Overheard a client say they'd never seen a finish that looked so much like the original patina

They were talking about a 1920s oak dresser I spent about 15 hours on, using mostly garnet shellac and a bit of burnt umber glaze. Has anyone else had a piece where matching the original wear felt like a real victory?

4 comments

4 Comments

riverdavis2mo ago

Matching that original patina is the real test. Garnet shellac is perfect for that old oak, it gets the depth right. Fifteen hours sounds about right for getting the wear patterns to look natural and not forced. That burnt umber in the glaze is what probably sold it, gets into the corners like real dirt and age.

christopherw341mo ago

...and I'm gonna push back on that a little. All that effort to make something look old and dirty, when you could have just cleaned it up and let the oak speak for itself with a nice clear finish. Matching patina is just chasing ghosts half the time, especially with a piece that's been through who knows how many hands over a hundred years. Who's to say what the "real" patina even is at this point? Seems like a lot of guesswork for a look that most people won't even notice unless you tell them what you did.

hayden_craig952mo ago

Honestly that whole idea of matching patina is overrated, it just makes new work look old and dirty. A clean, fresh finish shows off the wood and the skill better. Trying to fake age just hides the actual craft.

felix4142mo ago

Oh man, that reminds me of a buddy who restored an old mantel. He spent a whole weekend trying to match the exact grime color on the original paneling. He mixed like five stains and even used a bit of coffee grounds. In the end, it just looked like a weird dark smear. He had to strip it and just use a simple oil finish. The clean wood next to the old wall actually looked really good, honest.