Table leaf restoration

[YAKI]

I work for a furniture repair shop in Ottawa, Canada and had a client come in with a request to restore her table leaf that had been damaged by a tipped candle. This is the most destructive burn damage to a table that I have seen to date.

The overall damage is approximately 18" x 12" with the deepest burn depth of 1/2". The veneer is quarter matched cherry on a mdf substrate. The cherry appears to have natural lacquer finish. The inlay surrounding the cherry is a mother-of-pearl imitation. This all adds up to a challenging restoration and finishing project. The attached pictures show the damage.

The repair concept of operations is to clean the damaged area, router out a grave only on the burnt area, insert a new substrate, attempt to match the cherry grain with avaiable veneer and finally strip and refinish the complete cherry portion. The border and inlay will be repaired separetly (we think). There are obviously some time and money limitations which influence the concept of operations.

I will post the progress of work on this project if people are interested? Comments are also very much welcome.

[Tools]

I for one will be impressed if you can repair that so it isn't noticeable!

Tools

[rhancock]

I will post the progress of work on this project if people are interested? Comments are also very much welcome.

Yes Please!

[Iain]

I re veneered a coffee table some time ago after the owners son decided to glue a vinyl top onto the oak veneer, after about 25 years it was torn off leaving some substantial damage to the veneer and timber substrate.
Rather than replace the substrate I use a filler in several layers to ensure minimal shrinkage the flattened the entire surface.
I found the biggest challenge was to make the veneer fit inside the bead on the edge as it could not be removed without further damage.
Yours looks like a major challenge and I mention the filler as it may save a step in replacing substrate, depending upon the depth of the original, I see the damage is 1/2" which is pretty bad.
I am surprised that the owner still has a house if the table got to this stage or was it working smoke detectors?
Look forward to your progress.

[ubeaut]

It's on MDF so it isn't an antique. To my mind it really wouldn't warrant a costly repair that's going to take a lot of work and will almost definitely never match the original. In this case I would be more inclined to forgo the challenge (every restoration job is a challenge) and re do the entire top. Quicker, easier, less headache and will match the original perfectly.

Cheers - Neil

[Iain]

I didn't see any reference to antique Neil, but I agree with your sentiment.

[ubeaut]

The reference about it not being an antique was to justify the fact that it probably isn't a super valuable piece of furniture that would warrant the time and effort. So not worth the extra work and headaches.

I have restored worse than that in antiques that were worth the time and effort because of their immense value (even after repair if done well) In this instance I reckon the quick fix is the only way to go.