Furniture Refinishing – The Table That Was Sawed In Half!!!

Even quality furniture can’t stand up to mother nature. When humidity levels fluctuate, wood expands and contracts and is susceptible to cracking.

Recently, a client contacted us with just this problem. They had a beautiful ten-foot long custom table made for them in Germany. The table was constructed from solid teak and was truly a remarkable piece of furniture. The couple had been transferred to Naperville recently and they noticed the table began to crack. That crack got bigger and bigger with each passing day. What they didn’t realize was Germany has much different humidity levels then Naperville. Unfortunately, the increase in humidity here was causing the table to expand and it began cracking. The fissure was already over a foot long and would just continue until it was repaired.

At Wehrli Furniture, we like a challenge and this table presented a massive one. First, how do we get this solid table out of their house!! Second, how do we stop the crack and then make it disappear or at least not be obvious?

Sometimes big problems come with tough solutions. Nobody feels great about sawing a table in half but that’s how we deemed the proper way to fix the problem. If we just patched the crack, we were sure it would only happen again. So we took out the saw and went right down the crack, gulp!! From there, dowels were drilled into the table and the portion that we sawed off to reconnect. The portions were glued back together and then the crack was sanded to make it smooth. Lastly, products had to be ordered from Germany to coat the table and also wax the top.

If you have a table that’s cracking or any furniture job ranging from upholstery, painting or a custom build, give us a call or click on the work order request below. We’d love the opportunity to earn your business.