AboutEileen Cronk Expertise Hi..I can answer most questions about the repairing,stripping and refinishing of all your old furniture and wood items(the things we call antiques)I can give advice about what to buy/avoid at auctions/flea markets. I do not give appraisals on antiques.
Experience I have been refinishing antiques for the past 30yrs. While I have taken several courses over the years,I have found that "hands on" learning is the best teacher. Perhaps I can help you avoid some of the mistakes I made while learning.
Question I bought an old student type desk. It was constructed with tongue and groove which are coming apart alone one side of the desk. How do I repair this. Can I use wood glue and mallet to put it back together?
Answer Hi Lisa
Nice to hear from you.
These old desks are made from hardwood and if the wood has warped or badly shrank these splits can not be repaired.
Hopefully yours is not that bad yet and its always advisable to do these repairs as soon as they surface.
Yes, regular wood glue is fine. The mallet is OK used with care LOL.
And you will need clamps.
Don't start the repair until you have clamps on hand.
Borrow if necessary.
Without seeing the actual damage I can only guess its extent. But if its along the desk side, you should take the desk top and bottom of the desk off. There will be screws and the desk should come apart easily.
Then you can make a proper repair and clamp it properly.
And who knows, the mallet may not be necessary LOL.
Great question
Regards
Eileen
