Thread: Hall Table Restoration

Not sure about the timber but you have done a fine job.

Nice work Ribbet, how did you apply the shellac and how many coats did that top take?


Thanks
Joez

Hi Ribbit,

Australian Cedar my guess 2nd half of the 1800's.

Job well done. Congratulations. One of the favorite in the 50's and 60's was to nail a sheet of lino over the top of them to make them look more modern. How this have changed.


Cheers


Steve

Originally Posted by ribbet

Technically not a proper restoration but was good experience all the same.

Damen

Damen,

I wouldn't worry about that. Just call it a 'rebuild', just looks like the day it was originally made. Will now probably last a couple of hundred years more.

Job beautifully done. Hope you enjoy it 'cause I did.

Yep I agree, I think it looks more like Cedar than Mahogany. However, a superb finish achieved. Your should be proud of your efforts.

Cedar is a funny sort of timber as it does seem to absorb paint, I know from much experience. However, at the same time you have to wonder what on earth they were thinking in painting it. We currently are stripping by hand all the paint of the cedar joinery in our 1824 country house. Definitely a labour of love but damned hard work. So I know what you have been through.

The other thing I have found over the years is the difference in colour of cedar once stripped, from light browns to deep dark red. The one thing I believe in restoring cedar is not to use stains but simply rely on the shellac to bring out the natural colour and the grain. Obviously the more shellac applied and finely cut back the deeper the finish. Dave

Originally Posted by joez

Nice work Ribbet, how did you apply the shellac and how many coats did that top take?


Thanks
Joez

Thaanks Joez. I filled the top with 1:1 ratio of HS. I painted on each coat and left to dry for a couple of days. Then used 320grit, a block and Pure gum Turps to sand back. I sanded as methodically as possible to keep the surface as flat as possible. In the past I've used a ROS for this initial stage then but found the surface wouldn't stay flat enough, so went back to good old elbow grease and long, even sanding strokes. It took about 5 or 6 coats of 1:1 before the grain had filled. After this stage I french polished it with a rubber and about a 1:4 ratio of HS and sanding at 600grit after every 6th coat. After about 12 or 18 coats I was happy with the result and buffed with the ROS.

I'm still learning to french polish but I'm finding that sanding between coats is a vital key. Also having the surface planed and flat from the beginning saves hours of time during the polishing stages.

Cheers,
Damen

Originally Posted by Horsecroft88

Yep I agree, I think it looks more like Cedar than Mahogany. However, a superb finish achieved. Your should be proud of your efforts.

Cedar is a funny sort of timber as it does seem to absorb paint, I know from much experience. However, at the same time you have to wonder what on earth they were thinking in painting it. We currently are stripping by hand all the paint of the cedar joinery in our 1824 country house. Definitely a labour of love but damned hard work. So I know what you have been through.

The other thing I have found over the years is the difference in colour of cedar once stripped, from light browns to deep dark red. The one thing I believe in restoring cedar is not to use stains but simply rely on the shellac to bring out the natural colour and the grain. Obviously the more shellac applied and finely cut back the deeper the finish. Dave

Thanks Dave. Wow sounds like a challenge with all that cedar joinery! I'd imagine it will look glorious once complete.

I picked up some Victorian cedar corbels at a garage sale last year that were covered in thick paint. It turns out there was about 4 layers of paint on them, and it took weeks of stripping using some paint on gel stripper to gradually get it all off. Agreed, what were they thinking! Thought they were a bargain for $20 at the time, but if only i knew the hours of labour to follow!

Also agreed, shellac is brilliant stuff, it was the first finish i was introduced to and now everything else just doesn't seem to compete with it.
Cheers,
Damen

The reason cedar was stained a lot is because no 2 cedar trees are same colour, some are very dark chocolatley brown others are golden red. A light staining helps even out the differences.

Job well done . Do you have any photos before you put the finish on.

Originally Posted by BobR

Job well done . Do you have any photos before you put the finish on.

I don't think i did. I was working on it for about 4 months on and off and I can't actually remember if I took photos. Would've been great to see a before and after shot!