A lot of times I am afraid to try something new. It's often fear of doing it wrong, messing up whatever I am doing, wasting time or money. I think you get the idea. I wonder if I am the only one who experiences this? Do you ever feel this way?
Well, one of my latest projects was actually a redo of a two tiered pie crust table. My table is pictured below and shows what it looked like before I got started.
When I first worked on it, I painted it and used an aging wax on it and when it was finished and ... I just did not like it.at.all. So for a while it sat there, in all its dislike. vbg Finally I got out some products to strip it and got the stripping done. Then it sat there again for an eternity, naked.
Finally, maybe almost 2 weeks ago I got after the table again. I sanded, painted 3 coats (white over a dark wood), and sealed it (2 coats). Next morning after the sealer, I went out to view it in all it's glory. NOT. It was not what I expected at all.
The table was not a beautiful white with a matte finish as I expected. What I failed to take into account was tannin! If you don't know about tannin, it's a naturally occurring substance in wood. As far as I know there is nothing you can do to rid the piece of it. You have to learn some tricks to account for the tannin.
Some woods are worse than others, usually those with a red base to the wood like cherry and mahogany. Tannin usually is not a problem when the table is left as is, with a stain and sealer on it. It becomes a problem on painted and sealed furniture that is not sealed first.
Guess what I failed to do? I failed to even think about priming the table first. So all my work was a waste ... at least in most eyes and especially in my eyes.
For me it was a painful reminder to take into account what wood I am using. Do you think I'll let this issue slip by me again? Not if I can help it! I will do more investigation of the piece and type of wood before I begin a furniture redo/upcycle that is wood. And if I am in doubt about the type of wood, I'll err on the safe side and seal it just to be safe. Yes,it will take more time, an extra step, and one more product. But if it makes a better finished piece for my customers, it will be worth it.
So here are some photos of the finished piecrust table. Approximate dimensions ...
About 28" tall & about 22.5" across on the lower tier
I would love to hear about what seemed like a failure but turned out for the better. If you have something you'd like to share, please leave it in the comments.
God bless,
Cindy
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