I don’t know what other careers you have had but you are an excellent teacher. I feel like I learned more from seeing the problems that you had than I do from watching 10 other videos. If that stripper is similar to other citrus strippers, they are water-based. That’s why they have the option of clean up with water or solvent. I think it’s the fact that they are water-based that it’s the same as like leaving a wet towel on it overnight. I’ve never had This problem before because I’ve never left it overnight. But from now on whenever has the veneer has details cut into it I am going to make sure to only use solvent-based stripper. Your patience is amazing. I agree about putting the piece aside and working on it later. So many RU-vid channels make this look like it’s just 123, strip paint or stain and sell and get rich quick. And I have just been laughing out loud about the problems I have had because with every new technique I learn I discover the pitfalls that I did not previously know. It is honestly laughable how easy it is to make mistakes taking this on. Bravo, excellent video.
Honestly, I don’t normally leave stripper on that long but for some reason I couldn’t get back it to. I had left it on the top drawers that long without any problems, but they didn’t have these grooves like the bottom drawers did. Lesson learned 🥺 You are so kind. Thanks Diana! 🫶
Oh gosh...this made me tear up. My Grandmother had a very similar piece.❤ She would hide candy in the drawers with linens, knowing full well we kids would find it!😊 When she moved d, the family had less than a day to and retrieve pieces, this was lost.😢😢 Thank you for blessing me with a fond memory.❤
Oh my word, patience of a Saint! I was thinking, "wow, how many hours of sanding went into this?" It looks amazing, I am so glad you went dark, the piece just calls for that I think😊 nice work❤
Always impressed with your problem solving skills and your perseverance. I’ve learned so much from you! And, yeah, I, too am amazed at how you manage to keep you nails long and pretty 🙂
It’s a lovely classic piece in the dark stain! Wow did you persevere and trouble shoot on this project! Glad you did and thank you for sharing with us your process!
Hello. I love the way you take us along on your journey. You talk about mistakes being made, and how you go into details explaining the process, and how you find solutions to fix them. Your awesome!!❤❤🥰🥰
Your diligence and positive attitude strengthen me. You are very helpful to me with regard to my being able to stick with the processes. Thank you. It looks amazing, and I am hopeful it finds its place in a very loving home. I look forward to continuing to see all your work. God Bless. ❤
Again, I'm three weeks behind :-). What a ride this was. You choose the perfect color for this type of furniture. It would have not looked good light. Love the gold accents. Again, your patients and maticuolus talent came together real well. I love it.
So many kudos to you Lisa for not throwing this piece into the fire pit! It did turn out beautiful, but as you said, not perfect. It would be a shame to chuck the entire thing over 2 drawers. I’m sure someone will love it as it is ! Beautiful job , your woodworking skills are amazing which is why you are Queen Wood Wizard. Thanks for a great tutorial.
My goodness but some of the comments here are rude! Idk how you stay so pleasant. I am so happy to see the dark wood 😊 And the gold accent is cool 👍🏻 You learned a lot and that’s never a bad thing 😊
Girl, when the veneer starts to buckle, I do too 😂 Good on ya for pushing through on this one the result in the end was certainly worth it! Gorgeous work on the little details that always make your pieces timeless beauties 👏 I always look forward to my time on the weekends with my coffee and your content❤
Thank you for such an honest video. I would have been tempted to do it black & gothic - fit for a Vampires Bedroom. With gold highlights, very baroque and almost funereal. I loved what you did. Loved❤❤❤😊
Amazing job, Lisa, especially after all the problems you encountered. Watching you try to reattach that drawer front looked so unpleasant!!😭 Way to persevere and make it look the way you did. It’s beautiful! Love the dark stain!😍
I actually love how you problem solved in order to come up with a workable solution. You took your timeouts and came back to it and turned it into a very beautiful piece. I do like the dark stain. I don't restore furniture yet, but I can tell you I would've skipped this piece because my patience would not have lasted through all of those details and then the veneer problems you had. Thank goodness you never gave up! Bravo!
I kept thinking that if you watch Thomas Johnson antique furniture restoration RU-vid videos, he could answer so many of your questions and problems because it seems like he’s faced them all over his many, many years. He is a master at veneer reparations.
I have recently watched several of his videos. I wish I had a workshop with access all those tools. There are principles I can apply, but some methods aren’t possible in my current work setup.
Oh it is so beautiful! Quite honestly I think it probably looks better now than when it was new. Such a great learning project! I am sorry you had such a time but it is wonderful of you to share that frustration and decision making with us so when we run into the same or similar situations we have a knowledge base to call on. Thank you it is really a beautiful piece I am so happy you finished it.
@@ivylaneinteriors I can say honestly it helps me and sometimes I find I am going down the same path in what I would plan to do watching your videos and then when it doesn’t work out I am so relieved I am not facing it in real life and have to figure it out by myself. In that I feel you are in true partnerships with your patrons and you are such a wonderful instructor! Remember, experience is what you get when things don’t go as planned :-)
Oh Lisa i feel like we are soul sisters. I run into those same issues all the time with my pieces. It’s so frustrating for sure. Not sure if anyone has left this comment; I have used a heat gun to dry out the moisture or stripper that gets under veneer and that has worked well for me, I hope there isn’t another time you need that tip but just in case. Great job with these 😍
Sorry about the veneer on the drawers! You fixed it pretty well, much better than I thought was possible. I wonder if another method could work better in the beginning? I would have tried Putting the veneer pieces a side. See if it is possible to remove old glue very carefully. If not just letting it dry a bit until it is possible to flatten it between boards and many clamps. Try to scrape away the old glue from the drawer missing the veneer. Letting everything rest for a while (hours? Over night? Until it is drier but easier to form). Glue if you can get the bubbles come down. Be sure to apply glue as far in as you can go first, subsequently working your way down. Clamp with MANY clamps. Working with this veneer is very hard! The moisture is essential. You can make it shrink by leaving it to dry, and expand with careful water mist. Whatever makes the veneer pliable. I like that you never gave up,😊
Glad you didn’t chuck it. In the end, it looks beautiful. Good idea to put on the back burner for a while, usually when you come back you have a new perspective. Thank you for the video.
I learned from Trena @johnsfurniturerepair that we need to triple chech and make sure the veneer is properly glued and attached because if not, the striper will seep underneath and f*** up the job. Grooves are extra tricky too. Congrats on the endurance and the results!
I don't understand why you had your iron set to steam when you pressed it on the veneer, when moisture was your problem. A dry iron (no steam) likely would've worked better. I think, when it comes to veneer, every furniture refinisher needs to watch the videos by master furniture restoration pros like Thomas Johnson, or Scott Bennett. I've seen Johnson fix and replace all types of veneer and I believe he uses brown glue to adhere them.
The time I had the steam on I was trying to relift it so I could clamp it to flatten it. This was over many months. There were definitely lessons learned. 😕
I still don’t think I like the drawer liner, but I absolutely love the gilt touches along the detailed wood accent. I love the stain color you chose, and your attention to detail in restoring this piece! Just gorgeous!
Well, I guess that’s why I kept putting it in time out. Maybe I was really putting myself in time out. 😅 I was so frustrated about the veneer. Not my best work, but it’s done and can still live a long life. 🙌🏼
Xxxx one question or suggestion, when you use your scraper on a flat area you kind of making a “zebra pattern”. The scraper makes thinner strokes than you think. If you do the scraping lines tighter, or go a second time, it’ll save you time! This is just a suggestion, not complaint. 😊
This truly made you "work for the end result". I'm so so happy you were able to get that veneer that lifted and buckled to lay flat 😮😊😊. You truly brought out the beauty with the color stain and the gilding you chose. This piece truly tried your patience 😅😅, if I had been doing it don't know if I would have been able to finish 😂😂. Seeing you work thru the issues really gives me ideas that I never would try, thanks so much for sharing. Beautiful job, and video❤❤😊😊😊
This looks gorgeous Lisa!! Well done for sticking with it 👏👏 Sometimes the best thing to do with veneer pieces that lift off because of stripper is to fully remove them, and clamp them between two pieces of wood until they are completely dry, then reattach them. This usually helps to get them nice and flat before you go to re attach and if you need to trim off any excess, where it’s maybe expanded then you can do so once the reattached piece has dried 😊👍
You must have the patience of Job! You did an excellent job and it came out beautifully! I love the dark wood as well! I hope you get top dollar for it! ❤
I would keep applying striper to remove the finish. The carved areas are especially problematic to sanding; so I would stripped repeatedly and then sand with a very high, fine grit.
So I’m watching this episode about your veneer issue … my husband was a fine wood craftsman … he passed last year … but I remember on delicate pieces of veneer he would get them very moist lay them onto flat heavy hard plastic then put a piece of thin stiff plastic sheet on top and heavy weights let dry completely without peeking for days if not a week It seemed to work …
Not disappointed … and you shouldn’t be either …. Each piece you do you gain experience and knowledge and skill Be thankful… the stronger you are at trouble shooting the better you are overall and since you are actually teaching others you are passing on your lessons
If you're trying to flatten down veneer with a hot iron, don't use steam. No need and all you are doing is adding more moisture back into the veneer and causing more swelling and problems. If you have a bubble that won't go down then cut it the entire length not little short cuts and then glue and clamp it down flat with a caul on top.
When I was using steam I was trying to lift it so I could clamp it to try to flatten it out. This was over many months. It was hard to keep track 😅 Gotcha on the long cuts 🫡
Lisa: El secreto de tu éxito es que eres muy sincera y lo explicas todo paso a paso. Incluyendo los errores, como una científica con un experimento. Te imagino como estudiante, y debes ser muy concienzuda y trabajadora. Te deseo una buena venta. En Europa este tipo de muebles los rematan con una pieza de mármol arriba, es muy caro allí' revalorizarías el mueble lo suficiente? Gracias por dejar los herrajes originales. Puedes jugar sin miedo con el plateado viejo en los herrajes, y en las pinceladas de decoración del mueble, tengo un armario con un "copete" corona, de plomo plateado y sus tiradores a juego. Buen trabajo! arriba el ánimo. Un saludo.
Beautiful Job! It's not perfect but geez that piece is probably over 100 years old.. it has earned its flaws, scratches and wavy veneer. I bet you're feeling really good about showing it some love and getting it done! Love the dark stain and the gilding wax is perfect-- less is more :)
Maybe you should have just done a couple pieces at a time instead of all. The stripper looks like it was drying out. Just a thought. But you did a fantastic job!
I am learning so much from you! Girl, you and that piece needed a coming to Jesus meeting...lol But you did it! I have heard of soda stripping. Would that have helped w this detailed piece? Maybe too harsh for this delicate piece. No idea really. Regardless, great perseverance! Looks amazing!
We definitely had a coming to Jesus meeting 😅 I’ve heard the soda stripping works but it makes a huge mess. I think if I wasn’t working out of a garage, I would try it. 😊
Oh, boy, you have been doing a great job, but never ever put contact paper in drawers. Just cut wallpaper. Thank you for not destroying this piece spraying it with a Pottery Barn paint color. Looks great.
Curious why you didn’t replace the veneer with new? I don’t know very much about refinishing furniture so I’ve seen some that replace it but have never been so patient and deligent as you which is why I love your videos but I just am very curious as to when to use new veneer?
For me, it’s usually an economic decision. Veneer is expensive and if I can recoup my investment when I resell, then I’ll attempt a re-veneer. I do my research ahead of time on the pieces by taking a screenshot and uploading that pic to Google Lens. It will bring up similar pieces. That helps me see what they are selling for and helps me decide. I am a business and sell the pieces I refinish, so that is usually the driver of my decisions.
This love... hate... piece tried my patience being an on looker 😅 I didn't love it in the end however, your efforts paid off. Did you meet the deadline?
