Does refinishing reduce the value of my furniture? ←Click to Read

How to care for a finish? ←Click to Read

How to remove wax build-up? ←Click to Read

How to care for furniture with flood damage? ←Click to Read

More FAQ requiring only a brief response are listed below:

How much will it cost to restore my piece of furniture?
Every piece is different and there are so many variables it is impossible to be precise over the phone. Until we see the piece in person, we can’t usually give an accurate estimate. We do however give minimums over the phone and by email that at least gives you an idea of where it would start. With our 0% financing we are good at making projects fit most any budget.

Can you just strip my furniture and let me do the finishing?
Yes! And this is much cheaper than full refinishing too! With our no-dip process it will leave the wood in very good condition too. Our method doesn’t harm the wood, joints, or veneer. The wood will need very little or no sanding after we have stripped it. Some pieces are easy for the do-it-yourself finisher to do and we are available to help our clients with tips and information. We sell finishing materials that are easy to use and we can even blend stains for you! Complex or unusual pieces, depending on the skill of the do-it-yourself finisher, may need to be professionally finished.

Can you repair broken or wobbly chairs?
Yes! Chairs are the items that most often need repair work. We have repaired thousands of chairs. The longer chairs wobble on loose joints, the more damage occurs and the more work is necessary to repair them. Catching loose joints early and having them repaired right away saves you money. If the joints are not very loose, most times it’s possible to repair them without refinishing.

How long will it take to restore my furniture?
It varies from job to job, but on larger projects like dining room and bedroom sets we tell people an average of around 90 days for complete restoration. We try to accommodate everyone’s time frame and get their furniture to them when they want it. We’ve been very successful at doing that over the years.

Can you repair broken or missing pieces?
We are able to repair and or reproduce any part or section of a piece of furniture. We are great at repair work! We try to make repairs invisible whenever possible and most of them are. “If it’s made of wood we can fix it!”

Can veneered furniture be refinished?
Yes. Veneered furniture cannot be dipped and that is where the myth that it can’t be refinished started. We do not dip, so refinishing veneer is no problem for us, except on some of the newer pieces that are veneered over particle board or MDF. Even some of those pieces can be refinish, but it has to be done a certain way. The older furniture is veneered over a solid wood substrate which is never a problem to be refinished. Some of the nicest furniture ever made has veneer on it. Veneer is used to make very fancy pieces and it dates back to the earliest years of furniture construction. One of the ways to make a magnificent looking piece is to use veneer. The idea that if furniture is veneered it is cheap is not true in many cases.

Can you repair chipped, warped, or missing veneer?
Yes! We have been working with veneer almost everyday for the past 20 years. We are excellent at veneer repair and if you look closely at some of our before and after pictures the repairs are often invisible. If you’d like to see an interesting video on how modern veneer is made click this link.

Will my furniture have a very shinny finish if I have it refinished?
If you want it to, but most people do not. The type of the sheen is entirely up to the client, but by far our most popular sheen is satin, or as some people refer to it, the “hand rubbed look”.

Is it possible to change the color of piece from what it is now?
Yes. After a piece of furniture is stripped, the wood usually returns closer to its natural color (which is usually lighter) and can be stained many different colors. Wood can always be stained darker than the natural color. We can match just about any color you wish.

Do you do caning?
We know professionals that do all types of caning and rush. They pickup and drop off pieces to our shop.  However, if you just need caning, we refer you directly to a caner and you may email us us for a referral.

Do you reupholster furniture?
We can upholster some smaller simple pieces, like dining chairs seats. Larger items you need to find a professional upholsterer we can work with. If people don’t need refinishing work or exposed wood repair work, you should just find an upholsterer.  You can search Google and try to find someone with good reviews.

Can scratches and dents be repaired without refinishing?

There are people that drive around with touchup kits to do minor repairs on-site, but we don’t normally do them for anyone that isn’t a customer of larger work we are doing. If you want someone that specializes in on-site touchup work, email us for a referral. If you have nicks or dents that occur to a piece we have restored previously, we can clean and respray your piece to bring it back to how it looked when we restored it originally. Without nearly the expense of complete restoration.

What can be done about a sticky finish?
If the finish itself is sticky; that means that the finish has deteriorated and softened. Waxing can provide a temporary solution, but a soft sticky finish is not usually repairable. The item needs refinishing to correct the problem and provide protection to the wood.

What can be done about white water rings?
Any time you see a whitish, milking looking blotches or white ring marks, this is an indication that the finish has deteriorated as evidenced by the moisture that has impregnated it. We’ve heard toothpaste can help with rings, but we have never actually tried it. Always test anything in an inconspicuous area before putting it on a large visible area. Most of the time it takes a professional to remove these rings successfully.

What can be done about dark water rings and stains?
Dark rings and stains are in the wood and the finish will need to be removed before a repair can be made. It will need to be treated with a special chemical, or sanding, or both. You’ll probably need a professional for this type of repair. Many times we can remove all evidence of an old dark ring or stain.

Will my furniture’s hardware look shiny and brand new?
If you want it to. We can polish it to be bright all over, or polish it leaving darker areas in the details of the hardware (some people call this the antiqued look), or just leave it as-is, anything to match your style.

What if my piece is missing hardware?
You can choose from a large selection of hardware reproductions from our catalogs to match or replace many types of hardware. Unfortunately some hardware can’t be matched or must be custom made (which can get expensive). Some people like to update the hardware in order to give a piece a more contemporary look or to replace incorrect hardware that was changed, and there are lots of styles to chose from.

Do you resilver mirrors?
Sort of. There is a method we can use sometimes to make the sliver good on a mirror again, but if an actual resilvering is desired, we suggest you do a search on Google to try and find someone you can ship your mirror to be resilvered. There isn’t anyone locally that does it. If your mirror is not beveled or etched, it’s really better just to replace it. Also the old flat mirrors are usually quite thick and heavy. The newer mirrors are much thinner and lighter which lessens the stress on old frames.

Do you repair picture frames?
If they are made of wood, yes. Many frames, especially the fancy ones, have “plaster of paris” or some other composite material added to them. We only work on a certain kinds of those, and you can email us us for a referral to find someone that works on the very fancy ones.

Do you buy old furniture?
Rarely, because we do not deal in antiques. We usually recommend people sell their pieces by auction. We suggest you do a search on Google to for an auctioneer or you can always try ebay.

Is a gloss finish more durable than a satin?
It is slightly more durable, but it also shows scratches easier.