This continues several posts on the preservation of a lovely
Old Wood Mason Monterey Club chair from our client’s family.
To see the excavation, go here.

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The original Old Wood finish is deteriorated.

If the finish were in good condition and simply distressed,
we would not have tried to preserve it with a topcoat but left it as is;
however, it was crackled (which we  like) and flaking large pieces
around the arm tops and front legs.  It would continue to do so in a
more exacerbated fashion now that it is going to be used again.
We added a slightly pigmented top coat to seal and preserve the original finish.

We cleaned the original finish using a mild soap and water.

The entire finish is
gently scuffed to loosen
bits of oil paint that are already lifted and to
provide a slightly rough texture over which to paint.

We have test boards
from earlier projects, and paint to match is created
from our formulas.
We want a thin glaze to
just seal and protect the original deteriorating finish.

I prefer a larger fine arts brush, in this case 1-inch.  I can access cracks without drips
and in the long run it moves faster than clean up from a big brush.

The inappropriately placed decorative nails and the overreaching second generation upholstery left tattered holes where some previously ripped out, and clean holes
from our excavation of tacks and decorative nails, all needing to be filled.
We used a bit of thick paint to fill on top of the topcoat.

Above, the topcoat in comparison to the original deteriorating finish
before it was fully cured to be scuffed (so slightly shinier than we want it!)

10 days allowed the
oil paint to cure before
we could slightly
dull the finish.

After curing, the entire
chair was scuffed to match
the original patina. This had the added benefit of allowing us to test the adhesion
of the topcoat in holding
original finish in place.

Along the side splats the original finish was quite
shiny, and so we left it as it was in the before images.

Next post, we will talk about
the buildup on the frame.

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