Antique Furniture Repair and Restoration

Antique Furniture repair and restoration is a broad term to cover the many aspects involved in enhancing the look and character of old furniture. It could range from the simple task of stabilising a loose joint in a chair. A more time consuming challenge would be removing the veneer from a card table top in order to replace the core timber warped beyond repair; and this followed by returning the veneer to the new core without damaging the original finish and patina (patina is the sheen on the surface of wood produced by long handling combined with its exposure to UV light over time resulting in a faded colour).

Here at Classic Antique Restoration the emphasis on any repair or restoration is primarily to preserve all evidence of age and the mellowness of the colour of the wood. Age and patina go together, and in inexperienced hands both can be easily lost.

In the case of dark timbers, they usually require only gentle cleaning and reviving to bring out the full beauty of a faded mellow mahogany or rosewood. Particular care should be taken with faded rosewood as it will blacken if mishandled. Lighter timbers such as satinwood, bird's eye maple, holly, sycamore etc. usually deepen in colour with age and require more attention. In either case the correct application of shellac, combined with a quality beeswax would ultimately enhance the wood grain and character.