Hand Carved Glass Top Table

Table Before

Table After

I'm always impressed with hand carved wood such as this gorgeous Bavarian style table, a unique piece with lots of charm.

The table had a removal glass top which was also encased in matching wood with a lovely curved edge. The glass was quite scratched, a clear sign that whoever had owned this table had put it to use, which is wonderful because furniture is meant to be used and shown off.

But over a course of time and use, tables, especially, show their wear more than other furniture items.  This table had two separate pieces, the removable glass top and the base. I chose not to sand this table to remove the old finish, opting for a high quality stripper instead. Because of the all the detailed carving, stripping this type of piece is quite tedious and time-consuming.

The table top had a hand-carved cluster of flowers, cut deeper to create a three dimensional effect. Without the glass top, you couldn't set anything on the table's surface with that fancy flower design. Stripping that cluster of flowers required the use of small wood carving tools which are excellent for getting into those tiny spaces created by carving. What better tool could you use than the original one that created the design?

This table was made of maple, a hard wood with a smooth and lovely surface. When taken down to bare wood, maple accepts new stain evenly, so you end up with perfection. For this table I used cherry stain and two coats of semi-gloss polyurethane. I replaced the scratched glass on the removable table top and refinished the oval frame with the same treatment as the base. The combination of new glass, new stain and perfect finish, created a lovely antique with a new face.