Alright, let’s talk about this Jaquret Bordeaux thing I spent some time on recently. It wasn’t something I just picked up overnight, mind you. I’d heard the name tossed around, mostly in hushed tones like it was some secret technique or maybe a specific, hard-to-find material. Curiosity got the better of me, as it usually does.
So, I decided I wanted to figure it out, get my hands dirty. My first thought was, what even is it? Some kind of fabric? A type of wood? Maybe a finishing method? The ‘Bordeaux’ part made me think of deep red, like the wine. I had this old side table, you know, the kind that’s seen better days, sitting in the garage. Perfect test subject.
Getting Started – The Hunt
First step, trying to find actual information or materials labeled “Jaquret Bordeaux”. Let me tell you, that was a dead end. Nothing concrete online, just vague mentions here and there. Felt like chasing a ghost. So, I figured, okay, plan B: try to recreate the idea of it based on the name. Deep, rich, maybe slightly aged red finish.
I went down to the hardware store, grabbed some supplies:
- Wood stripper (the old finish had to go)
- Sandpaper (various grits)
- Basic wood stain components – dyes, shellac, denatured alcohol.
- Lots of clean rags
This wasn’t going to be a quick job. Stripping that old varnish off the table was messy work. Took the better part of an afternoon, scraping and wiping. Got the wood down to its natural state.
The Actual Process – Trial and Error
Now for the “Jaquret Bordeaux” part. I started mixing dyes. Aiming for that specific deep red. It was tougher than I expected. A bit too much red, it looked garish. Too much brown or black trying to deepen it, and it just got muddy. I wasted a fair bit of dye on scrap wood pieces, just trying to get the shade right.
Patience, that’s the key I learned early on.
I finally got a mix I thought was close. Used a rag to apply the first thin coat. It looked… okay. A bit uneven. Let it dry completely. Then, light sanding, super fine grit, just to smooth things out a tiny bit.
Second coat. Applied it really carefully this time, long even strokes with the rag. Starting to look better. Deeper. More like what I had in my head. I decided to build it up in thin layers instead of slapping on one thick coat.
This went on for a few days. Apply a thin coat, let it dry for hours, sometimes overnight. Gentle sanding if needed. Then another coat. It was slow going. Some moments I thought, “This is pointless, it’s not looking right.” Especially when one layer dried a slightly different shade because the temperature in the garage changed.
The Result – Good Enough
After maybe five or six thin coats, I stopped. Stood back and looked at the table. You know what? It wasn’t half bad. It had this deep, rich, reddish-brown glow. Was it exactly “Jaquret Bordeaux”? Who knows? Maybe that specific thing doesn’t even exist, or it’s something else entirely. But the process of trying to achieve that specific look taught me a lot.
It’s all about the layering, the patience. You can’t rush it. And mixing your own colors gives you a unique finish, even if it wasn’t exactly the mythical thing I was chasing.
The table looks great now, got character. And I got the satisfaction of figuring something out, even if I had to kind of invent the process along the way. That’s the fun of it, right? Just getting stuck in and doing it.
