Residential Restoration and Refinishing FAQ's - Residential Furniture Refinishing and Restoration - Furniture Restoration, Furniture Refinishing, Commercial Refinishing, Commercial Restoration, Repairs and Touch-ups - Nitty Gritty Furniture Design

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Restoration and Refinishing FAQ’s

Is there a cheaper alternative?

While not exactly the same as refinishing, sometimes touch-up or refreshing can either hide the problem or mask enough of it that it meets your need. We’re always happy to discuss options.

Can we provide the service in your home?

The quick answer is, yes, sometimes. If the job requires stripping or spray finishes, we usually need to that in our shop. However, for touch-up, and repairs, some projects can certainly be undertaken on site.

Is it worth doing?

Another loaded question. Certainly, the smaller the item, the higher amount of work to be done, the less practical it seems. We refinish and restore many pieces which have been handed down through the family. The choice to keep the piece is often a heartfelt decision. With that decision made, the question then is how much work is needed to bring the piece back to life?

Can it be fixed?

We work many miracles but...sometimes, it just can’t be fixed. Most pieces we come across we have great success with, but there have been cases where we advised the client that it would never restore to it’s original state, or be able to function as it had in the past. It’s a pity, truly. Our best advice is if something breaks make sure you keep all the pieces, and second, when something is starting to fall apart, either get it fixed right away, or don’t use it. The greater the use when damaged, the less chance of a proper restoration, and usually a greater chance of higher cost.

What if a part is missing?

Often replacement parts are available, and when not available, we can often make them. We have over 25.000 different pieces of hardware from around the world, plus other sources of wooden turnings, fine veneers, ivory, gold leaf, and other components. We’ll even carve replacement parts, or have metal parts milled. Sometimes, though, the hardest parts to replace are matching pieces of hardware. There were 100’s of thousands of pieces of hardware made in the last century alone. Finding an exact match is often difficult.

What about pick up and delivery?

We offer complete disassembly, and blanket wrapped pick-up, plus the same return delivery, assembly and set-up. Charges start at: $75 per man hour for the truck and driver.

How long does it take?

Generally, stripping, minor repairs and refinishing will take 2-3 weeks for an individual piece. Some items inherently require more time, and humid weather can play havoc with finishes. However, we will advise the time frame when we quote on the work or pick up the furniture.

What finish do you recommend?

There are many finishes we like, each for different reasons. Sometimes it’s for durability, other times it’s for the look, and many times it’s for health!

For historically correct finishes, we use most of the them regularly, including French Polish, oils, waxes, varnishes and Milk Paints.

For those environmentally sensitive, we use water based finishes, including lacquers , urethanes, Zero VOC acrylics and Milk Paints; plus, of course, water based glues.

We love to share our knowledge and will happily tell you what we suggest, given the piece of furniture, it’s provenance, and it’s current use. We’ll tell you your best options, and why we recommend them, so you can make an educated choice. While we’re on the subject, we’ll also discuss sheen, clarity, depth, and build of finish, all of which have bearing on both the look and durability.

Can you match colours?

After 35 years, we’re actually very good at matching colours. You’ll see great example going through the restoration, and refinishing photos on the relevant pages of our site. If you want we’ll even provide a colour sample, before we start work on your furniture. Colour samples start at $65 each.

What does it cost?

Needless to say, this a loaded question! However, a good starting point is our shop rate. Time is billed at between $85-110 per hour. The question then is how much work is involved in either (or both) restoration and refinishing? To give some idea, a small chest of drawers, needing some repair and complete exterior refinishing might cost $850-1100, while a large double dresser could easily be $1500-2000. A small dining room table might be $1200, and a large one could be over $3000. We are happy to give estimates, after seeing the furniture. Send us a few high quality photos by email.