Table Restoration : Part 2

And now for the moment you have all been waiting for, the finale of the two part table restoration.  I mentioned before in the last posting how each restoration has its own personality not only in the finished product but in the process of the restoration.  This table, unlike the last one, had certain pieces of the table restored and re-used and others completely replaced.

This table was in very rough condition when it was dropped off.  The legs of the table were the main part of the table that were to be re-used leaving the rest of it to be re-made.  When we got at the table the first thing we did was to take photographs of it and then disassembled it.  Because this table was to match the other table from the part 1 posting, we took the legs sanded them and painted them 3 coats of this antiqued off white paint to match.  The owners of the table decided to do the top as one solid piece so we met up at the wood mill to choose the type of wood.  I suggested a hard wood because this would be used in their coffee shop, so it was decided to use 1 inch thick hard maple.  The width of the table top is wider then would be typical now because we were fitting it with antique table legs.  The older antique tables in this style were usually fairly wide, over 40 inches.  We re-made the border under the table to match the top and secured it using hex head cabinet screws.  The table top then received 2 coats of a stain called 'early american' and then 3 coats of satin finish varnish.

To top off both tables we went in search of functional antique casters.  It took a bit of searching but we were able to find matching casters for both tables but at different sizes.  This table was much lower then the previous one so we used bigger casters to give it a little more height.  Also this table was much bigger and the bigger casters were much more suited to its size.

Wether you are restoring a table or some other piece, you can't help but appreciate the history that you are helping bring back to life.  Sometimes it's a total restoration, sometimes a restoration of the style of the era it was built.  Either way it is always an honor to be a part of it.

Enjoy.

Before

After