Need help determining species and finish...

[Michael Dunn]

Hey guys!

I have a potential repeat client requesting that I match the design aesthetic and finish of some other pieces he has in his dining room. When I saw it in person it looked and felt like pine. Definitely a soft wood. Would you say the finish is a 'pickled' type of finish or a 'whitewash'?

As for the curved moldings (since I know someone will ask...) I will most likely have a CNC shop route them for me unless there is some relatively simple way for me to do it manually. That would be pretty cool to do on my own.

Here's the pics... Any thoughts? I've also included a pic of the space where the possible piece will reside.

[phil harold]

It reminds me of an old antique that was painted and then stripped
I have stripped some wainscoting then sanded and varnished
looked real nice the old patina of the wood and remenants of the old paint
quite the combination!

[Michael Dunn]

It reminds me of an old antique that was painted and then stripped I have stripped some wainscoting then sanded and varnished looked real nice the old patina of the wood and remenants of the old paint quite the combination!

Indeed. I need to find a way to do it with much less work though. I guess the whitewash could be worth a shot on scrap.

Would you say this is pine?

[Prashun Patel]

I agree it bears similarities to pine. How about sycamore?

As for the finish, yes it looks pickled. You can get that look with a pickling stain or a coating it with a clear topcoat and then using a white glaze. The lighting could be fooling me, but it does not appear to have an amber cast which would point to a waterbased or lacquer finish.

[John TenEyck]

Any clue where it was made? It looks a lot like some pieces I've seen in Austria. If it's European it might not be pine or, if it is, it could be a species not available here. It doesn't look all that much like pine to me, unless it's quarter or rift sawn. I don't see any of the chevrons plain sawn pine usually displays. The finish is some kind of pickled process, and I'd guess Prashun's second process was used - sealer or clearcoat followed by a white glaze with more clearcoat on top. Matching a finish can be a maddingly time consuming ordeal. On the other hand, it gets you business others often are unwilling or unable to do, or do well.

John