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February 19, 2008
Reco's for furniture refinishing?
I'd like to have this table refinished (it has a lot of water damage on the top) and a replacement leaf made. Ideally, I'd like it stained a darker color as well.
Does anyone have a recommendation of someone they have used before? I know there are a lot of shops on Atlantic avenue but I haven't had the best luck finding someone reliable.
Any idea of what I should be paying for this work would also be helpful.
Comments
We've been happy with Boerum Hill Restoration on Atlantic near Bond.
Posted by: slopefarm at February 19, 2008 12:10 PM
You can contact us.
www.waterhousebuilders.com
Posted by: whb at February 19, 2008 1:13 PM
ARS Antiqua are just great. They did some amazing work for us several years ago, which still looks fantastic.
They were also very nice people to deal with. Really, I couldn't recommend them enough.
http://www.antiques-repair.com
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 2:03 PM
Slope and guest - can you give me a sense of the pricing you paid? It may not be the same project but I'd like to get a general sense of how much these things cost.
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at February 19, 2008 2:16 PM
2:03 here.
My large table was in terrible shape, and I had it totally stripped (out of curiosity, I went to look at it when the wood was bare) and then they re-finished it. It was a very lengthy process as it has intricate carvings in it. Together with 6 chairs, I paid about 2,000.
For a while I thought it was a lot, but it's a heirlom (4 generations in my wife's family) and absolutely beatiful. We love it, use it every day and 4 years later, it looks as beautiful. Worth every penny.
If this sounds a lot to you, don't worry (yet) as different pieces require different amounts of work and yours may be easier. Also, estimates are free. Get one.
Good luck.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 2:54 PM
Thanks but that is way too much for me. Im not sure what was done to your piece but this table isn't worth anywhere near that. I wouldn't spend more on repairing it than its worth.
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at February 19, 2008 3:23 PM
Hey Mrs. Limestone:
Stripping wood is not that hard, surely, along with everything else you have done, you could manage that!
However making a new leaf is a whole different issue. Then there's the question of what kind of wood, and is it solid, or veneer.
I hate, hate, hate re-staining old furniture. A table that old already has much of the grain concealed due to the darkening/aging of the shellac, varnish, or whatever. Stripping it and sealing with a new clear finish will allow the grain to show through beneath the stain that already exists.
However it may be tricky to refinish if the water damage has penetrated to the wood.
It really depends on what value the table has, both intrinsically and to you.
Posted by: denton at February 19, 2008 3:45 PM
As someone said, get an estimate, they are free.
Don't shy away from a project just because of what someone else paid for a potentially different thing.
Think of how much and how little people seem to pay for renovations.. this could be the same thing.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 4:01 PM
I dont have the skills for this. I might be able to do the top but I couldn't do the legs or the details. I want someone who knows what they are doing - and thats definitely not me.
The table doesn't have much value to me. Its a nice table and I feel like its far too much of a waste to trash it just to buy another table. But its not ideal either (its too wide, not long enough, damaged and the wrong color). But if its going to cost me thousands to have it refinished, then its not worth it. I might as well buy a table I really love for that kind of dough.
Am I being unrealistic that this should only cost a few hundred bucks? I dont want to waste someones time to get an estimate if they are so far beyond what I want to pay. Im sure they have better things to do than dealing with my cheapness :)
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at February 19, 2008 4:14 PM
This will definitely cost more than a few hundred bucks. Any any really cheap bid will likely mean that it will be a bad strip job followed by a coat or two of shiny poly. I don't think this is what you want given your lovely reno.
And getting a leaf made, even one that doesn't match the current table perfectly, takes some skill and is not inexpensive.
FWIW, I like the table--and you might be hard pressed to find something new or vintage or antique of that quality for only $2-3K.
Posted by: tinarina at February 19, 2008 4:56 PM
tina - have you had some similar work done? Who did you use?
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at February 19, 2008 5:17 PM
Ok, i know you said you don't want to attempt this yourself but believe me I'm no expert DIY-er and I've had a couple of great experiences with Howard Restor-A-Finish. It's a one-step refinisher you can buy at most good hardware stores. Comes in a can for about $11.00, available in various colors. It contains fairly gentle solvents that allow you to clean most dirt and old wax etc off a piece of furniture, plus stain to bring back the color. You can then wax or oil the piece. It doesn't strip out the original patina. It took me 30 minutes to complete a small mahoghany side table (from the 1840s) and about 90 minutes to tackle a substantial oak chest of drawers (from the 1790s). I mention the date of these pieces because I know my way around antiques and wouldn't use anything on them that would cause damage. That said, they were both in pretty rough condition to begin with so the risk was minimal. Water damage that appears as a cloudy area can sometimes be fixed with this stuff. Water damage where the wood has turned black can't be fixed at all -- unless of course you replace the damaged area with new veneer. I agree with the above posters that a professional refinisher will charge you a pretty penny. I can't see this costing less than $500. Also, in terms of the replacement leaf, consider having it made out of plywood and covering with a tablecloth when you need to use the extra leaf. Your table appears to be early 20th century and probably not worth much more than $3-500. Good luck.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 6:33 PM
Thanks guest. Maybe Ill give that a try. Agreed this table is not worth very much - certainly not enough to warrant thousands in refurbishing. Its just that its already here and not in terrible shape.
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at February 20, 2008 9:02 AM
Tamer and tamer on baltic
Posted by: guest at February 20, 2008 11:30 PM
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