Reply to Mark in Australia

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your message regarding your Cedar Dinning Table.

Well, I am happy that you have glass covering the surface, otherwise by now like most tables the top would have been damaged by now.

Yes, when glass is applied to cover the table etc, it's always best to place some cushioning under the glass, the reason for this is to let the air flow, and therefore allowing the wood to breath.
You can use either felt, cork or rubber spacers, your glaziers should have them in stock.

The best way to keep your surface in good order is dependant, as to what is on the surface? 
If the wood has an oiled finish then it would be a good idea to feed the top with Danish oil, once in a while, remember to rub off the excess.

However, if your table is French polished or varnished, then a good Bees wax polish will revive the surface.
Again, remember to rub off the excess in the direction of the grain.

I do like some aerosol sprays, I know that they are not everyone's favourite, but I have never seen a table damaged by the use of aerosol spray. But what I have seen many times, is water damage as people wipe the surface over with wet / damp clothes and this leaves a thin film on the surface that eventually gets into the wood pours that then leads the surface to develop a white bloom on the surface.

I hope that this is of some help to you?  If I can be of further assistance please contact me again.

Thanks for reading my posts.
Regards,
Andrew.

What's in my Box

Today, I want to show you just what's in my box.

Let's start by looking inside.

Firstly, I have to say that my box has seen some work in its time, and now showing signs of wear and tear.

In the drawer, is where I keep my Powder colours, Wax fillers, Craft knives and Pencil brushes

Laid out you will see from the left to right White Spirit, Methylated Spirits, French polish, Linseed oil, Fine wire wool, Spray lacquers, Small stain bottles, Cotton wool, Masking tape, Dust mask, Various rags, Wet & Dry paper, Cabinet scraper, Sanding block, Sandpaper, Wax filler sticks, Grain liners, Dust mask Safety Goggles and Disposable Gloves.

 Missing from my box is my Rubber jar etc,  with this kit, I can do most polishing jobs required in the home or on-site.

 Feedback welcome, thanks for reading my Blogs.

Floor repair

This floor was very badly scratched by a large fridge freezer that had been dragged across the floor and left deep marks in the wood.

It had to be scrapped and sanded down to remove the lacquer, this took such a long time and needed great effort. Then the floor was coated over with a specialist floor coating for a hard-wearing and durable surface.

 

Yes! Did it

Wardrobe Restoration

This was a challenge, as you can see that the whole thing had become loose and therefore, had to be taken apart, and repaired. I found the best way to fix the edging was to use masking tape whilst the glue was drying, as it gives a good grip as there was little space to use a clamp.

This is one of the Drawers, where all of the joints had become weak and likewise had to be re-built

Think you will agree that it looks a whole lot better now.

Oak Table Restoration

This solid Oak Table has been a very interesting piece to work on, as it had many problems to solve, firstly, it had very bad woodworm on the underside of the legs, that I treated by injecting the liquid into the holes and in doing so it penetrated deep into the timber.

Then as you can see the top had one portion that was loose and had to come off and be re-glued.

After the glue had dried overnight, I sanded the top level and in doing so, helped to lose the slightly raised jointed edge.

The legs had very large splits and many missing pieces, so the best plan of action was to splice in some timber for an authentic repair.

Once the splicing had dried, it was time to shape into and match up with the existing timber.

As the table is going to be used constantly, it required a lacquered finish, so I applied four coats buy a brush, to give the surface a good base on which to work, then after a good smooth down, I then went onto spray over with an additional four / five coats of lacquer.

I am very pleased with the result.

I think the Table was made around the 1930s but in the style of a much older period.

Thank you for reading.

Deep scratch removal

As you can see that this is a nasty scratch and something had to be done about it.

Firstly, I thought and tried to just work on the scratch itself by using a very hot Chisel and a wetted rag to steam up the surface, so as to raise the grain, this method worked and then I decided to mask tape just along the timber joints that you can see within that area.
Then I sanded off the surface coating and applied a great matching stain however, I had the problem of building up the level between the sanded wood and the finished surface, so I tried and built up the level but was not happy with the overall appearance of the surface, due to sheen levels and very slight colour difference.

So I cut my losses and sanded off the entire surface back to a clean and super smooth finish.
Once again I stained the whole top and this came out fantastic and now just needed spraying over with several coats of matt lacquer as this was used by the manufacture prior to me starting the job.

So sometimes it pays to remove the whole surface to be able to achieve the best results.

Premier League Finishing

Firstly, I would like to thank the staff for their kindness, and respect shown to me whilst working at this prestigious stadium.
I wish them every success for 2015

One of London's finest Teams.

As you can see I had to sandpaper the timber smooth, then stain over with a light Oak colour, then apply several coats of varnish for a longer life span.

 

Thank you for visiting my Blogsite.