A Pie Crust Table, All Dressed Up.

Now this is a great 'before and after!  This two tier 'pie crust' table looked pretty bad before it came to us, and now it looks gorgeous!  Absolutely gorgeous.

When the table came to us it had a dull, uneven, damaged finish.  It had water damage, and on the top there was a ring where a doily had sat for years shading that area.  The shaded area stayed a little darker then the rest.  All in all, it was in pretty bad shape and came to the right place.   

 We stripped the old ugly finish off and prepped the piece for a new life.  In was sanded with 120 and 180 grit sandpaper.  Then our client came back in and we worked with her to find just the right stain color.  The stain color we came up with is 1/2 Teak, 1/2 Brown cherry, with a Gloss finish over top.  This gives a definite red appearance but the brown tones it down a bit.  The grain really pops now whereas before, you could hardly see the wood grain through the damaged finish.  The table legs also got a glaze treatment to bring out the details on the carving.

Our client was thrilled when she saw the table and has decided to bring us some of her bedroom set.  We like that kind of complement!

A Drum Table That Got Some Luvin'

 This Duncan-Phyfe drum style table came to us as part of a large collection.   This table has a unique rotating base and false drawers.  We see a lot of Duncan-Phyfe, but this is the first time we have seen this feature.  The table's owner had just inherited her mother's estate and the furniture was all high quality, but badly in need of  some restoration.  We have done our best to bring her pieces back to life.

We started out by stripping the old worn out finish off of the piece.  The old leather top had stiffened and the gilding had turned to black.  We knew we would be replacing it, so we weren't worried about it during the stripping.    When we replace leather, each piece is cut to order, so our client gets to choose the color and the gilding pattern.  It then arrives at our shop already in the basic shape, with the gilding exactly the right size. This particular leather is called 'Oxblood' and has two different gilding patters around the edge.  Prior to attaching the leather, our craftsmen have to treat the wood surface to ensure that it is perfectly smooth.  We can then glue the leather on, and trim any excess.

The finished result of the new leather and the beautiful new water based stain and finish is just gorgeous.  The stain on this table is custom 1/2 Teak 1/2 Brown Cherry with a Gloss sheen finish over top.  The wood grain on the false drawers and around the leather really pops with this treatment.   With this restoration that we have done,  our client should be able to enjoy her furniture for many many years, and pass them along so that someone else can inherit them one day.