Last week I acquired a dark, 9-drawer dresser made by Lane Furniture, Altavista, VA, in the modernist style (I’d guess made 1956 to 1960s). When I stripped the seriously marred finish, I found three woods: I’d say mahogany for the solid legs and edging, nice thick walnut veneer for panels and drawer fronts, and then a third and light-colored wood something like poplar (I really don’t know) for the rails above and below the drawers. Any advice on finishing this? Obviously, my original plan to put an oil/urethane mix over what I though was all walnut will result in a motley affair.
Cheers,
Replies
This is not uncommon for manufactured furniture. It was finished with a stain/toner that would even everything out so it looked like "something". I think paint or a repeat of a coverup is your answer.
The wood and modernist design is too nice to paint. I'd like to even out the wood colors, as you say "with a stain/tone." How?
To use toner that will even out those wood variations you almost have to use some sort of spray facilities. You can go a long way starting with dye to homogenize the base color. I'd use a water soluble powdered dye. Then seal the dye. (A coat of dewaxed shellac such as seal coat will accomplish this and dry quickly.) Then you would need to build up a translucent finish that contains pigment. If you keep the pigment load fairly light and use mulitple thin coats you can work up to a finish similar to the factory finish.
It will help a lot if you can put together some scrap samples similar to the wood in the chest to try out various comb inations.
Lane Chest
Jim Bell
If that unknown wood is poplar wood - it may have a green tint to it in its natural state.
The green can be offset with a shade of red when coloring. A burnt umber is worth trying
SA
What Howard says has been the rule since factory manufactured furniture was ever first made. You get the cheapest wood that will somehow make the finished product and then finish it with what it takes to make it look like what the wood you are emulating. You said yourself you were surprised that there was this mixture of wood. Your denoting it as such and such a kind of style does not keep it from being made from 3 or more different woods, and if you can make it work with toner, etc. then that is the answer. BUT good style of the furniture also will shine through even paint, if the decor of the home is good. it takes imagination, but can happen. I personally love the look of wood. Hope you can do it, but this is basically "new" furniture.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled