PING: John
amy in CNY
As you are the Master Carpenter and Wood Guru Extraordinair......Can
you help me?
I have a little dilemma...I currently have a dark cherry drop leaf
table in my basement that I want to bring into my diningroom. The
problem is, the person who gave it to me used a corner of it as a saw
horse and it now has a 12-14 inch saw split on said corner. My
question is: would it be sacrelige (sp?) to paint it? The side that
has the "flaw" is very close to the edge and corner. They did fill the
gap with wood filler, but the color is not matched and I had a heck of
a time blending and leveling the goo. Also, said person tried to
refinish the top and it has 1/2 varnish, 1/2 stripped surface. I'm so
disappointed that this beautiful mediterranian table is ruined. The
top is scalloped and I want to somehow save it and use it. Is it worth
it?
Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks, John.
amy in CNY
John
Your only option is to somehow cover the "flaw" with a non opaque
finish. IE; Some kind of paint. It is in the nature of varnish or
lacquer, that you can see through it to the underlying wood surface,
and thereby view the "flaw" or boo-boo, that lies buried beneath. You
might try to get creative, and not worry about what kind of wood is
below whatever finish you put on top, as that is what you will see.
Some suggestions: Mock or fake wood graining with a feather used to
supply the "wood grain" with a darker colored grain color. This was
popular during the late 19th century by people who wanted an exotic
imported wood look and only could afford cheaper American domestic
wood. I remember doing some remodeling work on a house that had that
sort of thing done on all the woodwork trim and it was rather
striking. Don't know how big the "flaw" is, but a competent
woodworker could inlay a piece of Cherry, into the flaw and feather
the edges to blend into the surrounding table top, thereby making the
saw cut less noticeable. That would take a fair bit of expertise, but
would provide you with the most authentic restoration of the offending
saw cut. Keep in mind here, that a saw cut is a straight and non
natural element that that would probably not occur in a wood grain in
Cherry, so even it would be somewhat noticeable. The last thing you
might consider, is to just throw caution to the winds, and paint it a
wild color and use and love it in it's new and "fun" appearing state.
I know that painting nice hardwood, is considered sacrilege, but so is
using the table in question for a saw horse. The choice would depend
on how important your bank balance is, compared to the degree of
authenticity you require. That is often the deciding factor for many
of us. The old Champagne taste vs Beer budget conundrum.
Hope this helps.
John
Sally Swindells
http://www.flickr.com/photos/swampdragon/
This would really cover the damage, or
or Tole (Toll) Painting?
http://zquilts.blogspot.com/2007/08/county-fair-report-decorative-and-tole.html
(her quilts etc are worth a look too)
I have a friend in the US who buys inexpensive/old tables and tole
paints them for friends and there seem to be plenty of instructions and
supplies etc on-line. Wouldn't cover the damage, but you might be able
to incorporate it into the design.
Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sallyattheseaside/
NanaWilson
"amy in CNY" <aest...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:0b0480de-64c3-4202...@19g2000vbq.googlegroups.com...
Amy, how 'bout a "quilt-y" table cloth?? We DO know how ta make one of
those!!
Nana
John
wrote:
> What about decoupage
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/swampdragon/
>
> This would really cover the damage, or
>
> or Tole (Toll) Painting?
>
> (her quilts etc are worth a look too)
>
> I have a friend in the US who buys inexpensive/old tables and tole
> paints them for friends and there seem to be plenty of instructions and
> supplies etc on-line. Wouldn't cover the damage, but you might be able
> to incorporate it into the design.
>
This is right along the idea of painting or feather graining that I
was talking about. Thanks for reminding me of that option. I once took
an old map and glued it to a table top that somebody had let a
cigarette burn into, and then varnished the map/table to a fair the
well, and the resulting solution was more than wonderful. there are
probably even more solutions that escape me, and others might be able
to contribute to the solution.
John
amy in CNY
This is a big diningroom table. the middle stationary part is 3 feet
long and 60" wide at the middle. The drop sides are scalloped and
extend the table another 3-31/2 feet out. I want to go down and take a
picture, but my camera is dead. Maybe later when i go to the store i
can get fresh batteries and upload for you. I was actually thinking of
painting it black, but my DD is livid. She's the one who wants to
restore it if we can. And if i do paint it would i have to sand it
first? the legs are turned and very ornate. Probly would have to flip
it over to do those first.
maybe i should just burn the thing. =/
amy in CNY (snowing today!)
Pat in Virginia
natural wood. The old Hitch cock tables and chairs had this combo, but
usually reversed. HTH.
PAT in VA/USA
"amy in CNY" <aest...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:8d627dc7-fcde-4a05...@r14g2000vbc.googlegroups.com...
amy in CNY
braces natural.
My DD likes this idea. At least we could use it without being ashamed
of the thing <VBG>
Right now it's down in the basement/garage with Christmas storage
boxes on it. I guess i'll refinish
it down there and bring it up after it dries.
Thanks everyone for the input. Wish me luck!
amy in CNY
Leslie& The Furbabies in MO.
project because I was moving- the former house had a garage to work in and
the current house doesn't. I used water based black latex paint. (I had
to make too many repairs to use stain.) Big mistake! The water based paint
raised the wood grain and all my beautiful sanding was in vain. It was like
glass until the water in the paint raised the grain. Do use oil based paint
if you decide to paint it.
Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.
"amy in CNY" <aest...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:7e2f4799-de1a-460d...@e20g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...
Patti
look to see if you can find some pictures of Japanese lacquer work. It
might go up in your estimation (the table I mean!). You might be able
to incorporate some similar decoration?
.
In message
<7e2f4799-de1a-460d...@e20g2000vbb.googlegroups.com>, amy
in CNY <aest...@gmail.com> writes
--
Best Regards
pat on the hill