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| Antique Spindle Table Before |
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| Antique Spindle Table After |
In restoration, spindles are simply not our favorite things to refinish for obvious reasons; they are a LOT of work. This table, however, required only a sand "touch up," for the legs. Only the top was stripped and sanded down to bare wood, then stained with golden pecan stain and finished off with three coats of semi-gloss polyurethane.
The legs were lightly sanded and touched up with walnut stain, since they were originally made from walnut, so keeping the stain original was the right choice. Likely this table dates back to the early twentieth century, or late nineteenth century judging by its design and the many spindles used to create it. You can usually spot an older piece of furniture by the screws, how it it assembled and the way the wood is connected.
There are other telltale signs, such as the natural patina of the wood, which as it ages, can become dull, the finish almost completely gone as was the case with this table. This is a plus because it makes the tedious job of sanding less time consuming than removing all that old finish which can take days. All in all this little table looked completely different once the top was refinished and the legs were refreshed with a bit of stain and new polyurethane.
This table had a lovely burled maple with a center point pattern. This designed is achieved by cutting the tree section in quarters, then matching the four sections so they meet in the center to create a unique and harmonious, gorgeous table top. Never doubt the value that refinishing an antique can bring to your old furniture. If you own it, you already have the value in the furniture. It's always worth saving a piece such as this.
