Antique Furniture Restoration
Can anyone please recommend an expert in antique furniture restoration? I need some repair work done on two antique desks, one of which is revolutionary war era (broken hinge, cracked wood). Thanks!
Can anyone please recommend an expert in antique furniture restoration? I need some repair work done on two antique desks, one of which is revolutionary war era (broken hinge, cracked wood). Thanks!
What you described could be a simple fix or a real fabrication effort. Does the hinge need replacing altogether? That could be an expensive and delicate procedure, and if the pieces are indeed valuable beyond the sentimental level, then you will probably want to find someone who specializes not just in metal fabrication, but in antique american, and then specifically 18th century. Restoration is a very diverse field, and just because someone can fix an antique desk, it doesn’t mean they can fix yours. One alternative would be to contact a high-end american gallery (hirschl & adler, sumpter priddy, etc) and see if they can recommend someone. Jonathan Burden in Tribeca is highly skilled, but not sure if he does american. I wouldn’t find some guy on atlantic, etc.
Or you could try Omar’s former employer- Tamer Restoration. His name is Tamer Tamer (718)855-9530 or (917)353-3173 and he specializes in antique furniture, not to be confused with his brother Adel who fabricates new stuff.
The link below is a good place to start. It’s a conservation FAQ worth reading, with a conservator search feature. The exact nature of the work will determine who to speak with about the repairs: http://www.conservation-us.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=498&parentID=472
Another way to approach the repair is to have the piece appraised, get a good idea of its current value, and discuss the benefit of repairs and recommended specialists with the appraiser: http://www.appraisersassoc.org/
Try Artistic Wood Crafts — they do wood everything and have redone 2 pieces for me including my mothers breakfront. Call Omar at 646-541-3409 — he is a very nice and honest person.