Hi, ladies!!! Hope you had a merry Christmas! I need some help. My dh and I inherited two tables from his mother - a coffee table and an end table. Both are dark wood (which is the reason for the refinishing), have glass inlaid tops, and have bottom shelves (to display things) that look like bamboo or a weave of some sort, but is actually made of pressed wood. Does that make sense? That woven part is framed by smooth wood and actuall sits a little lower than the smooth frame (sort of inlaid)...Does that make sense?:confused:

I was thinking of just inserting pieces of wood over the woven parts so that the shelves would then be completely smooth, but there would be visible lines where the new wood was added. Any ideas??? Thanks!!!

if you could post some photos so we could see it i bet we could come up with some great ideas. sorry i Just can't pitcure this.

This is what I would do....remember it's a nickel's worth of free advice. Depending on what your style is.....I would either do a crackle finish on the whole table(s) or paint them a deep color. What ever you do you need to put some no sand on them if they are the pressed wood stuff cuz paint kinda tends to slide off otherwise. If you prime them with no sand and then let it dry completely (overnight) you can paint. 2-3 coats will be needed with VERY light sanding with extra fine sand paper, use a soft bristle paint brush to wipe off the sand powder and then a rag. Let each coat dry very well and then seal with 2 coats of Varathane or any polyurethane. They sound cool!

It'll be a few days before I can post pix. I don't have a digital camera, so I'll finish up my Christmas film and get it developed. I know my description was not very good, it's difficult to describe. I'll post pix later. Thanks for responding!

It will be nice to see your pics, also show us the room your adding it to, that helps a lot.

We need to know your deco style too.

Are you primitive, country, clean country or cluttered...romantic, shabby chic?

Do you like painted and chippy look, crackle?

I'm Shabby Chic/Romantic, so when I do furniture it is usually white and shabbily scuffed. First, I clean it good with damp cloth. Lightly sand with Medium paper, then wipe again with a cloth that is damp but dry (does that make sense?) and then I get my sprayer and apply one light coat, let dry well, then apply 2 more, touch up after a couple days so you can see where you missed things.

I like a spray can or sprayer because it doesn't leave streaks....same with the finish coats of poly, I prefer the Krylon Crystal Clear....that is shiny and will clean easily and take a little more abuse.

If you like it a little beat up, do that before you seal it.

Oh, the bamboo part. I'd leave it as is and paint a solid color, one solid color tends to fade negative areas. That bamboo may not stand out at all once it is a solid color.

HTH

WOW! Thanks, Melissa! Actually, I have a few different decorating styles. My kitchen is country, office is primitive, bedroom is shabby/romantic, and the living room is in change. It was American Indian/wolf stuff, but I just don't want that in the main room anymore. I have hunter green leather couch, loveseat, and chair (for $200 from mil's babysitting job!!!), our new entertainment center is sort of mission style and a light wood (birch/maple?), so I thought of doing the tables in the light wood. I'm not very creative when it comes to that. I'll do anything!!! The room is in progress - no wall decor yet, either. Our fireplace is in the center - blue/green/gray tile with an oak mantle (oak goes up the sides and on top - dh built!). I'll post pix of the entire room. I could also use some help with furniture placement, as the way we have it is TOO PLAIN! Thanks again, ladies!