I and my family live in a 1923 Craftsman. A friend recently gave me a breakfast nook table/benches ensemble and it was brought to my house and put in the garage late one evening.
When I examined it the next day I realized it was laminate over what appeared to be press board of some type. The texture and “grain” of the press board is very compressed and it almost made me think it was actual solid wood until I thought, what person would put laminate on top of solid wood?
It had been my original intention to redesign the table/benches to give it more of a mission/Greene sort of flair (exposed tenons, variety of woods being used etc) and to stain it in complementing shades.
Now that I’m not dealing with solid wood, I’m not sure where to begin. The laminate is over everything and is in bad shape. The table top is rough from the laminate drying out and coming off in little tiny bits and pieces.
Do I strip off all the laminate (how do I do that? The stripper/wash I normally use probably won’t work on laminate), do I replace the entire top with a solid piece of wood? Do I sand it to death and paint it (not very Craftsman-like to say the least).
I’m at a loss on how to turn this beast into a beauty.
My woodworking experience is essentially homeowner experience of a really great old house (roof, patios, windows, old hardware, lathe-n-plaster, paint, baseboards etc). I have plenty of tools and lots of info on old houses, but laminate has definitely NEVER been in my game plan.
Many thanks,
BrendaD
Replies
I'm afraid you might have a lost cause on your hands when it comes to a true Arts and Crafts restoration project. In the spirit of my favorite radio personalities, Click and Clack of NPR's Car Talk, I'm going to advise that you either enjoy it as is or abandon it for something more like what you want it to be.
If the entire ensemble is made from MDF or particle board with a laminate veneer, then it doesn't sound especially well made. OF COURSE, I COULD BE WRONG. And it doesn't sound like a piece of furniture built to last a lifetime, which is the real spirit behind the Arts and Crafts movement, and I can't help but think that what you really want is a solid-wood ensemble built from quartersawn white oak using mortise and tenon joinery.
Salvage what you've got
That said, I am always one to encourage the reuse of furniture, and you can probably do a nice refurbish job if you put some effort into it. If the core material is MDF, you will have better luck removing the existing laminate. If it's particle board, it will probably crumble in spots and loose a lot of its stability. One idea would be to replace the really bad sections with new material. Puddy, Paint and Glue can also do wonders.
That was long-winded, and not especially helpful reply but it might get you thinking.
Here are some related articles and videos that might be helpful:
Tips for Painting MDF
Veneering MDF
A Woodworkers Guide to MDF
Matt Berger
Fine Woodworking
Matt:
Thanks so much for the information. You're correct in that we'd really prefer solid wood built in the manner noted.
I believe the table/benches is MDF. I chiseled off some of the laminate on a hidden area and the core didn't fall apart at all, which leads me to believe it's MDF. <sigh> This is like receiving an ugly vase from you Aunt at Christmas and having to display it when she visits...only my ugly vase takes up a huge amount of space!
I'm going to read the articles you provided and will likely paint the unit. I have a few stencils from that period and might use those a little bit to give it the illusion it's actually something interesting.
Lesson learned...never let stuff be delivered to your garage at night. You'll inherit someone else's elephant.
Thanks for info!!
Brenda
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