230 YEARS of dirt and grime?! Here’s why cleaning is the FIRST step in restoration. Before any restoration work begins, deep cleaning is crucial. Why? Because layers of dirt can hide damage, original finishes, and historical details. A proper clean lets us assess the wood, structure, and finish before making any changes. Skipping this step can lead to unnecessary refinishing or irreversible mistakes. How do we know this antique butler’s desk dates back to around 1790? The details tell the story: Hand-cut dovetails – Uneven, thin, and carefully crafted, a sign of pre-industrial woodworking. Hand-planed wood – Visible tool marks show this was shaped by hand, not machine-smoothed. Square & cut nails – These were standard before modern wire nails took over in the mid-1800s. Spanish mahogany wood – This piece is made from Spanish mahogany, a highly prized wood in the 18th and early 19th centuries. We can identify it by its fine, interlocking grain and deep reddish-brown tone, which differs from later, more uniform cuts of mahogany. The way the wood was quartersawn and used in large panels also points to early craftsmanship before mahogany became over-harvested and harder to source in large, high-quality sections. Original shellac finish – Aged and worn but historically accurate for this time period. Lock style – The desk features an early mortise lock, commonly used in fine furniture from the late 1700s to early 1800s. Hand-cut veneer – The thickness and irregularity of the veneer indicate it was sawn by hand, not by machine, which was a defining characteristic of 18th-century craftsmanship Machine-cut veneers became more common after 1800. This, along with the cut of the wood and overall construction, w #furnituredesign #furniture #home #homeinspo #savedbydesign #diy #renovation #antiquefurniture #restoration

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#furnituredesign #paintedfurniture #homedecor #homeinspo #furniture #painting #savedbydesign #furnitureflip #diy #home

Let me first say, I'm not against oil based finishes. There are some great ones that provide beautiful results, but as a general rule of thumb, I lean towards using all water based finishes in my shop as often as possible. Heres why: • Versatility. I can thin any of my water based products with water! Although water isn't necessarily free, I do have access to it any time that I need it so in the long run it saves drastically. Added too much water? No problem, add more product. I can also mix any of my products together if needed. • Toners. Building onto the last bulletin, I can easily make a toner of any shade with my water based stain by adding about 5% color to my water based topcoat. • Overlay. If you have areas accepting stain differently, you can use water based stain as an overlay to blend. For example, the last buffet I refinished had different types of wood on the trimwork. After I applied my stain and first layer of topcoat, I brushed on a small amount of stain on the lighter wood. This blended everything together so it was seamless after my final application of topcoat. • Low VOCs, no harmful odors or fumes, environmentally friendly and not flammable. This means overall it's a much safer product to have in our workshops • Water and soap cleanup. We only use water based finishes in our sprayers because it results in a much easier cleanup process. When we use oil, we opt for hand application. • Faster dry times. I can easily stain and topcoat a piece in one day or even apply multiple coats of stain to build coverage as needed. On the flip side, I can also dilute the stain drastically for a stainwash for a slight tint of color opposed to the full concentrate. . . . #savedbydesign #furniture #furnituredesign #paintedfurniture #woodworking #homeinspo #renovation

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