Overheard a client say they'd never seen a finish that looked so much like the original patina

It was on a 1920s oak sideboard I spent 17 hours on, and it made all the careful grain filling and hand-rubbed shellac feel completely worth it.

3 comments

3 Comments

terry_martinez2mo agoTop Commenter

Honestly, that's the best kind of compliment. Tbh, getting a "you can't even tell it was touched" on a long refinishing job is the real win.

perez.barbara2mo ago

Nah, that's actually a bit of a letdown. You put all that work in and want people to notice the skill it took. If they can't even see the change, it feels like you just did a bunch of invisible cleaning for free. The real win is when someone's jaw drops at the clear before-and-after difference.

susan_ward1mo ago

Ugh, I feel this so much! For me, the real payoff was when I re-did my kitchen cabinets and my neighbor asked if I'd just given them a really good wipe down. It was annoying at first but then I realized that's exactly the look I was going for - seamless and original.