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Design Dilemma
jsremus

How should we refinish our Heywood Wakefield Triple Wishbone Dining Table?

Jack Remus
11 years ago
We scored a vintage Heywood Wakefield Tripe Wishbone dining room table. The finish was shot, but the table was in great shape, so we are having it refinished.

The refinisher strongly suggests that we put no stain on it: just leave it the natural birch color (kind of a honey color) and just put a clear sealer on. I was thinking about having it stained to look closer to teak or walnut. He thinks that will hurt the value of it down the line.

What should we do?
Featured Answer
  • PRO
    9H Builders
    11 years ago
    The original honey color is what your Heywood Wakefield table is best know for. I would follow the recommendation of the person refinishing it. It will look great and be true to its roots.

    Comments (9)

    • PRO
      Ironwood Builders
      11 years ago
      Agreed. Heywood-Wakefield used maple in a natural finish in their "Modern" line.
    • PRO
      MadModWorldVintage
      10 years ago
      I just scored one of these tables too after wanting one for a long time! Found it on ebay only 2 hours away and made an offer and the seller took it. Picking it up later this week. In good condition and will eventually want to have it refinished. I work for a high end architectural woodwork shop and our clients are all upper crust in Manhattan. I'm sure our finisher would do a good job if I hire him on the side. The more I read about these pieces the more it scares me to mess with it. They say the factory finishing process was quite complicated. Can't wait to have a look at it in person!! It's in the champaign finish. I would like to find the dogbone chairs to match at some point, but not in a hurry. Good luck with your table!
    • PRO
      MadModWorldVintage
      10 years ago
      PS....I would def not go dark stain on these pieces! I think the charm of them is their 'blondness' which is why they are popular and quite expensive. You may lose alot of value to go dark. Either go with the clear coat recommendation or see if he can match the original stain as close as possible. People do sell stain mixes, however, $45/qt seems expensive to me. A good finisher should be able to match the stain....a good finisher is VERY hard to find. :)
    • Jack Remus
      Original Author
      10 years ago
      Well, I had it refinished with no stain...and it looks terrible. Every flaw and scratch in the wood is highlighted, and the color came out sort of yellow - not at all like the color of the dogbone chairs I bought with it. The finisher is going to try again, thankfully, and this time I'm asking him to attempt to match the color of the dogbone chairs. Fingers crossed!
    • DD Pennie
      9 years ago
      I bet you've already refinished the table, but this is how it should be done for any future inquiries: http://retrorenovation.com/2008/07/11/how-to-refinish-heywood-wakefield-furniture-palm-springs-stephan-advises/
    • Jim Tullis
      5 years ago

      Yesterday I aquired a Heywood Wakefeild Wishbone dining table. (Of course I didn't know that at the time. lol) I spotted the stamp on the bottom and Googled it. Unfortunately, this poor thing is a BASKETCASE! I wish the finish was the only problem. Is it possible to refinish/restore(almost rebuild)it and have it be worth my time and effort? (Other than the value and pride that goes along with a job well done.)

    • PRO
      MadModWorldVintage
      5 years ago

      What exactly is the problem? Most issues sand out (it is solid wood), you can bleach if you have a stubborn stain. There are replica finishes available, I prefer the water based 2 step system from werefinish.com. I have not had any structural issues that could not be repaired....stripped screws is the most common. I have had friends order missing legs from the new Heywood Wakefield company as they are making some of the classic pieces brand new (not the original incarnation but they legally use the name and produce some designs. There are 2 Facebook pages dedicated to Heywood Wakefield collecting as well, if you have not found them. Feel free to reach out to me directly if you want. If I can help I will! Malissa

    • HU-619632710
      5 years ago

      As I said, I just acquired it yesterday and had never heard of them, let alone seen one. Besides the wood splitting apart on the table top, there is some slight warping on a drop leaf, and i wasn'T sure if the "hardware" under the wishbone legs was original or just a haphazard quick repair..

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