Update on Faux Finish...

 I just wanted to let you all know how our faux finishing project from yesterday turned out.   When I posted last, we had only put the white on the seat.  Later that afternoon the darker Umber color was wiped on and we got exactly the effect we were working towards!  The seat now matches the back perfectly and you would never know that it had once had a gaping hole, and that the seat caning is now brand new.  I think that means this is a job well done!

Tricky Faux Finish Color Match

We got this very unique loveseat in  recently with a giant hole in the woven seat.  The back is still in great shape, and even has a double caned back, which makes this such a nice piece for the owner.  We were able to replace the seat  easily enough, and now it is time for the tricky part.  Color Matching!   This chair has a very nice artistic finish which makes the color matching an interesting challenge for us.

We began by applying a white base to the cane. As you can see in the picture above, there is white showing through in the crevices where the cane overlaps.   Once this white is completely dry, we will rub on a darker Umber color.  This will create the uneven 'antiqued' look that you can see on the loveseat back.  Pretty neat right?

Redwood Burl Veneer for the Opium Bed

I am sure, if you have been following our blog you have seen that we are working on a very neat Opium Bed from Asia.  We are almost finished, and one of the final steps is to fill in the back panel with a decorative veneer.  It used to have a 'dream stone' but it was lost or broken. The customer still wanted something beautiful and exotic in that place,  so we cut a new back panel and applied a Redwood Burl veneer in a 'butt and book match' layout.  Once the veneer was applied to the back panel, a Tung Oil was rubbed in which made the fiery swirls in the wood leap out. 

This veneer is so beautiful.  I love these fancy burl patterns and when applied so that designs appear, they are even more exquisite. I have a small square table that I have been working on as a little personal project and I am going to use the 4 edge pieces from this same veneer. I am looking forward to having this lovely burl on my own furniture.

Tell me about your latest project.  What do-it-yourself projects do you have going on around your home? Have you ever tried laying veneer?   I will be laying veneer for the first time next week, I will let you know how it goes!

Striking change in a Buffet Server

I am continually impressed by the work done here at our shop by our talented Craftsmen.  When this Buffet came in, I was not impressed.  Personally, I am not a fan of green furniture.  I know there are those out there who love it, but I just don't see the attraction.  So when this piece came in, I was hoping that it was for more that just a repair job. Sure enough, it was going to be totally stripped down and re-finished.  Yay!  But I never could have thought it would come out as beautiful as it did.   This Buffet has such an interesting combination of woods that the owner decided to just do a 'natural' (clear) stain and a satin finish. Since the main pieces of the buffet are mahogany and the trim & edges are poplar, it ended up having two different colors which gave such a nice highlighting effect.  I love it.  I would love to have it in my dining room!   What do you think?  Do you think the green was better?  Do you like their choice in stain color?

Hand Woven Patch on a Caned Chair

We have been getting so much weaving work in at our shop lately.  This chair needed to have it's entire seat we woven by hand.  But the back only had a small broken patch near the edge.  Because this hole was not in the middle, and because the rest of the chair back had such tight weaving, we were able to just put in a woven patch.  Here you can see the chair after the patch was woven in, and before the new cane fibers were stained to match.  Pretty neat isn't it?  This patch will hold up very well and will disappear once the staining is done as you can see below. Yes! That is the same chair!  Pretty amazing isn't it?

The Incredible Power of Immersion Stripping.

 We had a pretty major furniture stripping day last week and it included a beautiful bedroom set.  I wanted to show you these pictures because not only do I think this headboard is wonderful, I think the work done on it so far is pretty great as well.
We have a very efficient immersion stripping system here which allows us to get wood items very clean as you can see in these before and after photos.  The wood is so clean that afterwards it just needs some sanding and it is ready for a new stain or paint.  Hand stripping just doesn't get the job done as well as this!
Isn't this headboard fantastic?  I love the old beds that people used to make.  So much character and the height of this piece makes such a grand statement.  

Have you attempted to hand strip something and it just didn't turn out as well as you hoped?  Bring it to us!  And we would love to see photos of your projects in the comments below.

Making Space for New Service Offerings

 Well, we are approaching a season of change here at the shop.  Very soon we will have another skilled craftsman joining our team, and he brings with him some unique abilities.  This means we will be able to offer some new services which is an idea we like very much.  It also means moving things around in our space so that these new services have room to be done.  This meant our Furniture Weaver moved to a new area, which she is perfectly content with.  You see, her new area includes one of the few windows in our building.  She now gets a lovely view, while her fingers work.

Right now our Furniture Weaver is working on this lovely chair.  The seat has been re woven, but the back is still waiting.

Speaking of new services,   What kind of service would you like to see us do?   Which kind of service that we offer do you think is the most interesting to read about?