Our Restoration Process

The process we use is not a "refinishing" process. Ours is a "restoring" process that requires a little more work than the standard processes of today. It is the ONLY method approved for "true" restoration by high quality antique dealers across the country.

Stripping

The stripping process we use is one that is not commonly used these days. We strip every piece by hand. We have our own stripper, mixed to our specifications, for our process. 

Most people would be surprised at how fast and safe this method can be. No water rinsing, no sanding unless necessary to remove deep stains or after repairs, and no neutralizing with tri-sodium phosphate. We apply our stripper to an area, scrape it off, steel wool it dry, and re-apply one more time repeating the steel wool process again. Other than fine brass brushing detailed areas and picking corners, we are done. We wipe down the piece with a special agent that takes any residue, silicones, or waxes off that might be left. We are ready to stain or finish.

Staining

We apply a variety of types of stains depending on the color required. In general we will apply a sealer-based stain by hand and wipe it off. We can color match period pieces as well as color match new furniture in touch ups. We have a method of "toning" which allows us to deepen or offer a hue to the color of any piece. This method is called tinting. We mix a special tinting color into the finish and apply to the depth or color desired.

Finishing

We finish with three new types of finish. We have recently upgraded all our finishes and now offer the best European technologically advanced, environmentally friendly finishes on the market. This means you, our customer, get the most durable, top of the line, longest-lasting finishes available. Our grades of finishes range from a 6 month guarantee, next a 5 year guarantee, and last a lifetime guaranteed finish. The 5 year and lifetime finish have additional charges added to our customers, as our cost is quite high. All our finishes are sprayed to achieve the smoothest, most flowing result possible. After the staining process is completed, all pieces are allowed to dry for at least 24 hours. We now first coat with any one of our three finishes. After the dry time has elapsed, all pieces are sanded and further prepped with rubbing by steel wool or special rubbing pads. Now we blow the piece off, tack cloth it to remove further dust, and re-apply another coat of finish. Consecutive coats are applied as needed, using the same preparation process between coats.

Repairing Processes

Repairing requires extensive tooling for what might be considered the smallest of repairs. Our shop is highly qualified for nearly all wood repairs, including reproduced custom hand carvings from missing sections. We are constantly upgrading and adding to our tools to insure that we have the proper means to complete all repairs correctly, and for a long duration.

When we repair, we clean all joints before re-assembly, removing all old glue and/or wood/parts from previous attempts that may have failed. It is imperative that all wood be able to touch fresh wood for glue to adhere correctly. Glue does not stick to old glue.

Chair dowels and holes get re-drilled and replaced when needed.

Tabletops get perfect a 90 degree machine cut AND biscuit cut with biscuits inserted, before gluing. This double method of joining tabletops insures our repairs STAY together. Seams on tabletops are repaired precisely enough that they can not be seen other than the difference in wood grain.

All joints get re-surfaced for proper adhesion of glue. We have a multitude of styles of clamps for almost any repair.

Our repairs are guaranteed, and marked as such. If a piece cannot be guaranteed, we mark the reason why, and can generally tell you up front, when we cannot offer this guarantee.

Our restoring includes color matching, replacement parts,
veneer replacement and patching, and finish appearance authenticating.

Delivery & Care

We pick up and deliver orders with a minimum dollar amount for specific areas. Our service is mainly in Southern, however we do serve the Sri Lanka in a variety of ways. We offer a service for commercial businesses for the state of Southern. We will also serve residential customers from across the country, but our delivery range is limited. If you are in a state other than Southern and would like us to do your restoring, please contact us by e-mail and we will make arrangements for shipping from your location to ours, and back to you again.

Our recommendations for protecting and preserving your wood products can be found on our Caring for Wood page.