Vermilion Furniture Renewal
5908-53 Avenue T9X1M1 Vermilion, AB, Canada

This tabletop came into the workshop partly sanded and tested for a stain colour. A challenge is presented to me whenever I get one of these as I am unsure as to the degree the stain has penetrated and whether such applied will result in an uneven finish. I scraped the applied stain off and decided to sand from scratch. The result was worth the effort.

This chair, which, in tracing its history, likely came from a school was finely crafted from solid mahogany. The original finish, likely applied to protect it from significant rigour, hid the beautiful wood beneath. One of my more challenging jobs to strip, it was well worth it as you can see.

Last year I created a collage of projects my clientele entrusted me. The response was outstanding. Here is the 2020 version. My apologies if I did not include yours. I tried..

This table was brought into the workshop as a fine example of shaker style furniture. It’s classic lines with through tenons and side slats are also a testament to how well it was built. The back rest of the chair was broken. The chair was disassembled, the back replaced, reassembled then stained to match using Early American.

This buffet came into the workshop with broken pieces for doors and a heavily scratched top. The reassembly of the doors took some time but largely came back together and the top sanded out quite nicely. Stained with a warm espresso. It now can stand proud once again.

This children’s rocker is a family heirloom. Written on it’s underside is an inscription of it being gifted for Christmas to a family member in 1935 for the princely sum of $2.59. It is beautifully crafted and does a fine job of exhibiting an espresso stain.

This 100+ year old walnut display table came wobbling into the workshop. Some of its screws were broken but all the wood appliqués were intact and the wood was solid. It was finished in an espresso brown in keeping with the original.

This table has seen daily use for 35+ years. The veneer was damaged but the owner was very happy to get it back refinished to the best degree possible. I matched the colour to the pedestal by mixing Early American and Espresso stains to give a warm brown feel with a slightly red undertone.

A unique opportunity came to the workshop recently. This solid walnut table had seen better days, had some major splits in the tabletop, and was on shaky feet. Fortunately the owner still had the leafs to work with. I split the tabletop apart, cut out the splits, and inserted the pieces back together to form two new halves. The new halves were reattached to the table frame and a new table came together. To boot, I was able to retain the better of the two leafs to increase the table’s functionality. When the table was stripped the result revealed a red dye which could not be removed by sanding amongst many other war wounds the most telling of which was significant clamp marks from grandma’s meat grinder. Oh the stories this table could tell!

This pew came into the shop measuring approximately 8 feet. It was rescued from going to the landfill as the church it sat in changed their seating. My client saw a use for it as an entryway bench and wanted it reduced in size. The cutout on the back end of the leg needed to be filled so that it would be more stable. It now has a new home and a new use.

This dining room suite came into the shop in great shape with only minor repairs needed. It is made of walnut and was redone in a warm espresso finish.

This waterfall style china cupboard was used to store old copies of magazines for many years. Now that it has been rehabilitated it can now be used for more noble pursuits.

This mahogany china cupboard and buffet was an interesting project. The finish on the doors belied the solid wood beneath. A pleasure to unveil it and reveal its true self.

A dining room suite desirous of an update converted from its lighter roots to one more so on the darker side. The chairs, however, retained their lighter selves but updated their fabric to a type far more durable. An exciting transformation.

The final component to the dining room suite is now complete. This walnut sideboard had some scratches that needed to be removed. It will complement the table and chairs wonderfully.

A brand new challenge arrived at the workshop recently. An exquisite quarter-sawn oak table had a portion of the tabletop broken. The owner asked that this be repaired and then to repurpose it into a coffee table. As no quarter-sawn stock was available, I used a sliver of one of their leafs to make up the difference. The base then needed to be cut to arrive at the required table height. The table was then finished in a dark walnut stain which highlights the rays beautifully.