom. Yes, I was thinking, what can I use that is a bit abrasive but NOT TOO MUCH, and which will whiten? Toothpaste! It worked pretty darn well. But my follow on Step #2 was even more effective: A Mr. Clean white eraser. I read the instructions, used the magic eraser and that brought the edging back to pretty darn clean whiteness. **Note, though, Maria thinks the white eraser is very abrasive — it takes the faces right off of vintage dolls; so be careful — make your own decisions! My table was so darn grody I took the chance. I’ll update if I see any visible longterm consequences.
Above: Attacking the ground-in rusty gunk with toothpaste, a Dobey and Blue Heaven.
Now: the laminate tabletop. Here’s what it looked like “before.” Again, I first used Crest whitening toothpaste in the toughest spots. This was working okay, but pretty tedious, so I switched to the Mr. Clean white eraser — and wow, that worked like a dream. Now, there are all kinds of warnings on the Mr. Clean white eraser about testing on hidden spots, etc. I didn’t do that. I just winged it. And it seems fine. Lord knows what the longterm consequences are… so make your own decisions, don’t just do what I did… In any case, my tabletop was in dire straits. If I didn’t get it clean, DH was gonna make me go get it re-laminated. And I did not want THE PROJECT to continue any longer than it had to. Note: DH was VERY IMPRESSED with the project’s outcome; I think he was kind of skeptical, initially. Like, what piece of beat up old crap pardon-my-French have you brought into the house this time? Not that I blame him. I have a bad record on completing projects with half-ass pardon-my-French outcomes.
Above: Letting the toothpaste soak in.
While that Mr. Clean white eraser seemed to work miracles overall, the deeply embedded ”rusty” spots were still resistant. So I went back to the toothpaste… letting it sink in a bit… and except for a very faint ring, the rusty looking gunk is gone. It’s one of those things where you have to bend your head and look sideways in the table to see the ring, which is very faint but still there.
As a last step, I applied a few coats of Countertop Magic (liquid spray), which was originally recommended by Grace Jeffers of laminate preservation fame. Grace also contributed to our discussion about how to revive laminate – she was the original proponent of Countertop Magic and warns against abrasives and wax. Hmmmm. I wonder how penetrol would work on beat-up laminate…Penetrol is an oil conditioner and laminates like oil, Grace said… I will have to ask her what she think of trying Penetrol on old laminate…
Above: That’s Shaun Guinan of Reworks Vintage, Pittsfield – who restored the shell chairs and table and chair base. Great work, Shaun!
Voila. I am now the proud owner of a restored, vintage Saarinen style tulip table and shell chair set. Shaun found some markings when he took the table and chairs apart. I wrote them down and will research them some time. I tend to this is vintage Burke — which can fetch a pretty penny. But I don’t really care. I usually buy furnishing for my home to live with and enjoy, not generally as investments. For me, the fun is putting all this oddball stuff together in a happy homey unique-just-to-me way. And yes, THE PROJECTS always do make for a better story, don’t they?
The set looks great! Shawn did a nice job on those chairs, I didn’t know there was a plywood ‘platform’ to the cushion, I like learning new things. The leather looks great.
Something else that works well for bleaching? liquid dishwasher detergent. One realizes how nasty this stuff is when you use it for other than the intended use. The gel helps it hold in place. I would definitely recommend that anyone trying this to do it in a hidden spot first. But, I’m like you, Pam, go for it and fix it afterward if it doesn’t work! LOL Your employment of whitening toothpaste was a good call….I really like to use toothpaste for gentle abrasion but never thought of the whitening part. Good call.
Yes, I winged it with that white eraser — I’ll report back if I see any longterm negative consequences.
The magic eraser is great, but pretty darn abrasive and I discovered really irritating to your fingers if you get all crazy and clean lots of stuff with it while not wearing gloves. Not that I would do that. I hear though, from a FRIEND that it feels like teeny particles of glass in your skin. Not entertaining at all.
like i said: i was winging it! be forewarned, Retro Renovators!
Oh, mercy me. What a magnificent comeback for that set.
I am correct in reading that Shawn did the restoration of everything but the table top which you brought back to life with your ingenious use of household cleaning products? Congrats to you both on a job so well done.
Delighted to see that you’ve kept the color of the original seat cushions (relatively speaking). Also, would like your opinion after you’ve had time to enjoy this trophy for a while, as to what you think of arms vs. armless tulip chairs for the kitchen.
One more query here: do you think the Pentrol product would be safe to use on a laminate kitchen counter where food is prepared, etc.? I’m sure my answer is on its lable, but just curious since you’ve recently used it.
Pardon all my blathering here but that set has me in a real frenzy. You asbolutely must set that gorgeous table with your Blue Heaven and post us some aqua kitchen eye candy.
Thank for a super post.
I’ll ask Grace what she thinks of penetrol overall for old laminate. I am going to leave it to readers to check the specs re: food preparation – on this kind of question I want everyone to get themselves officially informed. Yes, Shaun did it all but the tabletop.
Thank you, Pam. I’m awed by the results both of you achieved.
I love Mister Clean Magic Eraser, BUT it is very abrasive, doesn’t look like it but it is. I was a doll collector back when we had money (!) and used it very carefully on vintage plastic dolls. It was okay on their legs and arms but not their faces, as it would very quickly sand away eyebrows, lip paint, cheek blush… Boom. Pale doll. Clean, but very pale!
Now I mostly use it on my IKEA Domsjo sink, to get rid of the black metal marks from my pans, and on the walls around our light switches that always seem to get smudgy.
Thanks for that tip, Maria. Like I said, everyone should make their own decisions… do their own tests… I felt like the stains on my tabletop were so terrible that it merited the risk. On this issue, I am sharing my experience not making a recommendation.
What about Bar Keepers friend? It does remove rust and they have a liquid cleanser- the use & care says it’s also recommended for laminated surfaces.
You did a beautiful job!
I have heard good things about Bar Keepers Friend. Keep meaning to get some and try it!
Bon-Ami is also good….”it never scratches” – or so it says on the can.
I swear by Bon Ami…much gentler than other scouring powders and healthier for vintage bath fixtures!
awesome post! i’ve been needing to look into restoration for my metal patio furniture. this is inspiring!
The best cleaner I have found is Bon Ami. It’s all natural and guarunteed not to scratch. I use it to remove rust from the mortor of the glass block window in the shower as well as basic everyday cleaning. Not the easiest to find, though. I buy it at Whole Foods and have seen it on the True Value website. You can even call it a “retro” cleaner. For a $1.35 you can’t go wrong!
It’s posts like these that keep me interested! Restoration is in my blood and I can’t help doing it. Wish I lived closer so I could have done the work for you.
You really let it all hang out on this post LOL Pam IS human! The chair set looks great and does look at-home in your kitchen. And now, you have the real McCoy. Projects make it all worth it. Otherwise, there’s no pride in buying something. At least not as much as restoring it, so it will last another 50+ years.
Way to go!
awe shucks, thank, Trouble! did I ever mention that I am related to a Real McCoy by marriage?
I think I might try that Penetrol on my dining room table. It’s a Tell City Chair Co. set made of rock maple that my parents bought back in 1962. The top of the table is laminate and a little lighter than the leaves.
And the table has brush marks all over the bottom from me as an idiot child, wiping my brushes off while building models! GRRR! But maybe that adds to the family heirloom quality of the set?
I have an email in to Grace to see what she says about the Penetrol on laminate. I really do emphasize: Read the specs, talk to the manufacturer. Don’t just do things you read about on the internet!
yes, the brush marks are historical patina. like my wrinkles.
LOL!
We just scored several steel kitchen cabinets that are grody and starting to rust – much like your table base. I used S.O.S. steel wool to remove what rust I could and a magic eraser on the rest. I can’t believe how well that magic eraser cuts through crap. It really is magic!
♥ Rebecca Jean
Pam- The set is wonderful.
But I am more impressed by your self-control! Had this been been my story and my blog- I would have been on here everyday reporting the “drama”.
But you didn’t….and I think that is why we all keep coming back . You are an excellent “hostess”.
(btw-here I go getting into “Gavin aka Trouble”:
The name chairfag.com is pretty in-your-face, but memorable and probably true! Subculture terms seem to be acceptable ONLY when used by members. I chalk it up to: “It’s a big world out there…..”)
Their tag-line:
“chairfag.com… Because you’re gay for chairs” gives it a whole other spin.
Dear Gavin,
DOH! Lol Yeah I was like, “Chair WHAT?!” ha ha ha
Shane
And Pam, if it helps to look at it differently, the original and proper use of the word is a verb – meaning to ‘work hard’ or ‘toil’ which truly was done with your chairs! Nice job!
Beautiful!
Nice job Pam,
Did you give a product called Novus a try? I use it to bring back vintage plastics. It works amazingly well for most jobs.
Thanks, Gatsby, I’ll go look for it. I see a cleaning video coming on….
GREAT post!!!
We have a very similar Burke set in our kitchen, escept our table is oval and the arm chairs have propellar bases. Are your swivel chairs wobbly at all? A couple of ours are kinda shaky and I’m debating a full dismantle when it’s time to repaint.
Penatrol is amazing stuff! I’m using it to restore a fiberglass patio set.
Thanks amigo!
hey steve, nice to hear from you. no wobbles yet. but we work hard, play hard, so we’ll see.
Pam- Do you find the chairs w/ arms more comfortable?
hard to say…different.
Looks amazing! I’ll be interested in what you find about the manufacturer — I have a few fiberglass chairs I got at an auction — 1 genuine Saarinen, 4 Burke, and 2 I can’t find anything on. My Burkes are black, armless, and have the propellor base — just like the ones on the original Enterprise!
I have these exact same chairs! When you got them did they already have a smooth finish? Mine are raw fiberglass and I can’t figure out how to coat them so that I can use them! I tried taking them to a fiberglass repair place but they wanted $300 plus labor for each chair! I only paid $5 each! Anyways if any one else knows how to fix this problem let me know!
you should direct a question to the website that I link to whose name I don’t want to type again
I want those nesting tables in the top photo! .
I have ReStore envy. They turned out fantastic!
Pam,
Sometimes reading your posts make me laugh out loud….I suspect you are probably hilarious in person. Thanks for the guffaws while dispensing good info.
Lady, as if you weren’t already a genius–I see you doing this and now your are officially a super genius!
Why don’t you have your own TV show? Seriously.
- Dottie
PS: of course I was raving about you to many friends and now she’s equally obsessed with Retro Renovation!
ahh, you are too, sweet, modernkiddo!
I wonder if baking soda would’ve helped? I know it’s too late to try now but it’s a mild abrasive and definitely has whitening qualities. Has anyone else used baking soda for a similar project?
The chairfag site recommended not using the penetrol on white shells due to yellowing over time. You’ll have to let us know how that turns out!
They turned out awesome though, congrats!
WHAT! I’ll have to go back and re-read. And update the post. Drats. I guess that if they yellow we can strip and repaint them. Or something. Will it never end?
I stumbled across this post while looking for info on how to refinish white Burke chairs. I read too that Penetrol yellows over time. It’s been two years since you redid your chairs. Have they yellowed any?
I just went and looked. They still look pretty darn good. I would not say they are yellowed. They never were brite-white to begin with. Note: My chairs may get some morning sun – but nothing harsh.
Here is the question I posted, and Larry’s reply on the chairfag site.
The chairs are off white.
Rest easy Pam, and thanks for the blog.
“Shaun Said,
October 7, 2010 @ 4:14 pm
Has anyone used Penetrol on white chairs? Is there any darkening or yellowing effect? Can the Penetrol gloss be toned down with a Scotch brite pad?
Thanks,
#
Larry Said,
October 7, 2010 @ 8:53 pm
If the chairs are a bright (stark) white, then there could be a slight yellowing effect. If they are an off white, which most are then it’s not a problem at all. You can use a scotch bright pad to tone down the gloss, but daily use will do it for you as well. The gloss tones down a bit on it’s own after the penetrol is thoroughly dry. The pics that show it super high gloss are still while the penetrol is wet.”
THANKS, SHAUN, for the great follow up! Folks, if you are near western Mass. and want something refinished, I highly recommend Shaun — he is very patient and detail-oriented — as you can see from his proactive approach above.
hi! my boyfriend totally tuned me into this site (strange since i’m the design fanatic in the relationship) and it’s FANTASTIC. I was psyched to see this article because i’ve been delaying the restoration of my vintage tulip chair because I didn’t know (feared?) where to start. Thanks for the tips and resources!
I’ve had really good luck removing rust spots from slightly porous surfaces like countertops using oxy-clean. Mix up a bit in some water, dab it on the spot, and let it sit for a few hours.
Hey, I just picked up some Burke chairs yesterday. 5 of them to be exact for $5 a piece. I can’t wait to restore them. Mine have the star base and are Aluminum I think so I really don’t have any rust to deal with. The shells are very dingy and have water stains. I wish I had kept the cushions but they were in horrible shape and had been re-covered in a brown faux fur which was moldy. I ripped the covering off to discover 5 different color vinyl pads. 1 in bright red, 1in bright blue, 1in green apple, 1 in white, and 1 in a bright yellow. I might have to back to my cousins and dig the cushions out of the trash tomorrow and just get the plywood out of them to keep the shape original, lol. Dangit. I love your chairs and table, they turned out great! I think I’m going to Ikea tomorrow to pick up a tulip table for my chairs.
Sounds very cool, Christian — somewhere here on the blog I have a photo of a Burke set with multicolored cushions. I will need to think about where – I think it was spotted on ebay.
I’ve been looking around the web trying to find out more info about my chairs but there really isn’t a whole lot out there. On the bottom of the shell on two of my chairs which are a little slimmer than the other two, they are marked Burke Inc. Dallas Texas 103 and they don’t swivel. However, the other two do swivel and are marked Burke Inc. Dallas, Texas 115. I wonder if they are all supposed to swivel or not? I haven’t checked my armchair yet but I will do that today. I also noticed the bases are marked Burke Division Brunswick Corporation. Is that the same Brunswick Co. that made the shell chairs that I assume were for bowling alleys? I actually have 2 of those too.
christian, yes it is the same Brunswick. they were a manufacturer of bowling and billard equipment and bought Burke Inc. in 1963 in order to strengthen and expand their position in furniture. they had started that division in 1952 with a remarkable collection of school furniture, but sold it in 1969.
There is a great step-by-step guide here with additional pointers on how to restore tulip chairs http://www.aliceindesignland.com/blog/how-to-refurbish-a-saarinen-tulip-chair-on-the-cheap.html
We have original Saarinen Tulip chairs (and table) and they are in superb shape except for the fact that the base of the pedestal is now ruining our vinyl kitchen floor. It has prompted us to put in a new tile floor, but we need to solve the problem of the bare aluminum bearing weight on the floor, thus scraping it. I have had to put small nylon coasters around the perimeter of the base, but these eventually do not prevent scratching. I’ve also used felt with adhesive on the rim of the base, but that also doesn’t wear well. Anyone out there experienced this problem?
Hi Larry. This is interesting that you asked. My husband just last weekend complete a 6-month (seriously, something like that) project to find little rubber nubblies that would fit in the holes in the base of our vintage Burke (or whatever it is) Saarinen-style table. Our has holes in the base all around the edge / lip that he finally found the right-size thingamadoodles to gently hammer in. Does yours not have holes? If NOT, then my recommendation is to contact Knoll directly to ask what you are supposed to do. They still make these tables. I wonder if they have the same issue? Let us know what happens… Isn’t this all so bizarre — we are after the smallest of solutions sometimes! Good luck! pam
Hi Pam,
We found a tulip table and chair set just like yours and are starting to clean it up. We are also looking for the little “rubber nubblies” that fit in the holes in the base of the chairs. Can you tell us where your husband finally found them? We are having no luck. Thanks!
This is a really nice writeup. Your after photos look great!
However I don’t think your set is Burke. A Burke chair will say so on the underside of the shell. My Burke chair shells are shaped just a bit differently than yours too. In particular, there is no ‘up arrow’ molded in behind the seat cushion. Also, a Burke table, mine at least, uses a painted particle board for the table top, whereas you reported that yours has a rubbery material.
Is there any suggestion for repairing a slight nick in the back of a Knoll tulip chair that is fairly new? The material is figerglass.
Thanks for any help.
I have this exact table and chair set at home. Handed down from my grandmother’s possession for the past 40 something years! I was interested in trying my hand at restoring, but i certainly don’t have the dust-proof booth accessible to me. Ah well, i guess DIY restoration is out of the question and on to professional restoration. Thanks for the details… any references out there for a NJ restorer?
Read Susan’s story here, she has a reco for someone in NJ: http://retrorenovation.com/2010/04/09/the-seven-month-saga-of-susans-steel-kitchen-and-her-recommendation-for-a-metal-cabinet-refinisher-in-new-jersey/
I, too have a Burke, Inc. 115 set that includes the table. The table is in fabulous shape, but the chairs are starting to break at the swivel mechanism. Can anyone please point me to where I might find some replacement parts? I love this set!
Here is an example of what my chairs look like:
http://www.metroretrofurniture.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?item=6585&camefrom=
Thanks!
How do you keep your swivel chairs from sliding all over the floor?
They don’t slide….
i have the same burke of dallas set, but with side chairs. and, i have the same geneva st. charles enamel cabinets. mine are white but i do love your turquoise. its time to redo my avocado green vinyl seat cushions, probably will do vinyl again as it is so easy to wipe off. thanks for sharing.
Hello. Can you please advise on how to get rid of the grinding noise when they swivel. I bought my set in 1975. Thank you.