more photos

this is what the original screws look like

I'm sorry. The drawer side pics make me think they were made in the 1990's or 2000's. The only thing that suggests older is why the doors would have needed replacement so soon with what looks (from a distance) like solid core plywood.

Thanks, Chas, but I think the doors are solid wood. See this picture.

Here is a picture of the door hardware. And one of the (what I think are) original screws.

I just noticed that the doors are held by "buttons" that click when you close the door and on the bottom of the cabinet there used to be some kind of devices that probably stopped the doors from going too far in when shut (the previous owners removed most of them).

Thanks, Linda! My husband also said the doors don't look original. Did I mention it also stinks like moth balls? :( I was so upset I wanted to cry. And my husband was so mad at me he would not speak to me for two days. :(( I washed it and put odor removers inside but as soon as I take them out it stinks up again.
I don't like painted furniture and it may look uglier when painted. I will try to convince my husband to strip it and re-stain the entire thing. Not sure what you mean by decorate the doors. Do you mean hardware?

lindac: I am no expert, but are you really saying that you looked at the dovetails in the 3rd and 4th pics originally listed and believe they are from the 30's; Seriously? Please defend.

I agree with Hubby; These doors do not appear to be originals. I could be very wrong about my observation based solely on what I can see in these photos; I will give you my 2 cents anyway and that may be all its worth.

These doors may be replacements and the repair was interrupted - not completed. The original doors could have been removed to facilitate handling and moving and then lost or damaged.

1. The center doors do not appear to close properly. They seem to interfere, but that could be due to the angle of the view. If these do not fit, it could mean that fitting and trimming was not finished.

2. Photo #8 shows a shim under the hinge on the door.

3. What keeps the doors closed? I do not see any latches to do this.

4. From what little detail I can see, these doors seem to be solid, however, this brings up questions. If these are solid, those were cut from a very wide board, wider than found in most lumber supplies these days. If these are solid, they must be fully seasoned and stabilized to prevent warping. The inside and outside surfaces seem different as might be found on plywood. Plywood is available that has only one finish side. Finishing strips could have been applied to the top edges to hide the edges of the plies. but I do not see any evidence of that. Use a mirror and to look at the bottom edges. Do these appear the same as the top edges?

5. These 4 doors present a large unbroken expanse that cries for decoration to match the rest of the piece. The other parts of this sideboard are nicely decorated with carvings, although it is not bad as it is. Adding decorative splats to the two center doors (to match the style of other decorations) would dress it up nicely.

   By the way, I like your floor!

I have a much less ornate sideboard with the little button stops on the doors. The screws for the wooden door pulls look the same as the original screws on yours, but have a small washer added, or maybe it's part of the screw--they're old and oxidized so it's hard to tell. The dovetails on the drawers look similar, too, except that the gaps have been filled and sanded smooth.

My mother gave me the sideboard in the 1970's, for my first house, but I think it's probably from the 1920s-1930s. It has a shorter mirrored section than the one in the following pic. The doors on your cabinet match this style:

Don't beat yourself up, just consider it a learning experience. Before stripping completely, try gel-staining the doors to see if you can match the cabinet better, or at least make the doors appear less 'golden'.

Thank you for your feedback, jemdandy! My husband says the doors are solid wood. I am attaching a picture of the top edge on middle doors - it looks like solid wood but it does not look seasoned. Whoever did the refurbishment may have ordered custom cuts of wood? They also installed the middle doors upside down - if you look closely at the full-front original pictures, the door buttons on middle doors are lower than on the side doors ( that may also explain the sloppy job in staining the edge). The door do not line up well partly because they were not installed correctly and partly because the buffet is sagging in the middle (there is no middle foot even though it is quite long). :(

Mama goose, thank you for your kind words and advice! I have definitely learned my lesson the hard way. Hopefully hubby will get it in a useable shape and we'll get some use out of it (we must - we don't have enough money to buy another one).

Check out a place like Van Dykes ( I don't know if they are good, just that they have a nice selection) and see if you can find some appropriate trim to add on to those doors. Even if you don't, matching the colors will make a big difference. An extra leg to stick in the middle (but towards the center and not the front so it's not very visible) wouldn't be a bad idea either.

You are going to have a very useful and interesting piece!

Thank you so much for the advice, Fori! My husband is mixing stains for the doors as trying to get a mix that matches the rest of the piece. He plans on stripping the doors, staining and then shelacking them. We found a leg on Van Dykes and thinking about which trim to buy for the doors. I guess there is light at the end of this tunnel - thanks to you and others here who have helped with this dilemma!

In case anyone is interested, my husband took off the back side and found that it was held by these old nails and the top part was fastened to the sides by these weird wavy things.

I'm sure they have a name...I have a bedroom set partially assembled with those wavy thingies. They do seem effective!