Cherry door veneer repair

[Dennis Jarchow]

I have a bunch of cherry cabinet doors and drawer fronts I am getting packed to go to my finishing sub. I noticed one of them has a defect in the plywood center panel where the veneer bookmatch seam is. With dust on the panel, it wasn't noticeable but once I wiped it down you could see it. The plywood appears to have came this way from the factory as the defect is filled with either glue or filler. I don't have enough matching cherry or cherry ply to remake the door. These will be sprayed with a clear solvent based conversion varnish with no stain/dye. From a few feet away (this is a base cabinet) you can't see the defect but I am worried about how it will look over time as the cherry darkens. It will be in a basement so it won't get any sunlight, just the ceiling lights.

Any suggestions on how to make this look better?


Cherry_door.jpg

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Faux paint might help. I have never been good at it. I have tried with watercolors and magic markers. You have to cover the dark line with a better color match. Then incorporate some grain lines. One guy I know uses a feather to create the faux grain lines.

[Mel Fulks]

Basement. You need to look at old magazine pics of basements turned into rec-rooms . What I would do is stop looking at it ! I’m
betting that if you ask guests to find “the flaw” …they will find one , but it won’t be the one you picked !

[John TenEyck]

That's an easy fix with dye and an artist's paintbrush. The color won't change as the cherry does, but if you color it the same as the dark grain lines it will still be almost or truly invisible no matter how the color changes.

If it won't accept the dye then you'll have to use acrylic artist's paint. Still the same process.

John

[Dennis Jarchow]

John,

Thanks. So are you proposing using a dye like Transtint?? if I did use acrylic paint, do I need to worry about a solvent based conversion varnish being sprayed over top of it? Should I use an oil based paint?

[Mel Fulks]

Which is the “defect” ? The tiny bit of white in the center of the oval …or the lack of marquetry inside of
the holly oval “stringing” ?

[Dennis Jarchow]

Which is the “defect” ? The tiny bit of white in the center of the oval …or the lack of marquetry inside of
the holly oval “stringing” ?

The light colored 2.5" line at the veneer seam in the center of the oval where the grain in the two veneer leaves come to a point. That is filler/glue but there is no veneer there.

[Mel Fulks]

There are lots of factory made mahogany side tables ,and bigger , with ; “Genuine Mahogany” paper labels under the
top. You will often still see used furniture ads with a photo of the still lovely stickers! I would just consider the small “defect” on your
project, proof that it was not made of “Contact Paper”. Good helpful group here with good advice on how to “fix” your perceived
problem, but I bet that some of them would not see it as flaw and would just leave it, without even thinking of “fixing”it. Mel wouldn’t
“fix” it.

[John TenEyck]

John,

Thanks. So are you proposing using a dye like Transtint?? if I did use acrylic paint, do I need to worry about a solvent based conversion varnish being sprayed over top of it? Should I use an oil based paint?

Yes, Transtint. I use it all the time to cover up boo boo's, either natural ones or ones I made.

Good question about how the acrylic paint might react with the conversion varnish. I'd ask the guy doing the spraying. If he has no clue, then I'd give him a sample to spray to see if it's OK.

John

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I am confused. I see two things that don't look so good in your image. Neither one is in the oval. A dark, wide, verticle line on the left and a brown patch at the bottom.

Screen Shot 2023-02-22 at 6.27.12 PM.jpeg Screen Shot 2023-02-22 at 6.27.12 PM 2.jpeg

[Dennis Jarchow]

I am confused. I see two things that don't look so good in your image. Neither one is in the oval. A dark, wide, vertical line on the left and a brown patch at the bottom.

Maurice, the vertical line is the edge of the stile. The dark at the bottom is just a shadow.

Here is a full picture with a pencil by the defect in the center panel.
Door.jpg

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Thank you Dennis, I need to plug into the big monitor. It is a very pretty door.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Is this for something going in your basement or is it for a customer?

[Dennis Jarchow]

Is this for something going in your basement or is it for a customer?

Rich, this is my own basement. I do want it to look decent though as otherwise it will bug me every time I look at it

[Rich Engelhardt]

Dennis - Understood.

I tend to view projects around the house on a multitiered basis.

- The top tier, where everything needs to be as close to perfect as I can get - is for things SWMBO asks for.
- The bottom tier is where shop stuff resides. Things I like to experiment with and a home for 2nds.
Everything else falls somewhere in between.

I would put that basement door in the "in between'. I personally like the looks of sap wood in Cherry. I think it gives it character. That one little tiny "flaw" appeals to me. I'd be hard pressed to do anything to it.
If I did, then I'd give John's suggestion a try and use a dye.
Worst case scenario is it ends up as a very pretty door on a shop cabinet.

The other issue - oil or acrylic under a conversion. Probably safer with acrylic. Running a sample is the best way to tell for sure though.