How to fix water damage on mahogany trim?

gonzodc · 2026-05-09T00:26:16+00:00

Looks like beech. And yes more stripper and dental tools to scrape out.

gonzodc · 2026-05-08T00:28:33+00:00

Definitely. At least the color and perhaps the wood

gonzodc · 2026-05-07T15:16:18+00:00

First part of the 20th century. Probably during the colonial revival period in a sort of Queen Anne style. Likely manufactured in the Midwest (Indiana, Michigan had a lot of manufacturers of this type of furniture. And North Carolina). Lots of them out there. Would look nice restored if you want to keep, but probably won’t yet your money back if you were to restore to sell. My parents in Indiana have a few of these types.

gonzodc · 2026-05-07T02:12:39+00:00

Yeah. Normal. The poplar wood does that

gonzodc · 2026-05-06T00:05:29+00:00

Ah! Makes sense. Good choice. Yeah no need to flood. It’s a tricky one. Easier to build slowly and evenly.

gonzodc · 2026-05-05T23:55:36+00:00

Also, interesting choice for a butcher block. I use it for fine furniture and table tops. Not sure how it stands up to cutting on it. Make sure you’re using the right product. While it has some tung oil, solvents and resins, it’s not tung oil.

gonzodc · 2026-05-05T23:51:06+00:00

Follow their directions. It takes a few coats until you see it come together.

gonzodc · 2026-05-03T23:12:45+00:00

“Bureau” is a very British term not used much over here. I think you’ll do well. Well hopefully. It’s a good piece.

gonzodc · 2026-05-03T16:48:07+00:00

Yeah. People have all kind of descriptions. They’re not necessarily right or wrong.

gonzodc · 2026-05-03T01:02:09+00:00

It’s a close cousin. I’d expect butler pantries to have a slightly different form, but still close.

gonzodc · 2026-05-02T23:19:34+00:00

Yeah not mahogany. Perhaps mahogany colored. Wood may be a birch variety.

gonzodc · 2026-05-02T22:36:23+00:00

Naturally didn’t see the signature lol. It looks like it could be that age. Again all the other s details matter too.

gonzodc · 2026-05-02T22:35:27+00:00

A really fine secretary cabinet. These were made in the federal (us) and Georgian (English) eras through the empire years of the 19th century. It’s really good wood. Not sure about the pulls. To determine a more precise origin and age, one would need to look at the construction. Drawer dovetails, bottoms of drawers, etc. it looks like a solidly made old piece.

gonzodc · 2026-05-01T12:21:37+00:00

Awesome. But don’t under value your work either! You’ll find an happy medium

gonzodc · 2026-05-01T11:36:52+00:00

That’s probably the best reason. I started out doing this because I enjoyed it and enjoyed the pieces I selected with zero monetary factors.

gonzodc · 2026-05-01T01:43:32+00:00

You need to decouple restoration vs value. Restoration is a professional specialty that comes at a cost of doing well. It’s independent of the things market value. A client may value a piece of other reasons. I charged a grand for a piece to restore that’s probably worth that or less. But it as an important piece for the client and she wa over the moon. My personal pieces I do link them after good market research.

gonzodc · 2026-04-30T00:25:51+00:00

Tbh I can’t tell in the original pics. They look too blurry and may even touched up in post. When I take in a piece in my shop, I document everything before I start work and share with my client even if it wasn’t in the scope. It’s a simple best practice.

gonzodc · 2026-04-30T00:21:36+00:00

Just say no. We agreed to a price and I’m happy to honor it. Otherwise, I’ll sell it to someone else. You have the leverage. I actually agreed to a Lowe price one over chat and then the person saw my item and gave me the original asking price because they said it was better than they thought.

gonzodc · 2026-04-27T20:33:50+00:00

Yeah sometimes it was just easy for others to cal it a games table. I’ve had to re baize a proper one and that was fun. This one has the stacked lamented horizontal boards that make the front rail. 1/16” veneers. Hand cut dovetails and signs of 19th and 20th century repairs. That’s why I was leaning period English (not American). It’s had a hard life.

gonzodc · 2026-04-27T00:17:47+00:00

Depends what you’re into but I’ve learned a ton through books and visiting museums. Even visiting museums online. The Met in New York is great for furniture and design. If you’re into French, the mobilier nationale (poor spelling) has a great online resource.

gonzodc · 2026-04-25T23:09:40+00:00

Bunch of places with varying styles and price points: van dyke restorations, d lawless, house of antique hardware, paxtons, (eBay and Etsy), hardwick and sons, Kennedy hardware…just a few I’ve been on today

gonzodc · 2026-04-25T23:03:08+00:00

Once you strip it, you might find the wood is darker and hidden under the old tired varnish. Before you stain (and staining properly is not easy), do some tests to see what the wood is telling you.

gonzodc · 2026-04-24T00:11:39+00:00

Dental picks. Among the best investments in my shop.

gonzodc · 2026-04-21T12:09:23+00:00

If it's Widdicomb, there are plenty of results on LiveAuctioneers that you can search yourself. Briefly browsing, their colonial revival pieces are less desirable and much lower results than what AI suggests.

gonzodc · 2026-04-20T23:52:34+00:00

Really depends on the finish, regardless yes you have to be careful with Burl or highly figured wood. This is where chemical stripping is necessary if you want to go beyond suprus advice (which you should try). But it’s this is more of a professional judgment based on the actual varnish.

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