Never say Never

Quite often I find myself thinking back on the many years I spent making, repairing and refinishing furniture. I recall (with great affection) those daring projects, that when I got a closer look at them in the shop, I irreverently smacked myself on the forehead and asked myself, “What the #!@& was I thinking…..!? Well, this project was good for numerous smacks, each one followed by a progressively louder and more derogatory outburst.

For all intents and purposes, this piece was an excellent candidate for the landfill (that is, of course, if the landfill would take it!). The two layers of veneer on the top and underside had to be replaced…. and the same for the bottom shelf. The bun feet were falling apart, missing parts or just missing altogether. The entire piece had to be disassembled and glued with new dowel pins and then stripped of old stain and varnish. There was quite a bit of dry rot on the legs….and oh….did I mention that the feet were soft and saturated with cat urine. (Oh yeah…one big slap for that one!!).

Anyway, the good news was that everything I needed (aside from bandages for my forehead) was found at Wood Werks. Before veneering, I leveled the bare surface with SculpWood spreadable epoxy paste. I used the peel and stick a variety of walnut veneer for the finished top. For the sub veneer, I glued a scrap piece of white oak with PPR powder resin adhesive (urea-formaldehyde). I used Titebond Hide Glue for everything else. The stain is a custom mix of pigments, dyes, and binders (polyacrylic) and for the final finish, I sprayed four coats of Enduro Semi-gloss polyacrylic/linseed with the Earlex HV5500.

So, despite having to endure numerous headaches and possible concussions, I concluded that this project was worth the effort. To be able to restore a beautifully designed piece of furniture to its original glory, despite all the naysayers that said it couldn’t be done, is indeed a rewarding achievement. As I’ve said before, and this is true for all the impossible missions we might encounter….”Never say Never!”.

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