Hi guys,

I finally finished my sideboard... the dreaded painted wood and ball catch
project.

To those that offered help and advice, thank you so much!

Mounting the ball catches turned out to be a pretty good challenge. The
doors have an inner bevel that didn't allow for most templates and no way I
could get it aligned to mount the catch on the side instead of the bottom.
It turned out to be much less obtrusive than I thought it would be because
the new catches were smaller than the originals.
I ended up mounting them on the bottom of the door frame (as they were
originally) then my husband suggested using modeling clay to get the
alignment.
First, I set the base of the catch in the place where I wanted it, and
pushed the door gently into the closed position. This pushed the clasp right
into place and then I screwed them down. Then I inserted the male part of
the catch into the base with the screw holes facing the door. Next I
smooshed (that being the technical term, of course) a light strip of
modeling clay onto the door and closed it gently. The clasp left an
impression in the clay of exactly where the screw holes were . All I had to
do was mark the holes then drill and set the catch. Worked perfectly the
first shot. I was relieved to say the least.

So, for those of you who may have thought that painting an old sideboard was
an abomination, I offer for your consideration, these photos of one that was
a wreck, that has now become a family heirloom.

Kate
O|||||||O

I posted before and after pics on ABPW.