What should I do with this?
by
Shirley
+8
I bought this saki table from A friend, her father got it for an anniversary present for his wife in the 1940s in Panama. It is pretty beat up ,with broken legs, someone screwed the leg back on, the carving on top has missing pieces broken out etc. etc. I really doubt it is worth anything, but all suggestions and ideas are appreciated and if someone knows more about it , would love the info. Thank you all ahead of time.
I would have it looked at, find out what kind of wood it is. If it's as old as you say it is you may have something! Don't change anything until (if you do) have it looked at. If it's worth something speak to someone who restores relics (natural aging is good) then you'll know what you can and can't change without decreasing the value.
I tried to find something similar but did not find anything. It is late, or early depending on your perspective. It is a beautiful set regardless of wear and previous repairs. I would have someone take a look at it first just to be sure. No matter what happens, looks cool and enjoy however you decide to use it.
This is a popular style in Hawaii, we just stain to cover the breaks and put glass on top. They are quite beautiful.
I am sure you could paint it or polish it good and use it in a spare room or take good pictures brighter and have a dealer check it out
Agree with Denise to not do anything to it until you find out what kind of wood it is. The beauty in the design of this type of furniture is the intricate wood carvings. I would advise you against painting it. It will be very difficult and tedious to try to cover up all the tiny indentations of the carvings, and it will destroy the artfulness of the design.
Oh, that is so pretty. I don't have a fix-it solution, just had to say what I thought about it.😉 I would have an antique expert who deals in furniture look at it. It would be great if you could find someone who would know about Asian furniture. Please don't paint it. Good luck. Let us know what you do with it and show us a picture, please. 😊
I agree to have it looked at first. If it isn't worth much then I would clean it up best as I could, add some wood filler to the missing pieces, put some stain (as close to the color as I could get), and repair the leg as best as you can. Then I would paint and distress the skirt and legs., Chalk paint in a cream, and go over with stain when dried. Then I would lightly sand & distress it some. Just the edges of the carvings. Maybe put a piece of glass on the top of the table so you can see the carvings through. It could be a cool table and chairs for kids to use.
I agree with having someone look at it. A lot of antique Chinese pieces were made of rosewood, which is gorgeous. Rather than a dealer, I would take it to someone who restores, a wood guy,if nothing else to have the leg fixed properly. Its hard to tell because your photos are so dark, but a good Cleaning could do a lot, including finding true color. Goop, the hand cleaner (no grit) brushed on, left for 20 minutes or so. Lots and lots of paper towels to clean off. When your paper towels no longer come out dirty, a couple of final wipes with cheesecloth. With the carving, you might want to use a soft brush (like a shoeshine brush) under your cheesecloth. Goop is wonderful. no odor and you needn’t wear gloves except to keep yourself clean. Do one section, like a single to, at a time, and don’t leave on too long because it’s harder to remove.
Then move on to woodfill and scratch-remover woodstain pens.
I would have an auction house take a look at it and give to an appraisal value as it is. What it would cost to have it restored and the value when restored. You may have a treasure there.
It looks quite nice. You can paint it and use it.