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Bleaching Out Stains
I have an L. & J.G. Stickley oak lamp table with several black water stains and I’d like to bleach them out and rejuvenate the top of the table. I’m not a complete novice, but I’ve never used...
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Stripping Stickley
I recently found this funny little turned-leg table, and was rather surprised to learn it is, in fact, a Stickley. It was left in an abandoned room in a huge old building where my photo studio is...
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How To Handle A Sagging Settle
I have a long Arts and Crafts settle. A few of the back slats have slipped out of the top rail. Is there a way to fix this without taking the settle apart? –Carl, Berkeley, Calif. You say your settle...
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Trying Dutchman
During a move, a piece of wood about an inch long and ½ inch wide broke off the bottom corner of a chair leg. The piece has since gone missing, and I would like to replace it. How hard is it to splice...
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Spare The Wax
What product do you recommend for biweekly cleaning of a Gustav Stickley table in its original condition? –Kate, Highland, N.Y.I would recommend just dusting the table with a dry, soft cloth or feather...
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Break even
My side chair’s bottom stretcher broke in the middle. The ends of the stretcher are doweled into the legs. Is it necessary to remove the whole stretcher to repair the break? –Phil, Lenox, Mass....
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Sunblock for furniture?
I’m refinishing an antique desk that was stripped. We plan on putting it in our sunroom. I’m concerned about the sunlight fading the color. Can you recommend a finish that will protect it from...
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Niedecken in need
I just acquired a table from the Minnesota Phonograph Company showroom designed by Purcell & Elmslie. The auction house didn’t know the table’s origin, but my research suggests it was designed by...
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Finishing touches
Kitchen Tune-Up of Newton, Mass.We moved into an Arts and Crafts home and would like to refinish the newer oak cabinets in the kitchen. Is there a way to put a decent finish over the old one without...
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Loose screws
The screws on the hinges of my bookcase doors are loose. The holes are larger than the screws. Can I use wood filler to make the screws fit? –Dean, Mount Lebanon, Pa. Wood filler is not the best thing...
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Wax on
I found an old Mission oak armchair and the finish is in pretty bad shape. Some of it has flaked off down to the bare wood. The color is fairly uniform except where it’s worn. I would like to preserve...
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Basket case
I have a slatted Gustav Stickley wastebasket. The bottom of a slat has broken off and is missing. I was going to replace the slat, but the Craftsman Workshops decal is on the back of the remaining...
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Hiding dark marks
We bought an old oak desk with banks of drawers on either side. Originally they must have had bail pulls attached to a backplate which left dark impressions on the wood. We’ve replaced the original...
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Peg out
The dowel pegs on the legs of my lamp table are protruding a little. Does this mean they are loose and need to be glued? –Ken, Ithaca, N.Y.Seasonal changes cause wood to expand and contract. It is not...
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Coat check
I recently went to an auction where the finish on an item was described as being “overcoated.” It looked just fine to me. The color was uniform and appeared to be in good shape. How can you tell if a...
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Turn of the screw
The seam on the door of my Stickley sideboard has separated, so I plan to re-glue it. How can I remove the pyramid-head nails without marring the wood as they are pried out?–Randall, Jamaica Plain,...
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Sticking point
The door on our sideboard is sticking. We recently moved to a different house. Is it possible the moving process caused this problem? How could I go about fixing it? The doors worked fine in our old...
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Loose change
My Harvey Ellis side chairs are becoming loose. They are loose on the seat part and tight where the stretchers are doweled into the legs. Is there a way I can tighten the top without having to remove...
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The big finish
We have a small Stickley Brothers plant stand. Unfortunately, the bottoms of the legs were sawed off, just below the stretchers. When we acquired the stand, it had already been stripped of the orange...
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Arms negotiation
The arms on my Stickley armchair are separating where they are doweled into the back legs. The front of the arms on the inside edge are doweled into the top of the front legs. Is there a way to reglue...
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