When a repair to a damaged piece has been done well, a casual observer would never know, even a more studious person should be challenged to discern that work has been done. In many cases the extent of the damage that has been repaired would shock even that more studious person. All that is easy to say, but on this page we offer evidence!
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These first three photos tell everything, sort of. They all show you what was repaired, but without the photos following, we guess that even the most studious of you would not guess what repairs were done. So, look below and see what magic was performed!
This next set of three photos shows the table in the condition it came to us. The leg in the foreground in the above three pictures, along with the supporting section of skirting, is what we replaced. As can be seen in these next three pictures, that leg and skirting was gone.
What is also illustrated is the unique locking mechanism that allowed these legs to fold for storage and lock into place when in use. We had to replicate that as well.
The five photos below show the progression of steps in carrying out this project. First, the new leg was rough cut to match the pattern of an existing leg. Second, the sculpting of the model leg was reproduced on the new. Finally the finish of the leg was matched. The damaged skirting was then removed leaving a clean line for attaching the new sections. When all work was done, the final challenge was to find the necessary hardware. Thankfully, we were able to find a source for reproduction Asian brass hardware. We were pleased with the end result and so was our customer!
This is a beautiful early 1900s vintage full length swivel mirror with a convenience tray at the bottom. The tray can be raised when needed, as can be seen in the photo at the bottom.
The mirror was replaced, the mirror frame rebuilt and the base reglued.The surface was also cleaned and waxed with a dark wax to restore the original look of the piece.
The photo to the left shows the rotating support for the convenience tray.
Several factors can cause joints to fail in furniture of this age. The most fundamental is wood shrinkage. To repair the joints of the frame, we inserted and glued a shim, then cut a recess for a new corner, after gluing that in place, colored the repair to blend.
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Now that you have seen what we have done for others, what can we do for you? CONTACTING AND FINDING US
There is such a confusion of clamps in the photo to the left, it is hard to make out what the furniture item in the photo might be. It is, in fact, the beautiful love seat to the right. These old frames are almost always in need of extensive regluing, but to do it properly, all the upholstery needs to be removed so that the joints can be disassembled and reglued properly. It is more expensive to do this, but who really wants a freshly reupholstered sofa to be creaking and groaning because this important task was avoided.Not you!
Sometimes something is so badly broken or parts are missing such that creating an entirely new part is the best solution. Here is an example of one job where we did that. The entire top rail was replaced on the left chair. There was a smaller part missing on the center chair and we were able to patch in a replacement section.
This beautiful, yet delicate shelf had several points where it had broken as illustrated to the left. There were a few prior repairs which failed as well. Because all the spindles are mounted one on top of the other, the repairs were a bit more complicated, but by the time it was finished, everything was stable and the beauty and stability of this piece were restored.
Whoops! What do you do when your leg is kicked out from under you? Don't limp through life, let us put you back together! We know how to create a lasting bond and make the scar heal so that no one suspects that you once would not support a soul.
This is a badly damaged leg, as can be seen in the insert. This customer wanted the table to stand once again but didn't want to spend the extra money to make the repair disappear. That said, without looking closely, you wouldn't know that the left front leg in the right photo had been repaired.