Sometimes it is possible - and desirable - to refinish furniture without first stripping the old finish.  This refinishing project from the South Jersey Shore is one of those projects.  The original finish was in good condition and the desired color was darker than the original white-washed oak.  The clock case was rather delicate and somewhat intricate so we opted to not strip it.  After dis-assembly a good cleaning and light scuffing got things started....

Well it can be if you want to revive the workbench that grandfather used while making furniture in Philadelphia.

But not to use as a working bench, intending instead to use it as a console table or a foyer table. While  some of the deeper wear will remain, it needs cleaning, the paint and glue removed, and a more developed finish than the thin coating of tung oil or shellac used on work tables.

W...

In speaking with folks about their furniture re-upholstery projects, we often ask about any special features they want or which already exist on their furniture. This little article is about a few of the most common features: buttons, channels, and tufts.

A piece of upholstery fabric tacked over the padding is often called 'plain'. In these examples - chair backs - such a back would be called a plain-back chair. Most furniture is like that.

The most simple variant from a plain bac...

Yes, the photo is a bit blurry, but...

...it comes the closest to showing how the peacock dye he stained the top with shimmers from blue to green based upon the angle of the light.  To blend the top with the base he added a black glaze to the edge of the table and left a slight halo of black shading around the first few inches of the top so the color 'falls...

This collection of upholstery fabric trimmings from Trend fabrics (a fabric line from Fabricut) is simply wonderful and inspiring.  Bullion, edging tape, tassels, braid ...

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Wolf - the drummer with the gang of musicians that practice in a section of the workshop - wanted to get a brighter look for his drums.  They were covered in a maroon mylar type material.  He took the drums apart and peeled off the mylar skins.  The wood underneath was not the best, but we all decided to plunge ahead.  After getting off the mylar adehesive with heat guns and some sanding, he picked a bright orange dye stain for the background color...BRIGHT...ORA...

Decorating Trend : Bone | Pewter | Scrimshaw

While the late summer and fall season saw the usual variety of furniture refinishing projects in the workshop, one finish style was requested often enough for us to pick it out as a local trend.  We call it "bone" or "scrimshaw" or "smoked".  Whatever name, you can get an idea from the pictures. 

This d...

This lovely pair of inlaid end tables needed some care.  The finish on both was cloudy and scratched.  The gilding had oxidized to a dull green.  One table had a dark stain from a pair of scissors left to rust in a puddle of tea.

The finish was realized with an amber dye stain, antique gold gilding paint, Van Dyke brown glaze and a satin to...

This picture series illustrates one of the more common glaze techniques in furniture finishing - known as a 'hanging' glaze.  The contrast between the stain color and the glaze color for this project displays the effect of glazing.  The most dramatic feature is the artificial shadow line created by the color hanging in the recessed areas and molding.  Two other features are the enhanced ...

This mission style chair needed some help.  The leather upholstery had cracked and torn and the padding was compressed into a hard mat.  The finish was flaking and had allowed water (or something liquid) to blotch the wood. 

The remaining finish was re...