Restoration Gallery

Victorian Gallery

Page 10

French Harvest Table

This cherry "sleeper" was a table in the ruff hiding a parquet top in intricately laid out cherry. Featuring hand carving on the apron, and scrollwork on the legs. A project well worth the effort, this hand rubbed finish and distressed wood appeal will now last generations.

If there is either one of these French Provincial tables in your basement, don't throw it away! Below is a solid maple piece starting out in an obscure light gray with a black over spray edge. Although we prefer to finish maple natural, in this case our friends with a local spray booth took over to tone this table in a rich brown stain.

Candle Stand / End Table - a Simple table in need of some care. This piece is actually a "marriage."

The final assembly consists of legs from one table, top from another to create one finished piece. A refinishing was in order to bring this piece back to life.

This is a very common practice, and is renounced to be a taboo in the antique world. That said, there are practice purposes and appropriate times to join pieces. The bottom line is to avoid waste, if you have a top, and you have legs then why not make a table?

Hepplewhite - D-End Dining Table

Perhaps the smart thing to do would have been to get photos of this table in its various configurations. The "D-end" tables were the modular designs of turn of the century modern innovation.

This table consists of three sections. Two freestanding "D" ends that combine to a 48" circular table and a six leg drop-leaf table. The drop leaf is 48 x 72 extended, and 48 x 24 when folded. Combined - they produce a table extending to 110 inches. Separate they are a standing functional set of independent tables.

Cherry Dresser - Cherry never ceases to amaze with outstanding grain patterns. Left shows the deteriorated lacquer finish for this triple dresser, the right photo shows the piece after about six coats of hand rubbed tung oil.

Here's a desk and a Vanity, both natural finish cherry pieces. These just have tung oil, no more - no less. They were previously covered in colored lacquer, unfortunately for some reason we don't seem to have the "Before" photos. These will pose well enough as examples of the beauty of cherry with a hand rubbed tung oil finish.

Walnut Office Desk

The before photos of this Walnut Office Desk didn't turn out - well to have been taken we simply missed the boat. This is a shame, as it's a great before/after candidate. We at least have the finished photos and a great example of a natural walnut finish. This is an old "state office" type desk, they are in basements, they are in garages, etc ... pull yours out and see what you have in the ruff!