A customer asked me to use a finish that hides cracks but might hurt the piece later

I was working on a vintage chair that had some hairline cracks in the legs. The owner wanted me to apply a thick, glossy coat to make them disappear without fixing the structure. I worried this could trap moisture and make the cracks worse over time. They said they just wanted it to look good for a sale and didn't care about future issues. I explained the risk, but they were set on the quick cover-up. It felt wrong to do work that could damage the furniture down the line. How do you handle jobs where a client's short-term wish goes against what's best for the wood?

3 comments

3 Comments

moore.troy1mo ago

Last spring, a customer brought me a walnut dresser with split joints. They asked for a heavy polyurethane coat to hide the gaps. I told them straight up that sealing it like that would lock in moisture and ruin the wood in a year or two. I offered to do a proper repair with glue and clamps for a bit more money. They agreed after I showed them photos of similar jobs gone wrong. Now they send me all their furniture work because I was honest.

ruby4501mo ago

Seriously, someone asked for poly over split joints? That's begging for trouble. Moisture gets sealed in, wood swells, and the whole thing falls apart. @moore.troy, you did the smart thing by telling them straight. A proper repair with glue and clamps actually fixes the issue. Honesty like that turns one-time jobs into repeat business. Glad it worked out for you.

riley_west26d ago

My old landlord tried to hide water damage with thick paint instead of fixing the leak. Same short-term thinking. Good on @moore.troy for showing those photos, people just don't see the long game sometimes.