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olychick2

Craigslist score or disaster? pics

Olychick
13 years ago

I bought this bed on CL.(please note this room is seller's, not mine) I LOVE it, and got a great deal, but it has a very shiny, glossy finish. It is maple or birch veneer and the po accidentally screwed the headboard brace thru a small piece of the headboard. It is in an area that would be easily hidden by the bed pillows when made. I looked at the back of the headboard and saw it was oak, so figured I could strip off the shiny finish, sand and repair the flaw, then refinish with a more matte finish.

When we were loading into my truck, I saw another chip in the veneer (money had changed hands at that point) on the bottom of the headboard leg and saw that it is particle board :-( with an oak veneer on the back of the headboard and the maple/birch veneer on the front and both sides of the footboard. I wasn't happy as I realized that likely made the repair I envisioned impossible.

So... would it ruin the veneer to use a product to remove the shiny finish? Could I lightly sand/scuff the gloss and put a matte something over it without removing it?

Should I forget about trying to repair the screw flaw? I was wondering if I could drip carpenter's wood glue into the hole from the back side and maybe use a cloth covered board to pound the flaw a bit to see if it would flatten it more.

Any ideas? Sell it on Craiglist? I'm posting to decorating, too as there seem to be many experts on furniture refinishing there, too.

Thanks for any help/suggestions/ideas you might have for me.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Comments (7)

  • someone2010
    13 years ago

    The best product to knock down the gloss is 4/0 steel wool. Need a picture of the damage to tell you how to fix it.

  • Olychick
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for both your replies someone (to decorating, too). I will try to post a picture of the damage.

  • Olychick
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Here are the pics of the damage. This is what I did so far: squirted carpenter's glue in the back of the hole and when it was soaked I pounded, with a cushioned block, the raised flaw down flat. As you can see what is left is the split veneer and the glossy finish there is compromised. The particleboard under the veneer is wet from the glue in the pics so I think it will dry lighter. Luckily, if I decide to use this bed, when the mattress and box springs and pillows are in place it is covered. But do you have any suggestions to make further repairs? I can ask my cabinet maker to do the technical part if there is one! That is, I'm not sunk :-) Thank you.

    {{!gwi}}

    {{!gwi}}

    {{!gwi}}

  • someone2010
    13 years ago

    Some of the most difficult problems, when someone brings furniture in for repair, is not the original damage, but the subsequent damage people do when they try to repair it themselves. In this case you have saturated the ground with wood glue. The problem then is, more glue will not stick to the wood glue you applied so you cannot glue the veneer back down to the ground. At this juncture, I would use a router inlay set with a spiral bit and cut a patch about 1/4 inch deep, large enough to cut out all the damaged area. I would use a piece of wood that matches the veneer or glue a piece of veneer onto the patch.

  • someone2010
    13 years ago

    You can see what I mean if you google mlcswoodworking.com and look at the Router Inlay Set.

  • Olychick
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thank you someone2010. I was afraid of that (messing it up more). My contractor suggested seeing if the cabinetmaker could add an inlay to replace the damage. My cl great deal might turn into a money pit. But I love the bed so much, it might be worth it. I appreciate your help.

  • someone2010
    13 years ago

    If you go to the site I suggested (MLCS Woodworking)) and do a search for ITEM 9177, you will see the set needed to do the inlay costs $21.95. It is a relative simple procedure but one that many cabinet makers don't know about, or if they do, they charge a lot of money to do it. My charge for doing this job would be $40.00 to $50.00,complete, but then I don't have a business or overhead to pay for.

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