Burl Wood Question

Can any of you wood experts tell what type of burl veneer is on this 70's Parsons table? The top has darkened and almost looks like a faux tortoise shell finish but the legs definitely look like burl. Any tips on products to make the scratches less noticeable? I tried some Restor-A-Finish on one small area and stain on another but neither helped much. Thanks

 

Oh, wow, I haven't heard 'Parsons table' used in an age. Takes me back.

 

the designs look like other than natural burl wood.........imo

 

Try some Old English Furniture Stain. However, your table really looks quite nice.

Pair it with a 1920's - 1930's ornate chair, (The ornate dining kind, with a pressed back) painted white with a gold/brown/white boldly striped material.

(Huge fan of the Parsons table here!)

 

Love, love Parsons tables here too. A design classic (to state the obvious.)

Debora

 

It looks a bit like a painted on design to me. Are you certain it's veneer?

 

Thanks for the replies. I'm not certain it's veneer. The top looks like it could be a painted finish but the legs and apron look like veneer to me. The fact that the top, and one leaf are darker also makes me think it's veneer, as a faux finish should not darken over time, right? I did try Old English on a small area and that didn't do much either.

 

this is what I would expect to see from a burl wood finish......but looking around the net there seem to be many types of burl hacks, to create a somewhat similar finish..

 

The detail that says it's not wood - scratches reveal white foundation. technics for faux wood are pretty crafty.... using electric current to create grain, burl, etc. they were even using this method on steel dashboards for cars in the 30s & 40s.

 

Interesting, thanks. I've looked at a lot of these tables online and they seem to fall into three types: wood veneer, painted finish (usually faux tortoise shell) as shown on left, or faux burl laminate, like the Lane table on right. I haven't found any that have a painted finish in a similar style of my table. Maybe some of the ones claiming to be veneer are really painted.