Expert: Eileen Cronk - 9/9/2005

Question
Thanks for all the information,Eileen but I have one more question, someone saw the roughness of the thing and told me to paint it instead. A RED, no less.  Now I am torn... Which might you suggest. I will still need to cut and refinish the wood no matter which way. Is one way better than another?





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Followup To
Question -
I am about to purchase a wooden antique mantle that once had a finish but has been stripped and left to dry out. The two (legs) are wide boards with some large splits.  I need to cut the height and wondered if I should disassemble it, cut the legs and hope to minimize the splits and reassemble.

I would like to know how do I treat the wood, if I should put a stain, wax, oil or what to at life to the look.

It is a real rough looking piece with wood scrapes that need to be repaired too. Talk about shabby... this piece has it, but I think it could be a great conversation piece and would like to use it.

Thanks
Answer -
Hi Sandy
Nice to hear from you.
You should take the mantle apart if you have to cut it.
I fear you could hit a nail or screw with your saw(not good).
Cut as much of the split ends as you dare off, then you could add a nice base molding on the bottom that would further hide the splits.
To treat the wood, you could stain, then put about 3 coats of low lustre tung oil on as a finish.
Keep in mind that all previous finish must be completely removed before doing this.
Sounds like a fun project.
Good Luck and thanks for a great question.
Kindest Regards
Eileen


Answer
Hi again Sandy
Sorry for the darn delay. The site must be having problems and I only just got your question.
First off, why not go ahead and finish the wood with the stain and tung oil.
It won't take long, and if you hate the look, then go ahead and paint...but not red..good grief LOL
I would use a very low lustre paint as it will not show the wood blemishes as much as a high gloss.
And I'm only joking about red...it could be that your friend has an eye for color and sees it will go with your decor.
Thanks for a great question.
Regards
Eileen