One of the things I have an affinity for is refurbishing old factory Lineberry Furniture Carts.  Fortunately for me, we live in North Carolina, long considered the furniture capital of the United States.  As more manufacturing has moved overseas, these forgotten workhorses remain as the only tenants left in massive empty furniture factories.  I have an odd feeling when I see these carts, broken down and neglected, that I should save them from their ill-fated destiny and restore and reward them for all the years of hard work.

 I have refurbished more carts than I can count over the last couple of years.  From paint to the brand, to hardware, each cart is unique and has a story of its own.  Not all of the carts have been Lineberry, but when you find one of those rare gems with the logo scored across the sides it tends to make you smile.

The hardware is unique to each brand of furniture cart whether they are Lineberry, Nutting, or any other brand.  The hardware also often denotes the age of the cart.  But don’t ever let the shape or condition of the hardware dictate whether or not a cart is worth saving.  I once came across three carts that had rubber wheels.  My husband, ever the traditionalist when it comes to antiques, wanted to pass on this find.  However, after a little sweet talking, we purchased them with a promise that I would make them shine so brightly that you wouldn’t even notice the wheels.  Well, wouldn’t you know it.   The ones with rubber wheels were snapped up in the blink of an eye.  The reason?  People were concerned about having the heavy steel industrial wheels on their hardwood floors.  So the antique look coupled with the rubber(non-scratching) wheels was an unintentional hit.

Most of the furniture carts are pretty beat up when I get them and the wood needs planing, but I try hard to do as little as I can in an effort to keep them looking their age.  I look long and hard for the ones in need of a little love so I can keep the price down in our booths.  I feel that furniture carts are an important part of North Carolina’s history, and if I can put one in someone’s home I am helping to preserve a small piece of that history.

Briwax in dark brown is the finishing wax that I picked for this one and I am sure you can tell by the container that it has been used often.

The hardware this time around is in great shape and was only in need of a little cleaning.

Sorry, I didn’t clean up around my photos or stage it pretty, but this is a monster to move.

I’ll save that for another day another post