How to do Vintage

The DIY restoration of a carved walnut wreck is nearing completion. Madeleine Price presents the final result – and counts the cost.

I thought a brass framework would be best to support the glass top I had found for my new table.

I flipped through the Yellow Pages for blokes who worked in brass and found one with a workshop nearby. On the phone, he told me his main job was manufacturing brass edging for very old cars whose front windscreens flipped down. This was a whole new departure for him and he sounded intrigued.

So I took the table and the glass to the workshop, showed him what I needed – a supporting frame that would hold the glass in place a couple of inches clear of the top carved surface – and left him to it.

Madeleine's Beautifully Restored Vintage Table

His solution was utterly ingenious; four hollow brass rods that screwed into precisely drilled holes under the base, topped off by angled ‘lips’ to hold the glass firmly in place. To cushion the glass and stop it rattling if anyone nudged it, he even suggested fitting those small polyurethane buttons that stop your kitchen cabinet doors slamming shut.

I assembled the whole thing and stared at it for hours. It was gorgeous.

Now that table smiles at me whenever I look at it. If you’re very quiet, you can even hear it purr…

I do try not to gloat over my handiwork but I had turned this sad hulk of carved wood into a gorgeous table and, like all rescued creatures, it was grateful.

So love your DIY vintage – it will surely love you right back!

And the cost of all this love?

Extortionate – but definitely worth it!

• Auction price £20
• Wood carving (£35)
• Nitromors, wire wool (three different grades) probably £50
• Glass top £35
• Brass frame (around £200)
• Drawer knobs (around £1 each)

Madeleine is a Managing Partner of Text Engineering, a writing and editing service for individuals and small businesses…and a Vintage DIY enthusiast!

Madeleine Price continues her rescue mission of a chunk of dirty old carved walnut…

After a summer of scraping, sanding and wire-wooling, I was looking at a repaired, revived and restored chunk of carved walnut. It was starting to look like a table, so that’s the direction I took.

I hunted around for feet that would replace the original ones I couldn’t replicate. In the end I settled for good old wooden drawer knobs. I removed the old feet, screwed in the knobs and waited for inspiration.

Deciding on a glass top was a no-brainer. It had to be the right size, though, not overhanging the carving too much, tough enough to withstand accidents – and at the right price.

G-Plan Table with the perfect glass top

An old G-Plan coffee table provided the answer. I saw the classified ad in the local paper – and snapped it up.

The piece of toughened glass was an ideal fit for the ‘profile’ and it already had a lovely smooth edge, so I removed it and set it aside to await the next stage. (Of course, the original G-Plan table is now considered vintage and I regret having had to ditch it but my obsession made me ruthless…)

The final challenge of the transformation faced me. I could hardly just balance the glass on top of the table and leave it at that. It needed some kind of support…

…Visit us again next week for the last part of this mini-series – the final result of this vintage table restoration is beautiful.

Madeleine is a Managing Partner of Text Engineering, a writing and editing service for individuals and small businesses…and a Vintage DIY enthusiast!