Old(ish) dining chair restoration questions

**sfGnome** · 18th July 2020, 05:42 PM

Hi. I'm in the process of re-restoring an old dining chair that's been floating around the family for a long time. I used it to make cubby houses 55 years ago, and it had already been reupholstered (with vinyl!) then. Dad restored it about 20 years ago and mum embroidered a new seat cover, but unfortunately dad's glue didn't hold and he put screws everywhere to try and firm it up (that also didn't work - it was falling apart when I got my hands on it). I've broken it right down, stripped, sanded, re-dowelled and rebuilt it, but I have a couple of questions that I just can't answer.

The first is the screw countersinks (see photos). I intended to drill and plug them, but that would require finding a matching timber. I thought it might have been Tassie Oak, but you can see from one of the photos that the strip of Tassie Oak is much lighter. I'm not keen on using a filler, as I've never seen a filler that wasn't obvious under a transparent finish. Another option is to just leave the screw holes as they are on the basis that they are part of the chair's history, much like the upholstery nail holes around the top (which I am going to leave un-filled). Does anyone have any suggestions as to a) whether there is a matching timber that I might be able to get in small quantities, or b) whether there is a filler that will not be obvious.

The second question is the finish. I'm thinking that an oil will be best (though that is based more on prejudice than on knowledge), but I have no good idea of what type would be most suitable. The chair is intended for display and occasional lounge room use, so it doesn't have to be super hard wearing. I really just want it to show off both the old timber and mum's handiwork.

All ideas, suggestions and guidance welcome! Thanks.

**Blackout** · 19th July 2020, 09:12 AM

Love what you are doing and especially the history that comes with the chair. Total amateur here experimenting and learning. If you want to use the wood in the photo I would consider experimenting with a small off cut. Maybe have a read about using tea bags to stain wood to get a matching colour. Happy to be shot down by others on this but I so an old friend do this and was amazed at the results. His advice to me was be willing to experiment. Remember what ever you change is part of the history your family leaves on this chair.

**sfGnome** · 20th July 2020, 10:38 PM

Thanks. I’ll give the teabags a shot.

**Thumbthumper** · 22nd July 2020, 01:12 PM

If this were me, I'd fill the nail holes with coloured wax.
You could try cutting some plugs from an inconspicuous spot at the back of one of the seat frames for the screw holes.
A good finish would be shellac with a dash of BLO. If you wanted a lighter colour, use white shellac.
I would just rag it on.

**elanjacobs** · 22nd July 2020, 06:15 PM

Blackbutt might be a closer match for the timber, or you could go something super contrasting and make it a feature. Even if your plugs are the exact same colour, you'll still see them by the outline.

Filling holes that big with wax is gonna stand out like dog's balls

**Thumbthumper** · 22nd July 2020, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Blackbutt might be a closer match for the timber, or you could go something super contrasting and make it a feature. Even if your plugs are the exact same colour, you'll still see them by the outline.

Filling holes that big with wax is gonna stand out like dog's balls

I was the one suggesting wax, but not for the big screw holes 😀
You're right that round plugs can stick out, but the best match will be from the parent timber.
I would definitely not putty or wax the screw holes.

**elanjacobs** · 22nd July 2020, 06:41 PM

Oops, missed the "nail" bit

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