Battered Bureau or Hidden Beauty? - Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration 

You removed the bad stuff, but left all the character that a 200 year old piece should have. Beautiful work.👍

I guarantee that anyone else faced with this piece would have refinished it. Your ability to keep the history and character preserved even though it had extensive damage is amazing to me. Thank you so much for sharing your incredible skills with us Tom.

Mr. Johnson, your skill is amazing and your love for these old pieces is obvious. And you always seem so calm and unhurried.

I have to admit that when I first saw this one, I was sure you'd have to do a lot more sanding than you actually did. I just wasn't seeing how this one could really come out looking nice without doing all that. Once again though, Tom, you've shown me that you can preserve the antiquity of furniture without refinishing it all. I'm amazed at how nice this looked in the end. You've managed to keep the look of it's age while making it a piece that is still functional and presentable. That's invaluable.

It seems like on RU-vid the trend is to make videos of people finding old furniture, sand it within an inch of it's life, then paint it or not sand and just slap chalk paint on it. I have always loved the look of natural wood on a piece. It is lovely to see this piece of history returning to health. Great work! I'll bet the customer was happy. btw, those chickens are so adorable!

I love the fact that you kept the piece's history intact. As others have said, anyone else would have refinished it.

My goodness, Tom. It is such a joy to watch the meticulousness of your work.

I'd give anything to see the customers face when they see what a beautiful piece this is compared to what it was. Your skill and knowledge just blows us away. Nice job.

Amazing result, with respect for the originality of this piece. That family must be very happy getting it back with all of its history conserved.

The Bob Ross of furniture repair and restoration! I have been watching for years now. And have learned so much. Can’t appreciate this channel enough. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and talent

Another great care restoration, preserving the family's history with this piece. I'm near 80, so I can appreciate the history each person/family can have towards their furniture. I have had a lot with some of mine. and I miss the ones that got lost over time and years . I can still remember a closet chest of drawers we had when i was a child, its long gone but it still evokes fond memories. Funny how we can relate to pieces of wood from our past. and you sir. exemplify how to keep that memory intact thru your skill thanks for sharing it all with us. ECF.

You never cease to inspire me. Not only because your work is so beautiful, but because of your patient attitude of "well, let's try this and see how she goes." It really helps to know that a real expert and artist like you, are just "trying stuff out" (or course with a wealth of experience) and that if it doesn't quite work out, you just keep at it. I try to apply your calm,patient approach to everything I do now.

Keeping a piece of history preserved is a great feeling. I love to see you bring things back to life. Kentucky is always watching. I learn from each of your videos.

Well done, Tom. You succeeded and it was wonderful to see its history.

Yes, the 'feel of the years' is so important, and satisfying. The owners will be delighted. Thanks, Tom!

At first, I was glued to your restoration…but in the long run, I took a shine to it.😉 Great job!😀

What a treasure! And I’m not just talking about the chest of drawers. Tom Johnson’s repair skills are also a treasure!

Gorgeous piece. I appreciate how you preserved its character while refreshing it for use over the next hundred years.

Just looks superb! The perfect blend of ‘no ugly’ and timeworn patina. Who wouldn’t want to use that chest!

I'm always impressed by the care you take with every detail; it really speaks of not only your great experience but also understanding of your materials.

So well done Tom. Your determination to preserve the character of the piece rather than trying to make it look like new, resulted in a beautiful finish. I am sure the owner will be delighted with it for many years to come. Thanks for sharing.

Such a considerate gentle preservation/restoration. Just master craftsmanship of the highest calibre. Thanks again Tom for sharing your considerable knowledge and talent. When it comes to antique furniture I can see why your clients trust you with their precious heirlooms. Hope you and your family are keeping well. All the best as usual from across the pond. Kate x

My father would go to auctions when I was little and pick up pieces of antique furniture. I'm sure I took it for granted, but when I watch videos like this. I'm reminded of the antique pieces with which I was surrounded growing up. I'm glad you really care about this furniture and it's history. Besides, who wants to do all that sanding?!

I am so happy, to see another antique piece of furniture with its aged and beautiful patina, saved from chalk paint - without exaggeration almost every sense in my body feels it.

This, this is one of the many things I love about your work. The respect and understanding of just how and why your clients want you to do what you do. Such a loving touch to produce a beautiful job of preserving the history for the family. 👍

It looks pretty good… 😂 I love that you give as much TLC to a simple family heirloom as you would a very expensive piece. What a gentleman restorer you are, Tom…

Thanks Tom for another great video. It’s wonderful how you demonstrated the method in preserving the patina on the piece. I’ve been doing my own restoration projects like this for years. I don’t know if it’s the case over in your neck of the woods that people want antiques to look like new rather than antique. Here in Australia, it seems to be the norm. When restoring a piece for someone else, I usually deter my client from any heavy restoration unless it’s absolutely necessary. Not only that but keeping the patina on the piece generally makes it more valuable.

Love your videos, great inspiration to us all with your commitment to the historical aspect of the pieces you work on.

It's such a pleasure to watch you bring a piece of furniture back to life. Your love for your craft is apparent. I could only wish to live close enough to your shop to be able to bring in a piece to be treated with such care.

I think there should be another category for work like this. Fine art is conserved. I think this beautiful work that maintains the integrity of the piece is also conservation. Sometimes "restoring" is thought to mean to "making something look new." I do not want my antiques to look new. I love that they tell a story! But I want them to be maintained and cared for. Thank you for showing us how that can be achieved.

And that's how it's done! The finish is beautiful and all the character is still there. Great job, Mr. Johnson!

I'm originally from Duxbury, MA. I'm now 76. As a boy I worked summers abroad the Mayflower II as a guide. Your incredible work transports me back to my roots and the love and respect I still embrace for all things old and historic. Thank you Tom!

Wonderful piece. I love you attitude toward preservation of the finish and texture.

I scratched my head on those escutcheon troughs: those handles were loose for so long that the escutcheons traveled in an orbit for years (decades). Going with putty repair was an eye opener for me: your precision is amazing in terms of color, fill, and later finish. I learn something every time I watch one of your videos.

I used Krud Kutter to clean up the cabinets in my kitchen. They are Yellow Pine and they have gone very orange over the years. As a disabled person, tasks like that are time consuming and difficult so I find the best products that do most of the work for me. Tom introduced me to the Krud Kutter cleaners and I have been grateful ever since. My friends are older and they too now use it. I told Tom he should go fo a sponsorship with them! I even wrote the company on his behalf. Thanks again Tom!

I learn so much from your videos Tom. Thanks so much for showing how to restore and preserve these venerable objects for the next generations.

A wonderful restoration, thanks for posting it.

What a beautiful job of repairing the damage and preserving the patina! I hope the customer appreciates you giving the chest of drawers another 200 years of useful life.

I like that it shows all the years, good and bad, but also looks fine and loved now. Like a beloved and aged family member.

It is really a pleasure and a luxury to be able to watch a profesional “pamper” a piece of furniture so delicately, taking into account the wishes of the client and the needs of the piece. It is exemplary. Thank you!

Beautiful job. Thank you for preserving history, instead of wiping it out.

There is so much zen in the way this master conducts himself. I am sure he has many Japanese fans.

Another beautiful, sensitive restoration. Many restorers would have sanded away 200 years of character, it was good to see that you carried out minimal sanding preserving the character and leaving the age of the piece. By inserting a simple pin on the rear plate on the handle you did what should have been done by the original maker, a simple fix that will stop future wear. Always a pleasure watching you work.

This man is a national treasure.

Wonderful job of bringing the dresser back to life without taking the 'life' out of it, Thomas Johnson. I so love to watch your videos!

You do such stellar-caliber craftsmanship on heirloom pieces;the families must be thrilled to have their beloved furnishings made ready to be used, cherished and admired for the next 200 years.

Preserving the evidence of hand planing the top and drawer fronts was a very nice touch.

Beautifully restored! Many generations have loved and used it and you have given it some much needed TLC.😊

Thomas: what a wonderful restoration. The piece itself was a treasure and you made it shine even more. A great family heirloom. Carol from California

Well done! Those aren't scars, they're character marks or memories. Love the chickens again.

What a beautiful, sensitive restoration, improving a well worn family heirloom, reviving its grace and value fit for pride of place once again.

Good job Tom! I love that you are using the metric system in your videos these days. You do have an international audience. People from around the world are learning from you. Happy Springtime!

As a novice wood worker in my retirement I enjoy watching and gleaning from your years of skills and love of what you do. Thank you for sharing what you do. ☑️

I'm telling y'all that he is a wizard and not just an ordinary human! I appreciate him sharing his skills (wizardry) with us

Beautiful, Tom. Simply beautiful! Watching and learning from you I have developed a great appreciation for restoring rather than strip down and refinish.

Stunning finish Tom - you are perfectly correct about not sanding the top right back - all that history would be lost. It looks fabulous again and should last another 200 years, thanks to your care and attention. Thanks for sharing your skills with us. Take care 🙂

Thank you for explaining your rationale for not sanding the piece. It was very touching to me, and I will look at antiques differently now. It looks lovely.

Superb! You saw and preserved the beauty of this piece. So easy for a restorer to do a run-of-the-mill revamp which, in this case, would have been a great injustice. Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

Great job! Now…200 years from now? Is that even possible. Your amazing craftsman in every aspect of your trade. Thank you Sir.

I love that you repaired it and kept the character in this piece.

wow ! So happy to see you back. Perhaps it’s been me that hasn’t been here. I admire the love and respect you and your team demonstrate on the furniture you restore. Again thank you one and all. shalom

You have once again demonstrated that less is more. I continue to be impressed by the results you achieve with minimal intervention.

Thank you so much for another fascinating restoration video. My day is always improved when see a new TJA video has been uploaded.

Another great video rescuing an antique from the dumpster. The top on this piece looked hopeless before the transformation. More inspiration and guidance to us. Thanks for what you do.

Thank you for respecting the work of the person who built this beautiful piece of furniture.

Mr Tom you did it again! Perfect!!

Wowza! What a beautiful restoration!!! You never fail to surprise! Just beautiful.

Great work Tom. Your attention to detail and sensitivity to the aesthetics of the piece are remarkable👏👏👍

Very well done job restoring the chest of drawers. Your videos are always insightful and filled with great demonstrations of techniques and practices. Thank you.

Perfect compromise between historical patina, appearance and functionality. Beautiful work as always.

I think this is one of my favorite things you have done. I loved how you fixed the handle circles. And i agree with you it needed to stay as close to original as possible. Can't wait to see what you have next. And i love the intro with all the wild life. You have such a beautiful place to live and work.

Removing the signs of use, it's history, it's long life, would remove its character. It is diminished. And, if I were ignored or brushed aside, discounted as knowing nothing, I would feel sad. So, there it stands showing its long life beautifully. A victory for everything and everyone elderly. Thank you, Mr Johnson. As always your finished work is beautiful.

Beautiful save! I concur with you on the top and not sanding too much. The years of wear add character.

The in situ shots at the end are always a winner! Thanks for including them, it’s always nice to see where they live when outside of your workshop.

Watching Tom restore and preserve these beautiful old pieces of furniture, is food for the soul. Thanks for your dedication Tom.

I didn't really warm up to this piece in the beginning but I do love it now, a lot. Stunning work as usual! Have a great weekend.

You really do love that old wood. It is a joy to watch you rescuing the furniture and the history.

Tom, I think you performed a miracle on this piece. Just beautiful!

Tom excellent!! We are all lucky to be able to watch your videos. Your knowledge and workmanship only comes from years of experience and age. Thanks.

This is probably one of my favorite videos of yours because it is the kind of thing I do on furniture, having learned from you. And it confirms some things I have learned and I've learned new things in watching this - as always, from you. So thank you, Tom. You did an amazing job and I can just imagine how smooth that top turned out. Just lovely.

Beautifulĺy done! Thank God you preserved 200 years with your delicate restauration. Greetings from Germany.

I love the way you repaired the leg properly after so many people in this furniture's past tried the quick and dirty fix. Your channel helps me appreciate even more all my Empire pieces.

Invaluable resource here. I finally learned the difference between shellac and varnish. I love watching these videos!

Enjoy your videos, I’ve loved restoration since childhood, it’s great you restore the integrity of these lovely pieces . Thanks!

First... your winged Beauties pre and post are wonderful. I have a resident Downy here. I adore Chickens... what a stately platoon. Watching you work, Tom, is like watching Mother care for Her Baby. I don't know how else to say it. I have never seen you do anything to cut a corner or save an hour... again, like Mother prepares Her Baby for an Outing. Blesses the heart of a dyed-in-the-wool perfectionist, Tom. ...Barry

I love this piece, I love wood that is not painted. The way you’ve left it is just so full of the many, many, many years of use still there to see. I think the owner will be extremely happy. ❤️❤️👍🏻👍🏻

This is my first time watching one of your videos. I was enthralled! The care taken, the time, tour willingness to not go rushing in and sanding till its a shadow of what it was- I was blown away! I honestly never considered the "spot repair" approach, and I love it.Thank you for sharing your skill.

I spent a couple of decades doing carpentry work and am not retired. I have had such a good time watching your videos, learning and then slowly applying what I’ve learned towards restoring and repairing a few of our antiques. Thanks so much for all you have offered here.

Mr. Thomas, I so enjoy watching a master at work, thank you.

Nice work. I have to agree that too many pieces like this one get destroyed by palm sanders and a bucket of paint. Thankfully there are still true craftsmen like yourself out there to save the day.

Another wonderfully sympathetic repair. Thank you for sharing your lifetime of knowledge.

Great job Tom. You are a true artist. Since starting to watch your channel I've stopped just getting out my sander when its time to redo furniture pieaces in the house. If anything is older, I'll try to restore it before I do anything else. I have one piece I sanded all the way down and thought I did a great job, and now I wish I hadn't.

You've breathed new life into this lovely, honest piece. Looks very elegant. That foot block looked like as though it had been attached by VERY large borers.

I never get tired of seeing your work. It is a pleasure for the eyes to see how it was in the beginning and how it is at the end. And your explanations are invaluable. Thanks.

What a wonderful and awesome restoration to a fine, history filled antique. I would never want an old finish to be sanded away because it looked strange.. Congratulations and thank you for a great video.

Always brings a smile when I see I have one of your videos to watch, thank you Tom. I hope life is being kind to you there in Gorham. Take care and keep 'em coming.

Tom, excellent professional restoration (in lieu of commercial "refinishing") which could only have been accomplished by an artisan and craftsman like you. You skillfully restored the damage while enhancing the history/provenance of the piece. Congratulations again...and thank you for your talented work and vids. Hats off!!

You are indeed a person who believes in the Sympathic Repair! And I applaud you!

Wow, Tom. I thought you might've met your match with this one! Instead it came out more than "pretty good". I think it's exquisite. Well done.

what a perfect procedure of restoration for this piece. i love when the age shows. its so wonderful your customer requested this gentle touch. i am always happy when a customer asks me for this type of restoration. cheers!