BLACK-WAXED JAPANESE-STYLE TABLE

When I found this reproduction table in a secondhand store, I was immediately drawn to its shape. I’ve loved pieces of Japanese art for years and, in fact, have some Japanese prints from a collection of woodblocks I inherited from my father. This table reminded me of the Shinto shrines I saw on a visit to Japan. These temples begin with a doorway that’s similar in shape to this table. The doorway roof/tabletop both have upturned ends and a cross bar, while the pillars/table legs are gently splayed. The entrance to a shrine is often colored, usually with vermilion—a bright color that is anywhere between orange, red, and watermelon pink—and also with black in parts. The surface is often shiny and smooth, but I decided to give this table a more textured finish reminiscent of a traditional, Japanese lacquered piece of furniture. Old lacquer has a rich patina and texture, which I knew I could re-create by texturing the Barcelona Orange and using both clear wax and black wax in the texture. The difference in color is achieved by using black wax without any clear wax underneath. For the main part of the table, I used clear wax and then black wax, to give a lighter color, while for the sides and legs of the table I only used black wax to create a much deeper color.

YOU WILL NEED

• Chalk Paint^® in Barcelona Orange

• Large oval bristle brush

• Clear wax

• Large wax brush

• Black wax

• Small wax brush

• Clean, dry, lint-free cloths

1Paint the whole table in Barcelona Orange using the oval bristle brush, painting every which way to create texture, but not to an excessive degree.

2Paint a second coat by holding the brush upright and making sure that the paint is fairly thick. Press hard at first and then feather out by lightening the pressure on the brush and going every which way with long strokes. This will achieve a lightly textured effect. Allow the table to dry.

3Apply clear wax with the large wax brush to the tabletop, front and back edges, and cross bar, but not to the top side edges or legs where black is wanted.

4Use the small wax brush to apply black wax to the whole table. Start with the areas that will eventually be black, applying the black wax directly to the painted areas where no clear wax has been applied. This will ensure that these areas will be dark.

5While the clear wax is still “wet,” apply the black wax to the rest of the table. Do this in workable areas of approximately your arm’s stretch. Go on to the next step very quickly.

6While it’s still wet, wipe off the excess black wax with a clean cloth from the areas that won’t be dark. This should take a lot of wax off, while allowing it to stay in the recesses. Move on to the next step as soon as you can.

7Use a cloth to apply clear wax and wipe it off these areas. This wax acts like an eraser, leaving your surface clear with some black wax in the grooves of the paintwork and some areas very clean and orange-colored.

8Finally, after leaving the black-waxed areas (i.e. the top side edges and legs) for approximately 5 minutes, or until the wax has begun to dry out a little (this will depend on the ambient temperature), wipe the black wax to rub it into the surface of the wood, removing any excess and taking it down to the orange paint in places.

9Leave the table overnight and polish it the next day with a clean, dry cloth until it shines. By this time the solvents in the black wax will have evaporated and the wood will be easy to polish. Where the black wax has been applied generously, it may take longer to harden.