Roadside Table
Driving to work I spotted this table left for trash pick up on the road.
As you can see it was pretty damaged, it had clearly been sitting outside for a while.
You can see there is a large split in the middle and it is warped at the split. The wood is very dry and I'm not sure if it is salvageable- but I'm going to give it a shot
I started by sealing the splits in the wood with wood glue and a brace.
It took several days to fill cracks and reposition the brace. You can still see the warp
I added stainable wood filler to just fill in any spots that I couldn't get smooth enough with the glue and brace. After you fill in with the filler you have to sand it really well.
Then I read that you can fix the warp in wood by adding moisture back and weight it from the other side. I put a wet (damp) towel on the floor and turned the table over on to it. I weighted the opposite side with everything I could find. You can see the hand weights and paint can sitting on top. While it was in this position I sanded and painted the base. I also used this time to tighten the base and the legs. I left this sitting, weighted for about 4 days.
It worked! The warp is gone. I started with wood conditioner on the top, several coats of wood conditioner.
Then stain and sanding, a lot of stain and sanding!
First poly coat, and then more sanding and several coats of poly
Here's the finished piece. It took some time and work but I'm happy with it. It took about a month to complete, just working on it when I had the time.
Resources for this project:
See all materials
Comments
Join the conversation
-
Just Beautiful! I love it.
-
Very nice!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Sure was a lot of work.would veneer have worked like a pattern in the middle etc.?just a thought.but you did a terrific job.looks so nice and shiny.
Recently I acquired a treadle sewing machine in a cabinet. On the wall of the cabinet on one side the veneer has pulled away and has a rippled effect to it. Is this veneer problem the same as the one dealt with on this table? Can it be resolved the same way? Have always dreamed of owning a treadle sewing machine and want to do this right.
Thank you,
Sherree Andrews
I have an old 2 drawer dresser, the top in one corner it’s warped. In that corner the wood looks like its layers, each layer opposite of the one before. Would this method work for it?
I really don’t want to replace the entire top.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Michele Smith
Gilbert, AZ