Restoration of a corner Louis XV The marquetry is crafted from a variety of woods: maple, hornbeam, boxwood, and holly. Aside from the green of the leaves, the colors of some of the flowers and ribbons have faded. The marquetry stands out against a rosewood background, framed by a boxwood border and a rosewood frieze. Finally, the solid oak structure is assembled with dovetail joints.
State report
As the photos show, the varnish was badly sun-faded. Furthermore, the glues used to hold the marquetry on the doors were very dry, and some of the veneer was missing. Finally, on the frame, all the panels had shrunk, and both doors were cracked.
The Restoration
With the client's agreement, we opted for a conservation restoration, as this piece of furniture will remain purely decorative. Therefore, the frame was only partially re-glued to ensure it could support the marble top without warping. However, the gaps in the panels were not filled. Next, the cracks in the doors were reinforced on the reverse side. Then, a vacuum infiltration process rehydrated and regenerated the adhesives in the veneers. Finally, grafts of sawn, scraped, sanded, and cut-to-the-correct-thickness veneer were used to fill the remaining gaps.
After this, the varnish was thinned, then reworked with alcohol and Roubo varnish. In addition, the grafts were oxidized, and the most visible perforations were reworked using color matching. Finally, a light polishing with Venetian tripoli and a thin coat of wax gave the varnish a matte finish. This brings the appearance closer to the original, and the marquetry is more clearly visible.
Before (left door) / after restoration (right door)
After restoration
To see previous restorations : https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/en-ce-moment-a-latelier/
