Barn find (In place in bathroom)

[Mike G]

Literally.

We were looking around an old farm shed with a farmer friend of ours a few days ago (trying to find a gate.....another story), when we stumbled across an old washstand. It was covered in rubbish, and in a parlous state, but it went straight in the back of the van. Here it is in all its glory:



Now, I'm thinking early 20th century. Edwardian, late Victorian. I'm no expert, so what do you reckon? The brass drawer handle gives something of a clue:



It's walnut. Well, unless you guys tell me otherwise:





It's been slathered in 2 different colours of green paint, has some whitewash on it, and it was stripped in caustic soda about 30 years ago. Only a couple of the glue joints haven't failed. Unfortunately, it was riddled with woodworm, including plenty of active ones. I've sloshed some anti-worm jollop over it a couple of times, but this damage means that there is no point trying to restore it. Oh, and here's the point: this is going to go in our bathroom, and serve its original purpose. We have the original marble top.

It's got a bit of a structural issue or two:





So, can anyone help me with the date? And what would you do with it?

 

[Rod]

Edwardian to my eyes and looks like walnut.

If it’s not worth restoring I don’t know why/what you are asking?
Build a new unit using the marble top and perhaps the tiles.

Rod

 

[Mike G]

What I meant was it's not worth restoring to a typical furniture finish (lacquer, French polish, varnish etc). It's almost certain to be painted.

 

[Woodbloke]

Unfortunately, it was riddled with woodworm, including plenty of active ones. I've sloshed some anti-worm jollop over it a couple of times, but this damage means that there is no point trying to restore it.

If it t'were me, I wouldn't bother. Keep the top, make a new base and burn the old one. Woodworm gives me the willies - Rob

 

[AndyP]

A quick google finds many just like that attributed to Edwardian period. Probably would have had a towel rail on each side.

No need to be afraid of woodworm. We rescued an old bedside cabinet from the wife's grandmother's many years ago. Soaked it in woodworm killer and gave it a sand and polish. Every time I move it to clean I expect to see frass on the floor but after 15+ years nothing. In a warm dry house woodworm are unlikely to return.

I think with holes filled and respectfully painted it will look very nice.

 

[Rod]

You’ll have to find a flowery bowl and water jug to go with it.

Rod

 

[RogerS]

You’ll have to find a flowery bowl and water jug to go with it.

Rod

Cold water, I hope :eusa-whistle:

 

[Mike G]

Oh the woodworm itself doesn't bother me at all. They're dead by now as I dosed it liberally in some nasty stuff a day or two ago. The pity is that all the damage forces me into painting this, I think, rather than varnishing it.

 

[Mike G]

You’ll have to find a flowery bowl and water jug to go with it.

Rod

I've no doubt there'll be an appropriate jug sitting on it, but the bowl will have to be a modern counter-top round white jobbie, and I'll have to get a mason to cut some big holes for the waste and the taps.

 

[Rod]

You’ll need one of these to go with it - an early Victorian CH radiator [emoji3]

Rod

 

[Mike G]

Just a reminder, this is what this 100 year old washstand looked like when I got it in the workshop:



I quickly decided I didn't want the shelf over the tile spashback, but discovered that it was screwed on, with the screw-heads covered by the backing board. I found the screws using a rare earth magnet:



Then drill out with a Forstner bit to reveal them:



I disassembled everything. Rather, it just fell to bits:



The green paint had got everywhere (at least it showed that the door panel had been loose-fitted):



The standard of construction was poor. In places, very poor. This is how the main cross member joined the front and back rails:



When did machine-made dovetails and routered mortises become a thing?





And there was some evidence of a power planer:



Apologies for the out-of-focus photos. Goodness knows what went wrong. Anyway, everything was slathered at some stage in horrible green paint. Even the castors:



But they cleaned up OK:



Note the Bakelite wheels, which dates the piece to after 1910. Definitely original. I spent the best part of 2 days scraping (a lot) and sanding (a little):





Removing the paint was the easy bit. The original finish had to come off too, because it was half-off already, and I need a consistent surface to re-finish.

The reason I am going to so much trouble with a pretty unlovely piece of furniture is that this is going in the new bathroom as a washstand, but I need to adapt it to fit. I don't mind doing this with something as sad and poorly made as this bit of furniture. So having cleaned up all of the parts it was time to make it 80mm narrower:







Time for a glue up:



Note the sash cramp on the front. This is because the whole thing had a terrible twist, and needed persuading into something approaching a rectilinear shape:



I had previously removed the drawer fronts from the drawer boxes, which will be superfluous, so then cut the drawer fronts to fit the new gap, and stood them in place for a photo:



Finally, I turned my attention to the tiled upstand. We had agreed to reduce its width by one tile (6"), so I knocked off the side piece:



....then slid a tile out, cut the backing board, cut the two rails shorter and formed new tenons:



(I remembered just in time to take a photo, after I'd started gluing).

Finally, and up to date, I glued it all back together, 6 inches shorter than it was previously:



Depending on my workload tomorrow, I might be finishing this and trying it out in the new bathroom for the first time. I'm saving the bathroom construction photos up for one big post (90 something photos!!)......coming soon.

 

[StevieB]

Impressive - I love rescuing things like this, but have to say I probably would have replaced the post in the final photo with what looks like rot at its base!

 

[Woodbloke]

Good progress, looks like it's coming along a treat - Rob

 

[Mike G]

Impressive - I love rescuing things like this, but have to say I probably would have replaced the post in the final photo with what looks like rot at its base!

It would be quicker and easier to just build a new piece of furniture from scratch than to replace woodwormy bits of rot like that. The thing is in poor condition, and although that's the worst visible rot, it's not exceptional. Besides, it's (almost) all going to be painted.

 

[AndyP]

What will you use to harden and fill all that rotten wood?

 

[Mike G]

It's already had a liberal splash or two of preservative, and all I intend to do now is roughly remove the worst of the loose stuff and fill with a two-part filler. Or not. My wife may decide she wants to keep it looking battered and careworn.

 

[wallace]

I've got pictures of dovetailing machines in a book dating from 1870 so they've been around for a while.
I just disassembled a (seemstress's) ? desk supposedly from 1910 into small enough sections to fit up a small staircase to the loft for my wife's craft room. It had a weird construction of dovetails, dowelled tennons, screws and nails

 

[Mike G]

Thanks wallace. Interesting.

 

[Mike G]

I fixed the drawer fronts into position, put the door back on and added a catch, and fixed the little cupboard into place at the top (it waved about in the air, previously. Annoyingly, it doesn't line up with the drawers above. I then carried the unit up to the bathroom and stood it in place:



A warped/ twisted/ splayed leg meant it didn't fit tight to the wall:



So, I trimmed a little (well, a lot) off:





Here's the marble top which came with it, marked up for cutting:





The back edge also needed a trim, as the front overhang was too large, and this conveniently moved some of the damage areas back to where they would be hidden by the tile splashback:



What a fluke; it fits!



Now, that shortened tile splashback:



Quite clearly that isn't going to do. It looks silly: too small, and not fitting the unit. Bad decision yesterday. I guess I'll have to make a new one, incorporating the tiles I removed yesterday. Ho hum.

The bowl will go roughly where the cake base is. Note there is a low ceiling just to the right, which is why the basin is here in the first place:

 

[Woodbloke]

Undoubtedly me, but it doesn't seem to look the right location squished into that corner?

 

[Mike G]

That's the only place it can go. It's not really a corner, though. It's the end of the bath and the enclosure over the stairs.

 

[Woodbloke]

That's the only place it can go. It's not really a corner, though. It's the end of the bath and the enclosure over the stairs.

Fair enoughski How you getting along with that Everbuild D4? - Rob

 

[Mike G]

........ How you getting along with that Everbuild D4? - Rob

Love it, actually. Very impressed. I haven't tested it with any outdoor work yet, but internally it does exactly what I want a glue to do.

 

[Woodbloke]

........ How you getting along with that Everbuild D4? - Rob

Love it, actually. Very impressed. I haven't tested it with any outdoor work yet, but internally it does exactly what I want a glue to do.

You'll find it's as good outdoors as it is for interior work, though not recommended for boat work where it's permanently under water - Rob

 

[9fingers]

........ How you getting along with that Everbuild D4? - Rob

Love it, actually. Very impressed. I haven't tested it with any outdoor work yet, but internally it does exactly what I want a glue to do.

You'll find it's as good outdoors as it is for interior work, though not recommended for boat work where it's permanently under water - Rob

Whilst we are slightly off topic on glues, I too have become an "everbuild" fan. Currently coming to the end of a litre of their 502 which is a D3 spec adhesive, with no problems apart from the nozzle blocking from time to time. It's short term water tolerant and perfect for indoor use and a few quid cheaper than their D4 referred to above. Also a plug for their contact adhesive "Stick2" which is fast becoming my goto glue for odd jobs around the house that don't require full lead araldite 24 curing epoxy.

Bob

 

[Woodbloke]

... apart from the nozzle blocking from time to time.
Bob

The nozzle isn't the most wonderful bit of kit, but I've dispensed my D4 into a washing up bottle with a 'flip-top' closure. The 'ole in said bottle is bigger and allows for a larger squirt of glue, plus there's no blockages to unblock - Rob

 

[will1983]

... apart from the nozzle blocking from time to time.
Bob

The nozzle isn't the most wonderful bit of kit, but I've dispensed my D4 into a washing up bottle with a 'flip-top' closure. The 'ole in said bottle is bigger and allows for a larger squirt of glue, plus there's no blockages to unblock - Rob

I always buy the D4 in litre bottles from toolstation and decant it into an old 500ml Titebond bottle.
Been using it for about 2 years now and never had a problem with it.