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Nicole Smith Finishing, San Rafael, CA (2026)

04/21/2026

Before and after.
This set of McGuire rattan chairs and bamboo dining table were definitely in need of some help. They had been poorly restored previously, and the finish was faded and black. The customer also brought in a set of four McGuire rattan barstools to be restored, which I used to match the color. I started by chemically removing the old finish with a liquid remover that I buy locally. Then, I gave everything a good scrubbing with lacquer thinner and a red Scotch-Brite pad. I replaced a couple of the rawhide laces on the table base and filled the damage on the front of the legs with Mohawk's two-part epoxy sticks. Once the repairs were done, I thoroughly sanded everything with 220-grit sandpaper to remove some of the green stain residue left on the wood and to smooth out the filled areas. Since the color was going so dark, I sprayed on a coat of Mohawk dye stain first as a base color. Then, I used a custom mix of Old Masters Gel Stain to get the color the rest of the way. When the stain was thoroughly dry, I sealed everything with a coat of shellac, then used some Mohawk Blendal powders suspended in shellac to hide the damage on the front of the legs and to add color where needed. I sanded lightly with some fine 3M sanding sponges, then sprayed on a coat of Gemini lacquer. I adjusted the color a little more by spraying on some Mohawk dye stains in between coats of lacquer. Once dry, I finished up with 0000 steel wool and Black Bison Paste Wax to give it a nice soft sheen. Now, we're just waiting on the upholsterer for the new seat cushions.

02/22/2026

Before and after
This tansu had seen better days. The finish was quite dirty and chipping, and the finish on the top was almost gone in some places. The customer didn't want to strip and completely refinish; she wanted me to restore it back to good health while keeping its character. I started by cleaning the entire piece with a dilute solution of Murphy's oil soap and water to remove dirt. Once rinsed and dry, I wiped it down with VM&P naphtha to remove any remaining wax. I taped out the hardware to protect the patina and to avoid getting an excess of finish on it. After lightly sanding the piece with 320 grit, I used lacquer thinner and a red Scotch-Brite pad on the top to scrub the finish back in order to feather the edges in order to blend the color more easily. I used a combination of Mohawk dye stains, glazes made from UTC (Universal Tinting Colors), and Mohawk's Blendal powders suspended in shellac to replace missing color. I sealed the piece with one coat of shellac. After further color adjustment and touch-ups, I applied a couple of coat of Gemini lacquer in a satin sheen. I finished up with #0000 steel wool and Black Bison Paste wax for a nice soft sheen. The customer was very happy to have her piece back and restored to a more presentable condition.

02/15/2026

Before and after
Howdy all, I’ve taken a break from posting lately. I did this pretty little drop-leaf table back in the beginning of December. The main issues were loose veneer, cupping, and cracks in the top that were loose. Someone in the past had made an attempt to flatten the cupping by cutting grooves in the underside of the top and then adding splines in the bottom. Several of those cuts had cracked and needed gluing. The customer wasn’t concerned with getting the top completely flat; he was more concerned with stabilizing the cracks and the loose veneer. I started by gluing and clamping all the loose cracks in the top one by one. Then I tackled the loose veneer by using an iron and warm blocks to reactivate the hide glue to clamp the veneer back down. Unfortunately, without extensive scraping and sanding, which I didn’t want to do on an old piece like this, the surface is still a tad lumpy. Both the customer and I think it’s acceptable, and all the loose veneer has been secured. I also added a few wooden patches where pieces of the edge banding were missing. Once I was done with all the repairs, the finish was in pretty bad shape as a result of my efforts to fix the loose veneer. After cleaning the table with a damp rag and then VM&P naphtha to remove any wax, I used denatured alcohol to soften and rework the old shellac finish on the entire piece. I used a combination of Mohawk Blendal powders suspended in shellac and Mohawk dye stain to replace the color in the areas that needed it. Then I French polished the entire table. I finished up with 0000 steel wool and wax for a nice soft sheen. The tabletop is not flat, but it’s not falling apart either. The customer was extremely happy with the results, his table still looks old but well-loved.

11/26/2025

Before, and after
This beautiful walnut mantle was designed and built by Christopher Yerke and his team at Restoration Workshop https://www.facebook.com/RestorationWorkshop?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr and the carvings and turnings were done by master wood turner and carver Hector Bezanis. This a very small part of a huge fire restoration project of a San Francisco Victorian that Restoration Workshop has been working on for quite awhile now. The mantle is made from several types of figured and burled walnut. The wood didn’t need much color, I wiped it with a very dilute solution of Mohawk dye stain, then sealed it with a couple of coats of Gemini pre-catalyzed sanding sealer, I used a glaze made from UTC (Universal Tinting Colors) and sprayed a little more dye stain in the recesses and corners for shading. I shot two coats of Gemini pre-catalyzed lacquer in a 30° sheen as a topcoat. Once completely dry I finished up with 0000 steel wool and Black Bison paste wax for a nice soft sheen.

11/10/2025

Before and after
This beautiful old oak table belongs to one of my very special aunts. It has been her kitchen table for at least 50 years, and I've eaten at it many times over the years as a small child and then as an adult. The table has a beautiful patina and tons of character that I absolutely wanted to preserve. Unfortunately, the finish was worn through and missing in many areas, and the drawers didn’t work properly because the runners were completely worn out. As usual, I started with the repairs. I used a router to route out the worn areas of the drawer runners, then glued in new pieces of wood. Once the repairs were complete, I used VM&P Naphtha to remove the wax, then cleaned it further with a diluted solution of Murphy's oil soap and water. I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the table top after it was cleaned, because once all the dirt and wax was removed, it revealed just how much of the finish was missing. I sanded the existing finish with a medium 3M sanding sponge, then used a combination of Mohawk dye stains and glazes made from UTC (Universal Tinting Colors) to begin to replace the color in the areas with the missing finish. Once the color was completely dry, I sealed the entire table with a barrier coat of shellac to prevent any fish eyes. After a quick scuff sand with 320 grit, I did a bit more color touchup using more dye stains, glazes, and some Mohawk Blendal powders suspended in shellac. Then, for the final finish, I brushed on a coat of Old Masters Super Varnish in a satin sheen. After letting it dry over the weekend, I used 0000 steel wool, then a little rottenstone as a rubbing compound to bring the sheen up just a bit more on the high areas. I gave the whole table a coat of Black Bison paste wax to finish up. My auntie was over the moon happy with the results.

11/02/2025

Before and after
These three Victorian walnut pieces belonged to my customer's husband's great-grandparents, so they have quite a bit of sentimental value. As usual , I started with the repairs. The armchair had several loose joints, a split in one leg, and the cresting on top of the chair was loose. The settee had a loose leg and gaps in the back that needed wooden patches. Once the repairs were complete, I washed the old shellac finish off the chairs using denatured alcohol and some 0000 steel wool. I filled the most offensive damage with Mohawk's two-part epoxy sticks, then sanded the chairs lightly with 220-grit sandpaper. I brushed on a coat of garnet shellac to add just a little bit of color, then alternated between wiping and spraying on coats of blond shellac, sanding lightly in between coats. I used some Mohawk dye stain on a few areas that were a bit lighter, but I was pleasantly surprised at how little color the pieces needed, and how rich the natural color was. I finished up with 0000 steel wool and wax to achieve a nice, soft finish. Now they're ready to go to the upholsterer for a fresh new look.

10/19/2025

Before and after
The top on this dining table looked pretty tired, and the veneer was slightly cupped along the seams. Luckily, I was able to remove a badly repaired chip on the edge and saw that the veneer on the top was more than 1/8 inch thick, so I had plenty of room to remove the cupping. I started by chemically removing the old finish on the top. I sanded and used a cabinet scraper to remove the cupping along the seams, then sanded the entire top back to natural wood. The customer wanted some antiquing, so I whacked it with a few rocks that I have around for just that purpose. I then filled the grain with Sherwin Williams natural paste grain filler tinted to match with UTC’s (Universal Tinting Colors), which helped all the dents and scratches I put in stand out better. To achieve the color, I used a combination of Mohawk’s dye stains and glazes made from UTC, in between coats of lacquer. The finish on the top is one coat of Gemini pre-catalyzed sanding sealer and two coats of Gemini pre-catalyzed lacquer in a 30° sheen. I finished up with some 0000 steel wool to cut the sheen a little more. (The top is not as shiny as it looks in the pictures; my lights make everything look much shinier.) To restore the base, I cleaned it with a damp rag, then VM&P Naphtha to remove the wax. I used Mohawk’s no-blush retarder to re-melt the dried finish. Once the retarder was dry, I sanded lightly with 320 grit to help with adhesion, then I wiped on a very dilute dye stain to help bring some of the color back. I applied a coat of shellac to seal in any wax that I may have missed when cleaning, then evened up the sheen with Mohawk’s Lacover 50 padding lacquer. I finished up with 0000 steel wool and wax for a nice soft sheen.

10/10/2025

Before and after
This mahogany dresser was made by the customer's grandfather and has quite a bit of sentimental value to her. Apparently, it was part of a bedroom set he made for his wife. Unfortunately, the family has lost track of the rest of the set, making this piece all the more special. After removing the hardware, I chemically removed the very thick old finish and gave it a good scrubbing with lacquer thinner and a red Scotch-Brite pad. Once dry, I used a wet rag and an iron to steam out as many dents as possible. The mahogany used for the top and sides was very light in color, but unfortunately, the drawer fronts were chemically bleached to make them lighter. Consequently, I was able to sand the top and sides pretty aggressively, but had to be very careful with the drawer fronts so I didn’t sand through the bleaching. There was a board on the top and a couple on the sides that just didn’t match, so I did have to spot bleach those with Wood Kote Lite-N-Up two-part wood bleach. The edge banding on one side was partially missing; I decided it would be easier to remove and replace and bleach the whole piece than to patch it with mahogany that wasn’t going to match because I didn’t have any mahogany that light. There was also the added bonus of being able to use the piece I removed to patch the other smaller areas of missing banding. The customer was very adamant that the color should be as close as possible to the inside of the drawer boxes, which were natural wood. I was hoping that I could just give it a clear finish and be done with it but unfortunately, when I sprayed on my first coat of sanding sealer on a drawer, the color looked very washed out. After washing off the sealer from the drawer, I made a very light stain using Old Masters wiping stain mixed with quite a bit of the natural tint base to help add just a little bit of color and some depth. I gave it a few coats of Gemini Pre-cat sanding sealer, sanding in between coats with 320-grit. I sprayed on a little Mohawk dye stain here and there to even up any color differences, then sprayed on two coats of Gemini pre-cat lacquer in a 20° sheen. To finish up, I waxed the entire piece with Black Bison Paste Wax. I boiled the drawer hardware and brass caps on the legs in vinegar to remove the paint and finish. The leg caps were solid brass, so I just cleaned them up with some 0000 steel wool and sprayed them with some Mohawk’s Lacquer For Brass. The pulls and backplates were painted with Rust-Oleum Metallic paint because the pulls were missing most of the brass plating, and the backplates were bare metal. This dresser is now good to go for another 50-60 years 🤞

09/26/2025

Before and after
This mahogany door was made by the customer's now deceased husband, so it has quite a bit of sentimental value for her. Unfortunately, it was very poorly restored at one point and was leaking very badly. I started out by chemically removing the old finish from both sides. Once stripped, I could see that the gaps between the panel molding and the edges were quite large and filled with tons of silicone caulking. I decided to pull the molding and the panels so I could clean off all the silicone and hopefully get everything to fit better. Unfortunately, once I had all the moldings out and scraped and sanded, I realized that there was no way the old moldings were going to keep the water out; they were twisted and fit very poorly. So, after discussing it with the customer, we decided just to go ahead and have all new moldings made. Big thanks to Christopher Yerke at Restoration Workshop for banging out the panel molding, and another big thanks to the amazing woodturner Hector Bezanis for turning the round molding for the window. Unfortunately, the opening for the window was not a perfect circle, so I had to make a template that I could use to route the opening to a perfect circle. Then Hector could turn his molding to fit the template. I sanded both sides of the door with 120 grit then 220 grit sandpaper to remove all the sun damage and bring it back to its natural color. When I received the new moldings , I cut and mitered them all to fit. I used a dilute solution of potassium dichromate to color everything, then I sealed the door, panels, and moldings all the way around with one coat of finish. Sherwin-Williams Conversion Varnish on the inside, Varathane Spar Urethane on the outside. My process for installing the panels was to first lay down a bead of caulk, push the panel in, then lay down another bead of caulk and install the molding. I then sprayed on two more coats of Conversion Varnish on the inside, then taped it out and sprayed two more coats of Spar Urethane on the outside. Hopefully, the customer will get her new awning installed sooner than later to give this new finish the best chance of survival.

09/05/2025

Before and after
This desk has quite a bit of sentimental value for the customer; it was custom-made for her father around 1930 in Japan. Her dad used it daily until his death, and then it was shipped to the US around 1982. The customer believes the desk is made from Bishop wood. I don’t have any experience with Bishop wood, so I can’t actually say if it is or isn’t. The desk is veneered with 2- to 3-inch-wide strips that are about 1/8 inch thick. There was quite a bit of loose veneer and cupping of the veneer all over the desk. I started my repairs on the top by drilling tiny holes along the seams of the loose veneers, then I injected glue into the areas and clamped them down. Not all the cupped veneers were loose; I only glued areas that moved when you pushed on them. The customer wasn’t too concerned with the waviness, but it bugged me, so I tried to minimize it as much as possible. After gluing down the many loose veneers that I found all over the piece, I chemically stripped the old finish and gave it a good rinse with lacquer thinner. After stripping, I gave the top several coats of oxalic acid to remove the stains. When the stains were gone, I rinsed off the oxalic acid with water and a little baking soda, then rinsed it again with clean water. I steamed out a few unsightly dents using an iron and a wet rag. Then I filled the tiny holes I drilled and any areas with chipped veneer with Mohawk’s two-part epoxy sticks. The veneer on the top was almost a quarter inch thick, so I very carefully belt-sanded the top with 120-grit sandpaper to reduce some of the cupping, then sanded the entire desk with 220-grit sandpaper. I used Sherwin-Williams Natural Paste Grain Filler tinted with UTC’s (Universal Tinting Colors) to fill the grain. The paste grain filler added a nice color, which I enhanced by spraying on some Mohawk dye stain. I gave the desk two coats of Gemini pre-catalyzed sanding sealer, then sanded carefully by hand with 400-grit sandpaper. To add some shading, I used a glaze made from UTCs, then sprayed on a little more dye stain. Once I had the color established, I gave it two coats of Gemini pre-catalyzed lacquer. To finish up I used 0000 steel wool with Black Bison Paste Wax to achieve a nice soft sheen. The customer was extremely happy to have her dad’s desk looking good again.

Nicole Smith Finishing

04/21/2026

02/22/2026

02/15/2026

11/26/2025

11/10/2025

11/02/2025

10/19/2025

10/10/2025

09/26/2025

09/05/2025

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Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm