CHICKPEA SEWING STUDIO

Lately, all thrift store expeditions have been centered around one theme: acquiring furniture for the cabin. My dad helped tremendously in the earlier efforts but as he has gone back to Brittany I am now on my own and must have something to prove...

On Thursday I found a little Broyhill Fontana pine side table at Savers for five dollars. I am bad at before pictures but many of those tables must have been sold because there is no shortage of sad looking ones online. This one, at Redoux is a fair example of what ours looked like.

After a good and (too) long sanding it looked as pictured above, and got to work 'as is' with no time to say ouch!

Two days later, it's  been oiled (Danish oil cherry tint two coats) and waxed (Howard's wax and feed). It's a bit redder than anticipated but why not? none of the wood is ever going to match in this cabin anyway, no reason to try. Here is another view, yes I have forgotten the nob in Salt Lake...

You can tell of course that the table was scratched, but with an oil finish it doesn't matter.The more imperfections the more antiqued it appears, which can never be said of a varnish. Danish oil is a rag application, easier than you could ever imagine. I use it for everything, especially my loom and shuttles. On a piece made of hard wood or solid pine it would be possible to sand away the dings but not with a pine veneer like that one, it's quite possible to eat through it with the sander, beware!

I noticed looking around the blogosphere that the trend around Utah is to paint and distress furniture, not so much to sand back to the wood. I wonder if it's a question of taste or if people are afraid it would be to difficult. I think that it is well worth it, and all the time spent sanding is made up for when you oil. It takes a few minutes at most and you will never have to fear drips.

coming soon:

Later this week: a walnut lobby chair from the 20's!