Second Life of a Lamp Table

This table has been a little pet project of mine, and I am so glad to finally have it finished.  It kept being put off, as there  were more important things to work on.  It came into our shop about 12 years ago and the customer decided not to have the work done and abandoned it.  After eyeing it for  years, I finally decided it was (potentially) to beautiful to sit lonely on our shelves any longer.  It needed a lot of work.  The first thing we did was strip it so any remaining finish or accumulated junk was gone.  I then completely dis-assembled it, sanded it with 120 and 180 and then it was ready for repairs. The old top was so badly warped that I ended up cutting a new one instead of trying to fix the old.  I was able to keep the raised edge pieces, but all the corners had to be cleaned up.

The new top received a redwood burl veneer treatment with a band of walnut around the outside edge.  Once the table was re-assebled,  we attached new beading around the top edge, as the old had pretty much disintegrated.  So there is old beading on the legs and the bottom edge, and new beading on the top.  Not ideal, but there was no other way.

For a stain I chose to use a 'natural' (or clear) stain on the redwood/walnut top and a teak stain on the rest.  This helped to balance out the color between the 3 different kinds of woods.  The color is really beautiful and vibrant.  The burl veneer needed a pore fill treatment to smooth it out a bit and fill in the voids, and that treatment actually helped to bring the grain out even further, which is of course a plus!  The beading is highlighted with a Van Dyke brown glaze and a water based Semi-Gloss finish was applied overall.   The table looks gorgeous, I am so pleased with how it turned out.  Now instead of sitting lonely and broken on a shelf it can stand proudly in the finest living room.

A New Life for an Old Dresser

 This chest of drawers came to us years ago so that we could strip it.  The customer wanted to do the finish work on it, so it left our shop clean and ready for sanding, and staining.  After realizing recently that they just weren't getting to the project, they brought it back to us to complete the work we started.

First off, there were some repairs that needed to be done,  new drawer bottoms to be cut, a few areas patched where the wood was missing, and the top needed some bleaching.  There were also some gouges that needed to be steamed out.

Then the fun began, color time!  The customer came in and we put a few different stain color samples on the wood.  We like to do this so that they get a really good idea of what their piece will look like when it is completed.  Stains can look different on different woods, so looking at a chart on the wall isn't very helpful, it is better to see the stain on the actual wood it will be on. She chose a beautiful Cognac stain with a Satin sheen finish.  The piece has new hardware and looks beautiful now that the work is done.  One of the things I really love about this piece is that it's owners decided to leave some of it's imperfections visible.  There are scratches visible under the finish, some spots where the wood has darkened, and an old burn mark about the size of a dime on one of the top corners.    The work we did made it beautiful again, but without removing it's visible history.

Beautiful Table, With A Special Stain

I have a beautiful dining set to show you today!  This set with a table, two leaves, five side chairs and two 'captains' chairs had been refinished at some time by a company other than ours.  The woman who owns this set remembered in her childhood it being a beautiful color of brown and wanted to get the set back to that color.  We were able to come very close for her.

As you can see, the color now is just beautiful.  We used a stain that you just can't get anywhere other than here, that is because it is supposed to be a 'walnut' stain but when the manufacturer mixed up our batch, he left one of the colors out, so we call it 'Mistake Walnut'.  It is a great color and we think the manufacturer should start offering it as part of their regular line up!

On top of this water based stain, we applied our water based finish in a 'satin' sheen.  This is actually the most popular sheen among our customers.  And reasonably so, it gives a bit of shine, but not to much maintenance.  And whether you choose Mat finish or High Gloss finish, eventually, maybe 10 years down the road, they all end up Satin anyway.  All the rubbing and polishing, and subtle scratching brings a Mat finish up and a High Gloss finish down.

What do you think of our 'Mistake Walnut' stain?  Do you like the color or do you think that mistakes are mistakes for a reason and we should have send the product back?

70's Era Coffee Table Gets an Update

 This coffee table came to us with a lovely wood grain, but a dated 70's era finish.  Something about the shade of brown, and the slight 'distressing' marks reminds me of deep shag carpets and built in wooden screens.  The couple who owns this table wanted to brighten up their living space and brought it to us for our creative expertise.  After a few different attempts to find a look that appealed to their individual tastes, complemented the room, and looked good on the piece, we finally came up with a winning look.

 The  gentleman likes the red look in wood so we capitalized on that.  The actual wood itself is rather light when raw, so that gave us a 'bright' undertone to work with.  We began by applying a Mahogany water based stain, we then applied a Mahogany toner, a Brown Cherry toner, then an Ebony toner.  Over all of that a Satin finish completed the appearance you see here.  The couple in so happy with it that they are having a TV cabinet done to match.

What do you think? Do you like the new color?  What shade would you have chosen?

Stained Cedar Chest, Looking Good!!!

 I am so excited to show you this 'before and after' set of photos.  I wrote a post recently showing you all what this wood looked like after the paint was removed,  and it was pretty beautiful.  Now that this cedar chest has it's finish work done, it is a piece that is worthy of being the highlight of the room.

The chest received a water based 'medium cherry' stain which really brought out the beauty of the Cedar.  Over that we applied a water based satin finish.  The inside of this cedar chest was left unfinished so that the the aroma can still be enjoyed.  Growing up, I always wanted a cedar chest of my own (my mother had a beautiful hand made one with her name carved on the front).  I still don't have a cedar chest, but if I did, I would want it to look just like this!

 What do you think of this transformation?  Do you have a treasure of your own that is just crying for some TLC?  Bring it to us, we would love to bring it back to life.

A Choice Between Two Finishes

One of the best things about having a furniture restoration business is the artistry and creativity that is involved.  These two doors belong to a TV cabinet that is being re-vamped. The owners of  this cabinet wanted something unique, not just paint, not just stain.  The plan they came up with, which we are happy to implement for them, is to use both paint and stain!

We started out by finishing this cabinet in a deep red color, which is very similar to the color it was prior to stripping.  Our customers then brought us a custom made paint they had created to match some items already in their house.  We then applied the paint to their doors in two different methods so that they could decide which  better appealed to their sense of style.  The top door is done with a 'Glaze', the bottom door is done with a 'Wash'.

Which one do you like better?

30's Art Deco Table With A New Stain

 This lovely waterfall style 'Art Deco' table came in looking pretty, but went out looking beautiful!  When it came to us, the center leg had fallen off and needed repair so that it would be useful again. So we stripped the golden hue finish off of the table, and repaired the leg.  Then we applied a Jacobean stain to the legs and table top, and as an interesting accent we applied a Natural stain to the banding around the bottom of the table top,  the corner caps and the accent 'wing' pieces.   The entire table then got a 'gloss' finish which made the wood look wet.   It came out so beautiful.  I really love the new stain choice our customer decided on.  I think it gives a more modern sophisticated look than the old gold hue.

As you can see, the color combination we used really made the corner details stand out.  Before, the corners were pretty but not particularly noticeable.  Now with that dark color on the corner cap and wing details they are a beautiful interesting feature.  To me, it looks like a bird, with the dark head and wings.

Roll Top Desk Gets Some New Pieces.

 Work continues on a Roll Top desk which came to us in so many pieces, I playfully called it the 'Humpty Dumpty' desk.  We put the entire thing together and once we did, the discovery was  made that it was missing a few slats on the tambour unit.  The owner of the desk gave us the go ahead and we had 3 more slats custom made to fit the originals.  Now we have to cut them to length and drill holes to match the rest of the unit.  A wire runs through these holes to keep them together, instead of them all being glued to a cloth.

Another project on this Roll Top desk is that of creating new drawers for the cubbies.  There was only one drawer left.  We were able to use this original drawer to  determine what the styling of the new drawers should  be.  The 3 smaller drawer still need a handle, then all the drawers,  and the new tambour pieces, need to be stained to match the rest of the desk.  This should be an interesting task, and  the finish on the rest of the desk is pretty old an worn.

Tell us about  what projects you are working on right now.  We would love to hear!

Fabricated Table Leaf for a Fancy Table Top

This beautiful table left our shop yesterday, after having finished it's time under our care.  Among other things, it needed a new leaf made so that it could stretch out and accommodate more people.  The table has a fancy veneered top featuring panels that radiate out from the center, and a border all around the outside.  It would have been rather costly for the owner of this table, had we attempted to do some kind of fancy marquetry to match the rest of the table.  Fortunately the table had a section right down the middle with consistent horizontal grain.  We used the same kind of veneer for the leaf and matched the horizontal grain pattern.  The leaf also needed to have 'skirts' made on the edges.

Once the leaf was fabricate we finished the entire table in a water based Brown Cherry stain with a water based Satin finish.  The table also got a 'pore fill' treatment which made the top perfectly smooth. This treatment is quite a bit of extra work and our Finisher did a great job at it.  We are so happy to see this table and it's matching hutch leave our shop with it's happy owner!

Overcoming the Power of an Old Berry Stain

We have a few pieces in, from different customers, which offer us a unique challenge.  These pieces came in to be stripped of their old finish, and have a new finish applied.  All of  these items went through the stripping process, after which we discovered that part of the original staining work would linger.  You see, these pieces were colored with a dye, that could not be removed in stripping.

This dye is a Berry based stain and penetrates the wood fibers to permanently color them, as opposed to a pigment color, which we would use, that sits on top of the wood.  You can find this dye used in old furniture as well as modern, so we never know when it will pop up.

 Sometimes this kind of dye is used on a lighter colored wood, such as Poplar to make it match, say a Mahogany wood, then a pigment stain can be applied over both, and it will look like they are the same kind of wood.

In the case of this Piano Stool, we were able to remove some of the color during the prep sanding process, which left the red in the crevices.  Instead of letting this be a problem, we used the red as a natural 'highlighting', to give the stool some extra character.  Then we used a medium Cherry dye which helped to even the color out without making the stool to dark.  Of course the stool has our super earth friendly Water Based Finish over all of that!

How do you think the stool looks?  Have you ever had to deal with a dye stain like this?  If so, what did you end up doing with the new  finish?  We would love to hear, in the comments below.

Completed Work on Headboard Extension

A while back I was telling you all about a project we were working on, then I completely forgot to show you the final product!  Well here it is, a beautiful bedroom set which we refinished.  But the biggest part of this project was the bed.  It started out as a Full sized bed, and we turned it into a Queen sized bed.  Can you see from this picture what we did?

In case you can't figure it out, you can check it out in these older posts...  

http://furniturerenewalist.blogspot.com/2011/02/update-on-full-to-queen-bed-project.html

http://furniturerenewalist.blogspot.com/2011/02/bed-extensions-making-full-into-queen.html

Now that the set is done,  I think it looks very good.  You can hardly tell that one of the dressers is not actually from the set! What do you think of the work?  Do you like the design for the headboard and footboard extensions?

Another Interesting Faux Finish In The Works

 We are getting more and more 'faux finish'  projects in, here at the shop.  This latest one is quite a bit of fun, and took some creative thinking to come up with the design.  The couple who owns this piece has decided they are tired of the dark, heavy quality of their current decorating scheme and has brought a cabinet and coffee table to us to 'lighten' in some way.  After discussing the customer's vision for their home, we came up with an idea which made them happy.

We are beginning with a creamy color,  almost a pale yellow, on certain sections of the pieces.  We will also be using green tones and a vibrant red pepper to accent.  I know in probably sounds a little crazy, but just wait until you see the finished product.  I have learned that faux finishes tend to look a little odd at some stage, but once the steps are completed,  the finish looks stunning. Check back in a bit to see the completed look!

Big Day In The Spray Booth

THE FINISHER  in action!

It is an exciting day in our Finishing Area!  We have several very large items being worked on right now, and most of them will be done within a few days.

Just to give you the tally,  we have 3 Dining Room Table Tops,  4 Table Leaves, 1 Vanity Table, 1 Pedistal Table Base, 2 Sideboards, and the top of a Hutch.  That is quite a bit of finishing to do!    And as soon as all of these items are out of the way, there are more items to fill the space.

It is nice to know that we are spraying a water based finish on these table tops, so that when families sit down to eat, the surface they are eating off of is safe and non-toxic!  Most other finishes used are still solvent based, flammable and contain toxins. The most widely used furniture finish, conversion varnish, contains formaldehyde. Newer formulations have reduced the quantity, but even small amounts are dangerous. A January 2007 article posted on the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's website outlines some of the concerns with conversion varnish. Here are relevant excerpts:

One type of coating used extensively in the furniture industry is the alkyd/urea-formaldehyde topcoat. These are thermosetting resins and are frequently called conversion varnishes or catalyzed finishes...From an indoor air perspective, these varnishes are of interest because volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including formaldehyde, may be emitted during use...The long-lasting formaldehyde emissions can cause elevated concentrations in indoor environments.

A chart on that web page illustrates that it can take up to 3,000 hours for the level of formaldehyde emissions to drop to the level determined acceptable by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
People sensitive to certain solvents may also have trouble with the off-gassing of the solvents in modern reformulated lacquers which are VOC compliant.
It is not difficult to conclude that the best choice in finishes from the perspective of health and safety, is certainly water based finishes.


Is your dining room table safe to eat off of?  If not, bring it to us, we would be happy to give you a nice new SAFE water based finish!

Making Buggy Wheel Spokes

 We were given an interesting little job recently.  Well, perhaps I shouldn't say 'little' as the work was not little,  although the finished product is quite small.  A customer of ours brought in the wooden wheel spokes that you see in the image above.  He had  hired someone to make these for him.  Unfortunately they just weren't shaped right so he came to us to see what could be done.

We started over shaping new spokes for the adorable buggy wheels you see in the image below.  The wheels look great and the new wooden spokes fit perfectly.  While this does not fit into our usual 'furniture' category,  we truly do enjoy working on interesting projects such as this.

Jenny Lind bed gets a Makeover

A few posts ago I told you about this lovely 'Jenny Lind'  bed which had a broken spindle on it's footboard.   We were able to make a custom 'turned' new spindle to exactly match the old ones.  To read  more about this you can check out my older blog post here....

http://furniturerenewalist.blogspot.com/2011/03/custom-turned-spindles.html

Since that post, the newly made spindle has been put in place, a new bedrail has been made to replace an old broken one and the entire finish has been restored.  Of course to do that restoration, we had to match the new spindle and new bedrail to the existing finish. Then the entire bed received a new water based top coat to make it shiny and new looking.

I think the work we did on this bed is pretty impressive.  You would never know from looking at it that a spindle had ever needed to be replaced!

The Ambidextrous Bentley Dashboard

 I suppose this dashboard isn't truly ambidextrous.  But it is being switched from a right side drive, to a left side drive, which I think is just as neat of a trick.  When our customer purchased this vehicle, it was being driven in Great Britain, where everyone drives on the wrong side of  the road.   To make life simpler for himself, he decided to have the entire vehicle flip-flopped.  
 Our part in this task was to work on the dashboard.  In the first picture, you can see the dash as we were just starting the job. (I apologize for the dash being upside down!). To do the task,  we flipped the wood over and altered the shape of the glovebox and instrument panel openings so that they worked the other way.

The on the backside of the center opening there was a routed out section which you can see in the top photo.  We filled this with bondo, and routed out a new section on the oposite side.  After staining the newly adjusted dash, we hand painted a black 'pinstripe' around each opening, as you can see in the second photo.  

This project took lots of very careful work but is almost done.  The new finish looks beautiful.  We are going to sand the finish with a very high grit paper to make the wood pores disappear.  Then it will get a topcoat of our water based finish, and this dashboard will be ready to be put in use again.  This time on the right side of the road!

The Finisher In Action!

The Finisher (also known as our boss, Steve) applying a coat of water based sealer onto a 1930's era, waterfall style bedroom set. It already has a Natural colored water based stain coating which was applied yesterday.

Waterfall style 30's Bedroom Set

This chest of drawers is part of a large bedroom set including a vanity, night stand, vanity chair, etc.  It came in with this dated white 'antiqued'  paint all over the set.  I guess the paint gives it a sort of cute country charm.  But that is not quite what the current owner wanted.  They brought it to us to have a complete 'makeover'.





The makeover began by stripping all that paint off.  Paint is not easy to remove, but had the owner tried it themselves, they would have had a horribly difficult task on their hands.  Fortunately, we have a very good, immersion stripping system here and that paint practically melted off.  Boy were we all in for a surprise when we found what was hiding under that paint!

 The veneer work on this set is beautiful!  I can hardly imagine what the decision process was to cover it with paint! This 30's era 'Waterfall' bedroom set displays beautiful, intricate veneer marquetry not seen in furniture with a more recent date. But it also is just a bit more intricate then other pieces of the same period.  The set has been sanded at this point and is ready for finishing.

The customer has decided on a 'natural' stain, which is an excellent choice to bring out the different colors of the varying kinds of wood used.  The natural stain has been applied in this picture, and already the side panels have a deeper color than the decorative edges.  Once we put the Finish Coat on, the differing kinds of wood grain be even more enhanced, and this bedroom set will be worthy of quite a lot of admiration.

Our 'Block Work' leg is completed!

In two previous posts we showed you what we had been doing to repair a chair leg which the toe had  broken off of.  We started by gluing a new block of wood on, which you can read about in this post...


http://furniturerenewalist.blogspot.com/2010/12/block-work-on-broken-chair-legs.html

 Our next task was to carve and re-shape the block to match the existing leg.  This step is critical in making it so that the casual observer would never notice it was ever broken.  You can read about it in this post....




http://furniturerenewalist.blogspot.com/2010/12/hand-shaping-of-yesterdays-block-work.html


Now we have the work just about completed. In the photo to the left you can see the leg after it was stained then scuff sanded.  The scuff sanding step is crucial to a smooth finish.  We use a very fine sand paper, 320 grit, to knock off any burrs in the stain, and polish it to perfect smoothness.





The final step, which we just completed, was to to apply two coats of sealer, then two coats of 'top coat' to create a beautiful Satin finish.  The stain we used was an English Oak.  What do you think?  looks pretty good doesn't it?  Would you assume it had ever been broken?

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?