Is this a special piece, or can I strip and paint it?

Hi. I purchased this hallway table 2nd-hand thinking I’d upcycle it (strip, sand, paint, and maybe add a decorative feature or two), and was surprised to find it’s very heavy for it’s size, the timber is not something I’ve come across before (although I’m a total amateur, so anything beyond “pine” I would struggle to identify), and the construction method doesn’t seem to be standard (dowel pegs through the mortise and tenons on the rails/legs, wooden buttons to attach the table top to the rails, drawers made from quite thick pieces of wood for a part of the table that’s rarely seen). Wondered if anyone could tell me more about it? I don’t want to ruin something that potential has value.Attachment 504938Attachment 504939Attachment 504940Attachment 504941Attachment 504942 A few questions I have:


- type of timber
- do you think this was bulk-produced (factory) or perhaps hand-made? I.e. is this a standard recent piece, or something old/special?
- the grain is very deep (up to 3-4mm wide and deep in places). Originally I was going to sand off the finish to the point of getting a smooth raw surface and then paint the lower sections white and clear-coat (polyurethane) the top/bench. Given how deep the grain is (and hence how rough/rustic the surface is), I’m now not sure that’s the best idea as I’d have to sand it back about 4-5mm to get a smooth surface and I’d potentially be ruining a beautiful individual rustic piece and making it look bog-standard. Thoughts?

There was a lot of this style of rustic furniture available in interior decorator stores, imported from Indonesia and Malaysia in large quantities. It looks like teak from the pictures and handmade, but that doesn't mean it is high end, they would have been churned out in the thousands.

Didn't you start a thread about this 3 days ago asking the same question and to which you received the same answer. :?

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Originally Posted by aldav

Didn't you start a thread about this 3 days ago asking the same question and to which you received the same answer. :?

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I asked it in a different forum category, got 1 answer which was “I’d guess teak based on nothing more than the fact that it looks like it’s styled to look Indonesian”.

I appreciated the attempt to help, but not exactly a confident response based on anything to do with the wood grain or construction techniques.

I then wondered if people watching this category would have more interest/expertise in the question I was asking.
Thanks for keeping an eye on all of my activity though…

IMO the answer you've gotten from the two members who have replied is correct. This piece is almost certainly of Indonesian origin and made of Teak. The pinned tenons are a bit of a giveaway. Interestingly they even used pinned tenons - no glue - on dining chairs where they were an unmitigated disaster. Any machining faults that became obvious at joints were filled with a mixture of sawdust and finish so the pieces weren't of any great quality. The teak can be quite nice though, so if your piece is well put together it could be worth refinishing.

I wasn't 'keeping an eye' on your activity. Like many/most of the members here I regularly look at the 'New Posts' and your new thread rang a bell with me. No offence was intended. This is a terrific forum with some very knowledgeable members so welcome and I hope you find your membership useful. We all love to see pictures of other members projects. :wink:

Cheers,
David

Definitely looks to be a current piece from Indonesia so no significant value apart from if you like it

You won’t be committing any crimes altering the piece in any way if that is your underlying concern