When you spend a lot of money on furniture, you want to know it will be kept in the best condition possible. It might be something you buy for yourself, an antique you found for a bargain or something handed down the generations of your family. At some point, all furniture starts to look a little worse for wear, and you have to choose between letting it get worse, or having it repaired. To help you understand what you might need, we’ve summarised the 4 main types of furniture repair for you in this blog.
General Repairs
First, you have the general furniture repairers. These are the people you come to if you have some wood splintering, warped metal or general wear and tear that needs fixing. This covers replacing table or chair legs or repairing any damage to the structure of the furniture. General furniture repairs also covers resurfacing, including stripping or sanding the old surface, filling gaps and holes with wood filler and refinishing it with stain, varnish, paint, polish, lacquer, or wax. While most of the skills involved in general furniture repair are woodworking and carpentry, there are other elements that need to be brought in as well.
Reupholstery
Upholstery can arguably fall under the general repairs heading except this kind of repair is limited exclusively to structural damage, padding and coverings. Often the old coverings and pads will be removed, and the structural repairs will be done first. Once the piece is sound, they will create a new set of padding and coverings according to your specs and design. Coverings can be made from fabric or leather, and the upholsterer will often have to craft new padding for the furniture before they are covered, which is a highly specialised skill. A good upholsterer has a keen knowledge of fabric and a sound understanding of woodwork.
Antique Restoration
Some furniture repair companies will specialise specifically in the repair and restoration of antique furniture. This kind of restoration requires a lot of skill, knowledge and experience, not to mention the right tools to handle delicate pieces. Most restorers can perform small repairs on site, but will take in bigger projects to work on in their own workshops. Antique restoration can cover anything from chairs and sofas to sideboard, bookshelves, dining room tables and more. French Polishing is one technique we use.
Buying and Reselling
This type of business might not much use to an end consumer, but is incredibly useful for auction houses antiques dealerships. This kind of restorer makes their business by buying antiques and old furniture, repairing and restoring it, and then selling it on for a small profit. This kind of business ensures only high quality, safe antiques are sold, and provides a thriving second-hand market.
At Abbey Group, we specialise in restoring antique furniture, reupholstering and repairing furniture of all shapes and sizes. We have decades of experience, and we understand and appreciate those unique passions we all feel for our most treasured possessions. When you have a piece repairs or restored by us, we guarantee the greatest care will be taken at every stage, and your beloved furniture will be returned in better condition than before. To find out more, please just get in touch with us today.
