The Edwardian umbrella stand had seen better days. Originally made of oak with a painted dark green drip tray it must have looked bonny sitting in the hall of someone’s house in the 1920’s and 30’s.
Now we must confess, we cannot remember how it came into our world. But it is fair to say we didn’t treat it well. For a number of years, it acted as a log store. However, on returning from Australia we felt enough was enough and it was time it received a bit of love. Ok, we had to build the workshop first and sort out a load of other stuff, but the intention was there.
I remember bringing it in the workshop and, having vacuumed years of dirt off and looking at it with a critical eye, it didn’t look pretty. The drip tray was a rust bucket. Woodworm had made a start and bits of it were damaged or missing. But it was still standing, and Helen said it had “potential”.
It is amazing what a bit of soap, water and a soft brush will do. We now knew the oak frame could be saved but the drip tray still looked a sorry state, so we focused on that first. Wire wool and 3 in 1 oil, applied with a bit of love and patience, can bring a smile to the face. The rust melted away and we were left with a tray that had enough integrity to make the decision to keep it easy.
The oak frame received a woodworm treatment to give us comfort, even though the woodworm damage looked old. We then cut away the damage parts and fitted new pieces of oak using some offcuts we had. Once the glue was dry and inserts were shaped to blend,, we ‘hot waxed’ the few remaining woodworm holes and lo and behold – the umbrella stand looked in one piece to fight another day.
Now came a big decision – do we restore it to its original colours – painting the drip tray green and staining the inserts to match to original oak and repolishing. Or do we go bold and paint the whole thing in a stylish manner? It was a close call, but Helen had this vision of a grey umbrella stand, with a satin black drip tray. Her logic was that few houses would benefit from having a repaired dark oak umbrella stand in their hall, whereas something in fashionable grey and suitably waxed, would. Something to do with fashion – what do I know; but decision made.
The photos show the end result. The grey paint is chalk based with a wax finish. The drip tray is sprayed satin black – rust resistant paint. The magical bit was highlighting parts of the design with an ‘antique copper’ paint. A little goes a long way; you don’t need much – but it transformed the umbrella stand from “not too shabby mate” to “you beauty!”.
What did we get wrong? It didn’t end up in someone’s hall. It was snapped up by a local Amersham restaurant and now sits proudly by their front door.
