Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - long cracks in dressing table top

My daughter has just been given what was once a lovely cherry dressing table. It is in good shape but the top has three long cracks (30"x48" top). Since I am an artist and have been able to salvage other pieces for her, she has asked me to repair this. Unfortunately, I am in way over my head here.

The cracks were caused because the piece was stored in an area where the heat was excessive. There is a veneer layer on top of what appears to be hardwood, but I'm not sure what kind. The cracks are nearly the full length of the top and are about 1/64" wide at the ends but nearly 1/8" wide at the widest part.

Except for the top, the piece seems to have survived its ordeal quite well, so I was considering, repairing the cracks and then adding a layer of veneer or perhaps making a template of the top (it is a rectangle but has 3/4 semcircles over the front legs) and getting a piece of wood cut to replace the entire top.

Is it possible to repair the cracks successfully so that with careful "faux painting" I can disguise the damaged area? I am an artist and quite good at other faux finishes, but am unsure that it could work here.

Is it possible to repair those cracks well enough so that a new veneer layer can be placed on top and not show signs of the underlying repair? If so how?

If I replace the entire top, how do I find a good piece of wood and a skilled craftsman to cut a new top?

Is there another option I haven't thought of?

Thanks for any assistance you can offer here.

Oaklea:

From your description I seriously doubt either re-veneering or replacing the entire top is called for.

What I would do is strip the top ONLY. Use a wood filler such as Famowood or 3M Plastic wood to fill the cracks. This may take several applications as these materials shrink. You'll want to get a color that is lighter than the surrounding wood. Sand the filled areas flat (along with sanding the top.

Apply a sealer coat, or thinned layer of finish. This will bring the natural color of the undamaged wood out. Now you have something to try to match.

Working with cherry, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre and Van Dyke Brown will probably be all the colors you'll need. In concealing the defects, go for the background color first. Let your work overlap onto the undamaged area as you go, blending in as needed.

When you've got the background right, apply another coat of finish. BTW, I normally do this type of work in conjunction with a lacquer finish. As I use oil colors for touchup work, if it's not right I can wipe it clean with paint thinner and not disturb previous work under a preceeding coat of lacquer. Use a good aerosol such as Deft.

Now you'll need a fine brush - I use either a 00 or 000 bright, but use whatever works for you, to apply the grain. A friend of mine uses what I call a 'signature' brush. Look at the surrounding wood - match the direction, length, and width of the grain marks. If it's not right, you can wipe it off and try again.

After you've finish the touchup, apply several coats of finish, allowing each to dry, sand out with 400 grit paper being careful not to cut through to your previous work, then apply a final coat after wiping the surface clean.

I was just getting ready to post a question very similar to yours and came upon your question. (Thanks) Just want to let the guys/girls know that this is such a cool sight. All of the moderators are insightful, experienced and are quick to respond to your questions. That is so cool. Again thanks and good luck with your project. Thanks to "the man" George too.

Dear George,

I'm delighted that you think neither a new veneer nor new top is required because that brings it back into the area where I already do have some skill. ThaT'S GREAT! Thank you for your advice. Do you like getTing pictures of the results? In any case, I'll let you know how it all works out. This is a great site.

Thank you very much,

Oaklea

I do hope George can give you some real help. Your problem is way beyond my level of expertise. Except to say "been there do that". Well, almost, so I can surely sympathize. My own repair job has been slowed down by the fact that removing the damaged finish on the dressing table with Formsby's supposedly appropriate product. I loosened the glue on the veneer, which is 3/8" thick. I couldn't get all the glue free to take the veneer layer off totally nor glue the surface down properly along the whole crack. I've tried several solutions up to and including using a syringe with varying degrees of success,and the veneer layer is now "reglued" but I still have two small areas where one side of the crack is higher than the other.

I decided it was time for a short break before I tried again. I didn't know what to do next anyway. Like you, where things did work it is beautiful and it would still be great to be able to save it.

Hope there is a solution for both of us.

Cheers, Oaklea

Oaklea:

Sorry to be so long getting back to you - my modem bit the dust and I had to hunt a little to find one that would owrk in the antique I call a computer...

The last thing you want to do is try to sand those edges flat - a whole 'nother ball game trying to match colors between the old and new.

Take an artist flexible palette knife - one of the small ones shaped like a brick layers trowel (about 2" from heel to tip).

Heat it over an alcohol lamp, or with a propane torch (no suet involved) - don't use a candle or a match. Work the tip under the edge of the high portion. Reheat as necessary and keep working the knife in. Use a motion to bring everything under the veneer out - like you're trying to scrape all the old glue from under (which is exactly what you ARE trying to do).

When it seems you can't get any more out, apply pressure to the edge (use wax paper to keep the glue from adhering to the weight. A library size dictionary or 8-10 volumes of encyclopaedia will give you about the right weight.

Leave it overnight - check the next day to see how it worked. Let me know what happens.

Hello George,

Thanks for the trick with the palette knife, it worked great. So I got going on filling the cracks. The wide ones were easy, but the narrower ones would not take more filler once the first layer had dried and "shrunk" a bit. Got any good hints on how to overcome this new problem?

Your help has been great and the results are going to be so very much better because of your help.

Thank you again.

Oaklea:

Thin the wood putty with just a little acetone. Mix thoroughly. Now wipe the area to be filled with acetone. Apply the filler immediately. If the filler has been thinned to a paste, as opposed to dough-like consistency, it should stick, although in a very thin layer.

Wood putty that is used straight from the can tends to 'roll up' on a putty knife as you lay it in. Don't try to get it perfectly level. If it's a little high, that's O.K. It will shrink some anyway, and you're going to have to sand the whole top after you're through with your patch work anyway.

Hang in there - we'll get it yet!