The Challenge
Loved Loose at Every Joint
The table rocked, four of six chairs needed re-gluing, veneer was lifting on the sideboard, and a century of polish had gone cloudy. The family feared restoration meant losing the patina they grew up with.
Our rule for antiques: stabilize first, intervene as little as possible, and let the piece keep its story. We cleaned rather than stripped, re-glued with reversible hide glue, and spliced only where timber was actually missing.
- Full re-glue of table and six chairs
- Veneer consolidation and color-matched fills
- Revived shellac finish, waxed by hand
Approach & Outcome
Stronger, Still Themselves
Five weeks at the bench. Every joint was knocked down, cleaned and re-glued; two chair rails were spliced in matching mahogany; the sideboard's blistered veneer was re-laid and the whole set was revived with shellac and wax rather than a new film finish.
The set went home solid, glowing, and unmistakably itself — then hosted Christmas dinner for fourteen two weeks later. That is the outcome we build for.
Services used: Wood Repairs and Restoration, Custom Furniture
— Result
Zero visible repairs
Every mend and splice hides in grain and shadow — the family cannot find them, and they know where to look.
— Result
Daily use, approved
Cleared for another generation of dinners, homework and elbows, with a care sheet on the fridge.
Keep Exploring
