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Advice for total to-do of Asian style hand carved Day Bed

jgsa1967

Hoping for some advice from some of you seasoned timber furniture re-furbers.

I was gifted a day bed in bad condition, had been left outdoors, under partial cover for 10+ years. I have just sanded back all (almost all surfaces except tiny spaces I can't get into) acid washed it and now wanting to repair some.damage and re-finish it I was thinking of staining, shellacing and then waxing it (never done it before, but it sounds like fun!) Thing is, the timber is very thirsty in my opinion and really needs some love in that department. Should I "feed" the timber with something (if so what?) AT ALL or just carry out the stain, shellac and wax? If feeding, should it be done before or after I stain? I have already purchased my stain, shellac and wax, so really have my heart set on giving it a go.

The pics are taken this arvo after I acid washed and rinsed off, so it's still wet, I totally forgot to take a true BEFORE picture, many blonde moments here LOL

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Comments

Jason

Hi @jgsa1967,

Welcome to Workshop. We're pleased you could join us and look forward to seeing how your day bed restoration project comes together. Looks like a lovely piece.

Let me tag some of our keen furniture restorers who might like to share some advice with you, including @DIYology, @Brad, @JustJim, @Beachbox, @cadsman, @AnitaH25 and @kbcreations.

Thanks,

Jason

JustJim

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/6336#Comment_6336

Waaaayy out of my area of expertise, I'm afraid.

I'll be interested to see any other replies though, as well as the result of the restoration.

Good luck with it.

Brad

Nice that you want to do a traditional finish rather than going the much easier poly finish.

It may just be the photo but the colour on the back seems to be lighter than the back leg?

I will give you some light reading that includes the authors thoughts on using a restore product before staining.

https://thecraftsmanblog.com/how-to-prep-wood-for-stain/

If there is sun damage then I may have to dig deeper into fixing that.

jgsa1967

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/6338#Comment_6338

Thank you,

The colouring of the woods certainly was lighter/darker on some areas when it was wet. It seems to have evened out a fair bit since drying I plan to wet it down again and allow it to dry before I proceed with the stain so I'll repost when I do that, currently working on my greenhouse for the next few days. I'm Hoping it's not beyond help, I'm not even sure if it is all made out of the same wood. Thanks so much for the link, I was surprised to learn that plain old water could be just as effective of a wood conditioner than something extra I'd have to pay for!

jgsa1967

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/6336#Comment_6336

Thanks for the welcome Jason, I'm really excited to have found this site. My husband and few friends I had all thought it was rather "different" of me to buy some power tools and enjoy playing around with timber because im a female LOL.

AnitaH25

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/65312#Comment_65312

Do you have a picture?

Former_Member

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/95403#Comment_95403

@jgsa1967

It looks absolutely beautiful... I, as a young girl, was lucky enough to be born into a family of carpenters, stonemasons, electricians, plumbers, etc even though my dad was a public servant, so I was lucky enough to play with power tools from early on... tell your bemused males to get with the program, lol.
As for the refinish, am I too late? The shellac is awesome if you're going to use it inside only???? And after re-wetting, which you've done, and staining, I'd maybe apply a whisper thin linseed coat before proceeding, and see how much it drinks in. Not necessary if doing an oil based stain. (Just don't pick up oil based stain and varnish by accident, like I did one time! Oh the horror!LOL) The only thing I'd say is that shellac can go brittle and deteriorate after many years, but OMG worth it, it's beautiful and lasts MUCH longer if you remember to regularly re-wax and keep it out of direct sunlight, especially if it will see heavy use. Mind you, I've only done shellac coats on wide plain surfaces, nothing with that amount of detail and fiddly bits, so I don't know how easy that'd be.
Hope that helps!

Former_Member

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/114271#Comment_114271

You should run out and buy a lottery ticket, too... how lucky to be gifted that!

jgsa1967

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/114271#Comment_114271

Thank you for the wonderful advice I have applied my 2 coats of stain and I must say that I'm not really all that fond of the colour. I intended to apply garnet shellac and thought this may tone the brown colouring down for me, but after reading quite a lot of advice here and through links, I am now having second thoughts. The day bed will be placed on my covered patio and although not out in the open, it will still be outside, so I think I may need a more robust finish, can anyone please offer their advice on this as I won't go ahead with my finish, I don't want to mess it all up and have to go back to bare wood again. Also thinking about the shellac and wax finish, I think it may have been a little ambitious on my part, the sanding and staining was so very consuming and I know every surface is not perfectly smooth, the only way to do it would be to dismantle the piece and that is a little beyond my patience. LOL Through one of the links in a previous reply, I read about a home made finish containing satin polyurathene, boiled linseed and mineral spirit, applying 6-8 wipe on coats, do you think this may be a better option for my finish? It sounds a lot easier for application, I hate brush marks!

jgsa1967

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/124872#Comment_124872

This is the link to the finish I described above. Brad pointed me to this guys website and it was all really interesting.
https://thecraftsmanblog.com/how-to-make-your-own-wood-finish/

jgsa1967

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/131981#Comment_131981

Now I'm totally confused after reading about the home made finish. Mineral Oil or Paint Thinner? Obviously we don't have mineral oil in Australia (funny that I thought I'd actually seen it on a shelf) but Thinner? What sort of Thinner, are they all the same composition? After reading further, they aren't. OMG this is getting harder. 🤷‍♀️

Former_Member

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/136309#Comment_136309

@jgsa1967

We do have mineral oil in Australia... and it's what baby oil is, but baby oil has added fragrances. You should be able to find it. It's often labelled as machine oil - you put it in your sewing machine. So you definitely would have seen it around.

I thought the article called for mineral spirits, though?

Mineral spirits in the US can be mineral turpentine, or white spirits here. depending on the use called for. I'm sure some googling can sort it out.If Google doesn't work, you can always email a US company that produces their mineral spirits to find out the exact chemical makeup - or even find out from one of their MSDS info sheets. That'll help figure out which compound they're talking about

Former_Member

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139256#Comment_139256

@jgsa1967
Sorry, just realised I skipped a couple of your posts - you wanted the reddish colour, right? I've had success with tinting linseed oil with oil paints. Just make sure the oil paint tint doesn't use cadmium or any other toxic pigment, and is lightfast. Mix into linseed oil as heavy as you like and go ahead with as many coats gets you the colour. then do several coats of just linseed or outdoor furniture oil. only question will be time, as it will take a while for these coats to dry. Very thin coats, so you don't get the tacky finish that undried linseed can have. (personally I do like the bondall outdoor furniture oil I just used, instead of tung oil on my outdoor potting table.) I'd do linseed/oil paint and then the outdoor oil. It was so easy to get it in all the crevices - very happy!
Honestly, it's worth the time, for such an excellent piece. The wipe over finishes are quick, but not my personal fave for outdoors, for several reasons.

jgsa1967

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139256#Comment_139256

@Former Workshop member yes you're right, not mineral oil, I know I was flabbergasted yesterday, I didn't realise I'd made that mistake too. Thank you for taking the time to help me with this, I'm going to re-read your answers and see what I come up with........when my head is clear enough to understand LOL Anyone would think I'd been sniffing gum turpentine!

jgsa1967

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141236#Comment_141236

@Former Workshop member Righto, just read your second answer about tinting linseed and coating, then coating with outdoor oil. Can I do this over the stain that I have already applied or do I have to sand it back? I think I can see the timber is still thirsty,,,,,,,if that makes sense. Thanks

Former_Member

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141237#Comment_141237

@jgsa1967

Ah! the old turps! Been sniffing it myself today - epoxy rust guard paint. Spring maintenance - gotta love it, lol.

Yep, there's a LOT to take in... I've got more than a few years of trial and error, mostly error, under the belt, so you can't just immediately know what's best to do. I still struggle with some things, the sheer volume of info around - I hear you.

Yes, you can go over the stain,be it oil or water, just be aware of colour mix... blue and yellow make green etc. If you want a red or red/purple, it's no problem over brown. Once you put oil down, you can't go over with a water based product, though... not without difficulty.

Former_Member

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/142727#Comment_142727

@jgsa1967

You've wetted enough already, if you used water based stain - the wood will be thirsty for oil, now. So the tinted linseed should get sucked right in and the colour too. Then you do as many coats to get the colour. Then I'd go the bondall furniture oil cuz it has uv protectors, blah blah, and will stop any possible colour transference and fading. You will get some uv fading, cuz that's the way of things, but you just go in with the furniture oil once a year, to keep that minimised. You know it's got enough coats when it feels like, say, a piece of jarrah - smooth and a bit slippy to the touch.

Former_Member

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/143779#Comment_143779

@jgsa1967
I just realised I didn't clarify - I meant oil artist's paints, just in case you were thinking oil based paints like enamels - sorry, artist's assumption on my part! lol... could have caused trouble!

jgsa1967

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144583#Comment_144583

@Former Workshop member TOO funny! I was going to ask that question re the artist paint/enamel, because.........I just had the inkling and couldn't really see any decent red paint except for spray cans on the Bunnings website!

Now, to find where I can buy oil based artist paint around me. Thanks Jan-jan 🤪 <--- ME Turpentine Head!!

jgsa1967

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144583#Comment_144583

@Former Workshop member Is this the Bondall you are talking about?

Screenshot_20190926-001632_Samsung Internet.jpg

Former_Member

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145168#Comment_145168

@jgsa1967

yep, that's the one... I tooled around my local bunnings, swearing under my breath cuz there was no tung oil - couldn't find a shelf ticket, even. Apparently there was no stock when I checked the site later. Anyway, after much more 'rhubarb-rhubarb' muttering on my part, I settled for this to use on the potting table. We won't go into the manufacturer finish on the table - RHUBARB! However, the bondall worked really well. I wouldn't put it on a table I eat from, (linseed only), however it's been awesome on what I have put it on.
Artist's oils can sometimes be found in newsagents, but your best bet is places like spotlight and lincraft - pretty much any hobby or craft store. Get something like Derivan Matisse, or Windsor Newton - don't go cheap chinese made or it's liable to be toxic and not lightfast.. To get that reddish shellac colour, you want a colour called Permanent Alizarin Crimson. You can modify it with a touch of blue if you want to tend more purplish, use an ultramarine blue or quinacridone violet to modify. Do not use any scarlet, yellows, or anything that says cadmium or lead. These may contain toxic substances - not all are labelled. The ones I've given you are fine. Sorry, it's hard to distil 15 years worth of pigment knowledge, hahahalol. The ones I've suggested are lightfast - by the way, don't get Alizarin Crimson, it fades - you def want PERMANENT Alizarin Crimson, lol.
Art shops sometimes have great specials. I switched to work in acrylics many years ago, myself, so I haven't paid very close attention to prices.

Former_Member

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145635#Comment_145635

@jgsa1967
By the way...
If your stain was water based, you can add the same colours in acrylic paint to your stain and go over again before oiling - another option.

Former_Member

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145168#Comment_145168

@jgsa1967
Have you decided what to do yet?
Funnily enough I have had to do just this over the weekend - with some differences.

I found out I was hosting a small party week after next - we won't go into what I thought of that, and how it came about - the main point is I needed some extra seating, quickly. It was sort of good, because we wanted another bench in future, anyway, etc etc.

So I bought this cheap outdoor bench from kmart, because I loved the vaguely Asian minimalist shape it had.

So the colour was wrong, seeing as I have modded ikea stools that I put fabric on etc for side tables outdoors. I have plenty of fabric left for making cushions etc etc.

So instead of buying paint, I mixed some red oxide concrete colour with the bondall furniture oil and some boiled linseed oil... now I just have to apply a few successive coats of bondall to get a nice hard finish. but even with the paint coats, the colour isn't coming off.

Red oxide gives Indian Red colour, which absorbs uv a lot by itself, that's why it was used a lot for barns.

Anyway, point being that this will be great if I coat it once or twice a year with the furniture oil again. Just shows what you can do when you play around. I had some wood sculptures that were treated this way - lasted for years before needing repainting.

jgsa1967

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145636#Comment_145636

@Former Workshop member Finally I have a few moments to het on here and update.

Your bench looks great, I love the colour!

Well, I followed your advice and got some oil paint, had already bought Monte Marte brand, so am hoping it will be fine. I chose Phtalos Blue, which is a navy and Rose Madder, being a lovely fark but subdued red. Have applied three coats of the tints, linseed and turps, first with a goat brush and wipe off, second I applied with steel wool and wipe off and lastly a thin goat brush layer and wipe off again. As you will see in the photos, the oil is still drying/curing and quite patchy, so I'll allowing it to settle for a few days before I apply my (hopefully) last. The tint looked so dark in the jar when mixed up, but of course only slightly changed the tone, I'd still like it a bit darker and thinking of using more of the blue oil paint in my last coat, but am being conservative. You will be able to see that I had to repair the front right side of the seat where it sits/attaches to the side, it was badly damaged and no amount of glue was going to hold it, it doesn't phase me tho, I don't really notice it and thought when I get a couple of cushions on there, it won't be an issue. I absolutely love the feel of it, I'm so glad I went down this road, I e never used linseed oil before and I'm amazed at how, even tho I had applied a stain, the character of the wood was brought out, it's beautiful, can't really see in these photos tho. Well, like I said, I'm allowing her to sit for a few days, maybe even a little longer, I'm in no hurry, I have ended up with a gorgeous price of art that was going to be sent to the tip, and I feel very accomplished! LOL.

I will post further updates on her when they are available LOL

jgsa1967

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145988#Comment_145988

Grrrr APOLOGIES for all the typos, that was the second attempt of posting, mobile phones aren't too blog friendly when you're writing an essay!

Former_Member

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146281#Comment_146281

Hi @jgsa1967,
That looks great! Monte Marte is fine - they're an Aussie brand. I can't answer to the Rose Madder being colourfast though. It's usually one that fades quickly, unless it's the synthetic version, an even that can be iffy. Is there a colourfast rating on the tube? From memory, I think there is with that brand. I'm pretty sure phtalo blue is colourfast, but it's quite transparent - great for stains.

It's looking good! Hope it goes well

Yeah - linseed is a dream... and you never get flaking and 'paint failure' like with the modern stuff.. You just have a much more limited colour palette.

Epoxy works well for repairs, but I wouldn't do it if she's an antique.

Thanks, re the bench - we've had some adverse weather here, so I'm glad I got it done in time. I've been going mad with shades of red out there...

I sprayed this tatty old plaster statue just yesterday - just holds enough mix to hold a tiny Joseph's coat cactus and an equally small peanut cactus... looking very 'kitsch' now, lol.

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