Speciality Restoration And Repair

SPECIALTY RESTORATION AND REPAIR

On solid wood furniture, any type of repair is usually possible and some special pieces of unique construction require special care.

  1. Veneers:
    Veneer is a thin slice of any kind of wood. Since the 15th century, refined furniture has always been dressed with veneer. Sometimes it is the same kind of wood as the rest of the piece or a more decorative wood veneer has been added to the tabletop, dresser top and drawer fronts. As the furniture ages, the veneer can chip off, or bubble up from moisture. We can do small veneer repairs or replace an entire piece of badly damaged veneer.
  2. Chairs:
    Regluing is the most common type of repair required for chairs due to their daily use. Sometimes a leg is broken, cracked, or maybe the top of the chair gets broken. All of these damages can be repaired.
    Upholstery-Leather-Chair-Seats  Chair Upholstery
  3. Spindle Turning:
    We can turn and recreate any type of spindle that has been broken or missing.
  4. Intricate and Missing Parts:
    Sometimes part of the raised carving on furniture is broken off and lost. We are able to create a new piece from the outline of what was there, or a corresponding sample that is still on the furniture. Over the years, doors on cabinets or drawers can go missing as your furniture has been passed down. Sometimes the harp from a washstand or a mirror frame from a dresser is gone. We can rebuild and recreate any of these missing parts.
    Carving-and-Missing-Parts-Table-Before  carving and missing parts table after  Pool Table Legs Before  Pool Table Legs After  Bakers Table Before  Bakers Table After  Travelers Writing Table missing Brass  Travellers-Writing-Case-Finished  Travellers-Writing-Case-Damaged-Leather  Travellers-Writing-Case-Inside-Showing-F inished-with-new-Stamped-Leather
  5. Alterations to Furniture:
    If you are considering an alteration to an existing piece of furniture, we are experienced in doing so. Sometimes tables need new or missing table leaves made. Sometimes the table needs to be longer and can be outfitted with longer table slides. You may want a quality stereo cabinet converted for another use. Dressers look great made into bathroom vanities with inserted sinks or counter top sinks. Bring us your ideas. It never hurts to ask!
    Dresser To Vanity  Dresser To Vanity  Alteration-to-Stereo-Cabinet-to-a-Storage-Cabinet  Alteration-to-Stereo-Cabinet-to-a-Storage-Cabinet
  6. Scratches, Burn Marks and Water Marks:
    Sometimes these types of repairs can be touched up without refinishing. Other times, the surface area where there is damage has to be refinished after the marks are repaired.
    Travelers Writing Table missing Brass  Travellers-Writing-Case-Finished  New Piano Brace The bottom board suffered serious dog chews
  7. Chair Seat Weaving:
    Older chairs can require having a new seat made. Some of the types of chair repair we specialize in are:

    1. Hand Caning
      This is where we take individual strands of cane and recreate a woven cane seat with the same pattern as what was on the chair. Even if the old material is missing, we can re-produce the same pattern that would have been on your chair originally. The frame of the chair seat has holes drilled through to allow for the weaving of the cane.
      Hand Caning
    2. Pre-Woven Cane
      This technique was used on the chair seat or back of the chair from a sheet of cane woven by a special loom. For this type of caning, the frame of the chair seat or chair back has a groove in the wood where the new cane, will be inserted. It is held in place by a spline that is glued into the groove.
      Wicker Cane Rocking Chair Before  Wicker Cane Rocking Chair
    3. Canoe Seats
      The same two types of cane mentioned above can be used for canoe seating or a plastic material can be used for hand caning. The plastic cane is available by special order.
    4. Fibre Rush Seat
      Fibre Rush is a twisted paper fibre that is woven over round or oval shaped side rails and front and back rails.
      Fibre Rush Seat
    5. Sea Grass Seat
      This method of design is used on the same seat frame as above, however we use twisted sea grass instead. Not a very popular type of seat as sometimes, both dogs and cats tend to think is made for them to chew!
    6. Splint Seat
      This material is made of wood cut in long, thin strips from native ash or tropical rattan palm and can be creatively woven into various patterns. This particular weaving, is well suited for old ladder-back or porch rocking chairs.The type of chair on which splint can be used must have seat rails suitable for the splint to be wrapped around. The patterns are similar to basket weaving patterns.
      Splint Seat Rocker Before  Splint Seat Rocker
    7. Pressed Fibre Panel
      These are usually found on old rocking chair seats. We have several patterns that are still made using the designs from the 1800’s.
    8. Wood Panel Seat
      This is made from a flexible wood panel, and usually has a star pattern of holes drilled through it.
      Wood Panel Seat
    9. Wicker and Rattan Repair
      The older wicker and rattan chairs, from the early 1900’s are usually worth the cost to repair any of the broken woven reeds. The first step is to look at the structure of the chair, and see if the frame and legs are solid. Baby and doll carriages made of the older wicker can also be repaired.
      Restored Wicker Buggy  wickerdeskchairbefore  wicker desk & chair after
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