Wood Talkin: July 2014

Monday, July 28, 2014

Torn from the house wall!

Here's a fun story. This little cabinet was pulled from the wall of his grandparents' 1880's home in Princeton, N.J....before it was demolished to make room for a parking lot. Our customer has several of these. This one is the smallest. Leaded glass lights and solid oak frame distinguish this little gem. You're seeing our nearly finished effort here (left, ...still oiling its top).

But it didn't look exactly like this when he brought it to the shop. It needed some work. A wall cabinet--one crafted to be built-in--is not completed as a stand alone cabinet. So there were some important parts that were missing when it was pulled away from the wall and carted off.

Our job was to clean it up and make it "stand alone." So we needed to add some pieces to the top, re-align and glue the sides of the cabinet, re-configure the trim, and create internal structures in the base to accommodate a new drawer. Then, our goal was to try to color-match the new pieces--as best we could given the cabinet is 134 years old! We want to "match" the seasoned pieces and genarally touch-up the entire case. That effort was completed with some stain and multiple coats of hard oil.The goal was about practicality and historical integrity, not necessarily contemporary perfection.

Well, it's quite handsome don't you think. It has turned out really good. A very attractive stand-alone oak cabinet from the 1800's. Listen to it quietly mumbling to itself; busting with pride at it's new lease on an old life promise.

OK, then. That's Wood Talkin for today. Keep listening.

Specializing in simple or elaborate refinishing to preserve your family heirlooms and antiques.

I learned an important lesson years ago as an apprentice repair and furniture technician in the Northwest : People generally have an emotional attachment to their furniture. In the "Wood Talkin" Shop, that attachment will always be appreciated and respected.

The furniture repair and refinishing effort is both a science and an art. It "discovers" a character and takes on a personality of its own. The discovery process informs the repair and refinishing activities that proceed from it.
...Discovery begins in good, ongoing communication with our customers: what do they want, need, and what do they expect of us and of the outcome?
...The work begins with our developing a familiarity with the piece, its creation or manufacture, its function and its history--maybe some revelations our customer does not even know.
...The work proceeds collaboratively toward a predetermined outcome based on the information gathered from the customer, the piece, and its available history.
...The work progresses in a stream of "dialogue" with the piece. It's a dialogue that we anticipate and respect.
...A celebration reunites our customer with the refinished piece. It punctuates our success and anticipates our customer's long-term satisfaction.

At "Wood Talkin" we know it is a privilege to serve our customers. Consequently, we unconditionally guarantee that the work we do meets or exceeds industry standards. If you are not satisfied with the quality of some process, material, or service we have provided, we will make every reasonable, collaborative effort to retain your confidence, ally your trust, and realize your satisfaction.

Wood Talkin

Monday, July 28, 2014

Torn from the house wall!

Specializing in simple or elaborate refinishing to preserve your family heirlooms and antiques.

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