I need some assistance please!

[KateHayes]

Hi All,

I don't know a lot about furniture or antiques, but i was wondering if there might be someone out there you can tell me what i should do.

I recently went into a little local (Castlemaine,Vic) second hand shop as i have been looking for a coffee table and i came across this cabinet thinking it's perfect as i like different things and it opens up to a wine cabinet!. I bring it home with the intention to sand it and stain it to the colour of my tv cabinet, dining table, buffet etc.

I have now been told by a few friends not to touch it until i find out more? As i might ruin it's heritage or something (maybe?) I paid $100 for it so i was not too worried and i actually like the look of it as it is, although i am quite fussy on everything "matching"! I just actually loved the lock and bought it for that haha... i am female, it's the decor that counts?

I will attach some pics but i am curious as to any information on the lock, it looks handmade as it has i suppose you could call the ragged edges? not factory made, the metal part looks like it hasn't been made in a factory as they aren't fully curved and in some places there are little sharp bits not at all like the straight clear cut locks you see now, you can tell it's been cut by hand? and the top part where the metal part from the handle?lock goes through the wood? It also has a wooden type of pattern where there is a stripe of wood through each side of the cabinet that has like a termite looking wood, like grainy? Not sure how to explain it but that strip looks like that strip has been put there as decorative?

I think it's lovely and i'm not worried about value etc. as i think i got exactly what i was looking for... and only paid $100!!!! Even for a coffee table nowadays that's cheap!

Anyone out there know what type of wood this is? Information on the lock and if i should sand and stain?

By the way the cabinet is not very heavy.. it's quite light actually!

Thanks
Kate

[Woodwould]

It looks Indonesian and of some indeterminable local hardwood. It's probably no more than fifty years old. I would have no qualms about staining or painting it.

[KateHayes]

Awesome... thank you!