Giving New Life into a Messmate Hardwood Table with Bleaching - Glen Iris
- Lucas Lee
- Aug 1
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 3
From sentimental wear to a modern, practical centre piece
In Glen Iris, we recently worked on a 6-metre messmate hardwood dining table that held strong sentimental value for our client. Over the years, the table had suffered from surface damage and even children’s drawings, but instead of replacing it, the client wanted to breathe new life into the piece. Her goal was to create a lighter, modern finish that would match her new engineered timber flooring while still keeping the practicality of a durable, easy-to-clean surface.
Understanding the Client’s Needs
The Glen Iris client had two clear requests:
Preserve the table because of its sentimental importance.
Match the colour of her engineered timber sample to achieve a cohesive interior look.
She also wanted the table to be practical for daily use and easy to refresh in the future without costly refinishing.
The Restoration Process
Assessing the table’s condition
The messmate hardwood table showed signs of heavy use — dents, scratches, and drawings that had become ingrained into the surface.
Assessing the table’s condition: the sample
The sample provided by the client shows the stark difference in the current and desired colour. Although it was the first time we were tasked with furniture sanding and colouring, we were confident we would be able to provide a sufficient result. Both client and we were happy with the end result.
Sanding away the damage
We carefully sanded back the entire surface, removing the damage and preparing the table for the bleaching and finishing stages.
Testing on the table leg
To avoid re-sanding the tabletop unnecessarily, we trialled the bleaching and colour process on one of the legs. This allowed us to fine-tune the colour while preserving the timber’s thickness and structure.
Bleaching and lime wash
To achieve the lighter, modern look the client wanted for her Glen Iris home, we bleached the messmate to strip away its darker orange-brown tones. We then applied a lime wash to give it a clean, contemporary finish that harmonised beautifully with her engineered flooring sample.
Sealing with Rubio Monocoat
The final step was applying Rubio Monocoat penetrating oil, which not only enhances the natural beauty of the timber but also makes the surface highly practical. The key benefit for the client is that the finish can be spot-repaired — meaning everyday wear and tear can be patched without the need for full re-sanding.
The Result
The finished product was a 99% colour match to the client’s engineered timber flooring sample. The only variation comes from the natural grain profile of the messmate hardwood, which remains distinct but beautifully complements the overall interior.
For this Glen Iris family, the result is a modern, easy-to-clean, and sentimental centrepiece that now looks brand new while carrying its history forward.
Disclaimer
While we can achieve near-perfect colour matching, timber species will always retain their natural grain patterns. In this case, the messmate’s natural grain remains different from engineered flooring, but the tones were harmonised with great success.
How the client could possibly match modern decor now the table is much lighter, using our furnishing Ai-tool.
