Furniture Refurbishing
The exciting part about working with previously-loved furniture is that no two projects are alike. I'm never entirely sure how a project will unfold until my hands start getting dirty. With any refurbishing project, perfection is unlikely, but beauty is certain. Below are the services I offer and some things for you to consider when planning your furniture facelift.
Upholstery Considerations
The decision to reupholster a piece of furniture is simultaneously practical and sentimental. I am wholeheartedly a proponent of refurbishing furniture, but I always tell clients that sometimes it just doesn't make financial sense to reupholster a piece when you can purchase something new for a reasonable cost (and maybe even offset the cost by selling your old piece of furniture). As much as I would like to keep them out of the landfill, it is never going to make financial sense to reupholster a sofa from IKEA. You can almost certainly purchase something new, of a similar quality, for less than the cost of upholstery. I don't say that to knock IKEA - we have plenty of flatpack furniture passing through our house, and it's serving us well, especially while our kids are young and things are getting destroyed. (Of course the kids aren't responsible for the destruction. It's some magical fairies who seem to come out when no one is around and jump on the couch or spill their milk.) But there's a reason it's so affordable to furniture shop at IKEA. The materials and the way it's produced are just cheaper. When it's worn out, it's done for.
However, if you have a piece with high quality insides, or that has sentimental or antique value, or that just functions perfectly for your life, then worn fabric isn't necessarily a death sentence. The sticker prices for new furniture that is built to last several generations can be a real shock. When clients run into this, I often suggest they look to secondhand stores. If you purchase a vintage sofa for $100 that's been built to weather a nuclear bomb, but may look like it's been enjoyed by a family of tigers, you can have it reupholstered in the perfect fabric and you'll end up with a piece that's spot on for your space in terms of style and quality.
However, if you have a piece with high quality insides, or that has sentimental or antique value, or that just functions perfectly for your life, then worn fabric isn't necessarily a death sentence. The sticker prices for new furniture that is built to last several generations can be a real shock. When clients run into this, I often suggest they look to secondhand stores. If you purchase a vintage sofa for $100 that's been built to weather a nuclear bomb, but may look like it's been enjoyed by a family of tigers, you can have it reupholstered in the perfect fabric and you'll end up with a piece that's spot on for your space in terms of style and quality.
How I can help
- Reupholster any piece from a simple dining chair to an oversize sofa
- Assist with fabric selection
- Source and order fabric
- Replace or supplement padding (foam, feathers, cotton, poly fill, hog hair)
- Create new cushion covers
- Repair springs
- Reinforce saggy sofas and chairs
- Repair furniture framework
- Tuft and make fabric-covered buttons
- Trim with welt, gimp, decorative nails
Refinishing Wood Furniture
Removing the existing finish and replacing it with a new stain and protective finish is an art that is labor-intensive, but also results in a beautifully transformed piece of wood furniture. The most important consideration when it comes to refinishing a piece is whether or not it is solid hardwood (or a veneer over a lesser quality wood). A solid hardwood piece will refinish beautifully. Stripping and sanding remove any paint, varnish, stain, and scratches or wear marks in the wood. Then, fresh stain and protective topcoat will preserve it for years to come. Polyurethane is a traditional oil-based finish that protects the wood by providing a protective layer on top of the wood. It is very durable, but will yellow over time, so crystal clear water-based topcoats may be preferable. Alternatively, the wood can be left unstained and natural, or protected with oil. Tung oil, for example, is applied in multiple thin coats that the wood absorbs, so the furniture is essentially protected from the inside. The result is more natural and subtle than topcoat. However your piece is protected, a final application of wax can leave you with a pristine, smooth sheen.
The grain wraps around all four sides. If you looked at the bottom, you'd see the same pattern as on the top. This table is solid maple.
Veneer on wood furniture can often be difficult to identify, but it's quite common on mass produced furniture, even high-end furniture. Think of veneer like wrapping paper - it is a thin, pretty layer that covers the real product underneath. The pretty veneer layer is real wood, just a very thin piece, which makes it easy to manipulate and decorate with. Ideally the wood structure underneath the veneer is a solid wood product, like oak, fruitwood, poplar, or sometimes plywood, rather than manufactured wood, like mdf or particle board. Manufacturers go to great lengths to disguise veneer, so people are often surprised to hear that their furniture is not solid hardwood. A dresser can be very heavy and feel solidly built but still not be solid hardwood. The presence of veneer doesn't necessarily mean the piece is a lower quality. In fact, the use of veneer has been quite common throughout the history of furniture production because it allows for a rich appearance, with great details, at a fraction of the cost it would take to manipulate a solid piece of hardwood. A wood veneer end table that you find at IKEA is going to be of a significantly lower quality than a wood veneer Lane end table from the 50's, even though the concept is very much the same. When applied properly over a quality core of wood, a veneer will adhere and last for a lifetime. Because veneer is a thin layer, refinishing it presents a greater challenge. The margin for error is very small when it comes to sanding to remove existing finish and imperfections. Some imperfections are simply too deep to remove without sanding all the way through the veneer. Additionally, the depth of the grain in veneer does not always provide the same dramatic results you see when you refinish the natural grain in solid hardwood furniture. If any veneer is chipped, missing, or significantly worn, the final results will be compromised. Veneer in poor condition is often a good candidate for patching and painting. |
This antique Biedermeier table has a veneer top, and it’s selling for $4,700. The wedge-shaped details on the top would not be easy to achieve without the use of veneer.
The wood grain on the table top stops at the edges and meets a veneer band. The band has a different pattern altogether, and you can see the thin line that shows the thickness of the veneer.
The grain on the bottom of the table is running across the diameter of the table, not in wedge shaped pieces like on the top. Different grain patterns = veneer.
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Alternatives to Refinishing
If you decide that fully refinishing your wood furniture is not the way to go, there are still options to revive the wood. Touching up any completely missing stain or scratches and applying a fresh layer of topcoat for continued protection can be surprisingly effective. Some light sanding still needs to be done in preparation, but the labor involved is significantly less. Additionally, sometimes a good clean and polish can truly make the wood look freshly refinished, much the same way a good moisturizer can replenish your dry skin.
Painting Your Pieces
A coat of paint can work wonders for an outdated or damaged piece of furniture. Just about anything can be painted - wood, veneer, metal, laminate, glass, leather - with the proper preparation. I always start out by sanding to remove any loose finish, smooth out imperfections, and rough up the surface to increase adhesion. 2-coats of a high quality primer seal any stains, help eliminate odors, and create a surface that paint will easily adhere to. While I am happy to use other options at a client's request, my choice for furniture is a satin latex paint, either from Clark+Kensington or Benjamin Moore. The individual project dictates whether the paint will be brushed, rolled, or sprayed, but several coats are necessary to achieve a deep color. I'm able to color-match just about any paint brand/name you bring me.
While many people will tell you that prep-primer-paint are all you need, I insist on top coating every piece that comes into my workshop. General Finishes High Performance Topcoat gives furniture a crystal clear layer of protection from everyday wear. Painted furniture is going to show wear and nicks - that's just what paint does. But the goal is to prolong the life of the paint job, and General Finishes topcoat does that. It comes in sheens from matte to glossy, takes about 3-weeks to fully cure to its final hardness, and requires no follow up maintenance.
While many people will tell you that prep-primer-paint are all you need, I insist on top coating every piece that comes into my workshop. General Finishes High Performance Topcoat gives furniture a crystal clear layer of protection from everyday wear. Painted furniture is going to show wear and nicks - that's just what paint does. But the goal is to prolong the life of the paint job, and General Finishes topcoat does that. It comes in sheens from matte to glossy, takes about 3-weeks to fully cure to its final hardness, and requires no follow up maintenance.
Furniture Fixes
Rarely does a piece come into the workshop that doesn't have a few cobwebs, missing screws, and some loose joints. Whether the movers broke an arm off your favorite rocking chair, a button has popped off your tufted sofa, or your puppy has been using a dining chair as a chew toy, many imperfections can be easily addressed. If you're bringing your piece in to be upholstered, painted, or refinished, I'll always address any repairs before I get started improving the appearance, but I'm happy to make repairs even if I'm not going to be giving your furniture a facelift.
How Else Can I Help?
- Custom decorative pillows in a variety of shapes and sizes
- Antique caned and rush chair repairs
- Custom bench cushions
- Room design consultation
- Fabric sourcing and ordering
- Project consultation to help you navigate a DIY project
- Transportation of items to/from the workshop
- Have an idea for a project? Send me a message - I'm always excited to take on a new challenge.