Expert: Eileen Cronk - 3/25/2004

Question
Hello Ms. Cronk... i am renovating a 30 year old ranch home with 8 ft ceilings.. my question is this.. i found yesterday an old beat up painted sorta yellow creamy colored antique mantle.. it is full of nails that of course need to be pulled out.. plus it has the paint rubbed off in alot of places naturally which i like.  i would love to purchase it.. it is 179.00 and came out of an old house in Savannah Ga.  I want to use it in my family room and paint the walls a greenish/yellow color.  do you think i should repaint it or let the old nail holes show and keep it as is.  most of the mantle is covered with paint. It has some carving on it too. but not too much.. thanks chris

Answer
Hello Chris
Very interesting question.
Being a refinisher, I would naturally lean towards finding out what kind if wood is under the paint .
Perhaps you have solid oak or walnut underneath.
My next thougt is this...what is the rest of the decor going to be?
If its what is called the "shabby sheik"(sp?) look, then the missing paint and nail holes would look fine.
If you lean to a bit more elegant look, then you could fill the holes and give the mantle a fresh overall paint job.
I will gladly help you through the project if needed.
Good Luck
Eileen
PS..good buy :-)