Antique Furniture Restoration

While true antiques need to be 100 years old, many of my customers refer to furniture made during the 1930s as “antiques”. With that in mind for this purpose, I have adjusted the definition of antique.

Antique furniture repair or restoration consists of two parts. The first is stability. Loose joints and broken parts leave a piece wobbly and unusable. Our goal is to make repairs that allow the piece to be functionally useful again without the repair being obvious. Broken or missing parts are recreated. Various coloring techniques are used to age the new wood to blend in with the surrounding wood.

The second part is refinishing. When a finish is so worn or aged that it no longer protects the wood or the grain becomes obscured, refinishing is a solution. We remove the old finish with solvents that do not change the patina or the naturally aged wood surface.

Surface nicks and dings normally are not removed, unless requested. They contribute to its character and in some cases, its history as well. The protective finish is durable, moisture resistant and enhances the beauty of the natural grain.