Furniture Repair and Furniture Restoration Experts

Start by selecting a professional, reliable furniture craftsman. finding a qualified professional furniture repairman or furniture restoration expert in the Atlanta area does not have to be a difficult or unpleasant task. By following these basic guidelines you will not only make the selection process easier, but you will also be prepared to make an informed decision that best suits your needs for furniture repair or furniture restoration.

1. Employ furniture craftsman with an established business.
2. Furniture craftsman should have a list of past satisfied customers.
3. Furniture craftsman should have served an apprenticeship. (Four years or more.)
4. Always be sure that company is properly licensed and insured and performs background checks on all employees that will be coming into your home or business.
5. Check the furniture craftsman with local offices of consumer affairs: Dunn & Bradstreet, Better Business Bureau, Moving Companies or Insurance Companies. For the best-qualified furniture repairman, call a moving company or insurance company for references.
6. When interviewing furniture repair companies for your project do not blindly accept the lowest estimate. Ask why they are higher or lower on estimate. Make sure all are doing the same thing with your fine furniture. Oftentimes a higher price may be worth the cost of better materials and furniture service.
7. Choose a company as you would a doctor, lawyer, mechanic, builder, website designer or electrician that you would feel at ease with.
8. Make sure your estimate is in writing, explaining in detail steps to be taken: repair, restoration, refinishing, etc.

1. Furniture should not be placed in direct sunlight.
2. Furniture should not be placed close to heat vents to prevent heat damage to furniture.
3. Silicone polish should not be used to avoid damage to the finish of your furniture.
4. Harmful household products such as fingernail polish should not be used near wood.
5. Felt should be used for backing on lamps, ashtrays, etc.
6. Chemical damage can be caused from synthetic, rubber or items made of plastic.
7. Dust furniture weekly with a soft cotton cloth
8. Polish furniture monthly with a quality grade polish, leave on for 30 minutes, then buff off, also polish the underside of furniture once a year
9. Antiques - check for dryness... Season cracks regularly.
10. When you move to different climates wood will swell, warp, etc.
11. We recommend you call a professional when questions about furniture maintenance when in doubt.

1. A thorough examination should be done first before repairs are attempted. Proper tools, correct glue, appropriate parts in keeping with the piece, good skills and years of proper training. Many quality pieces have been depreciated by poor repairs, causing it to lose a lot of its charm and beauty.
2. In order to avoid the least amount of damage to the wood surface, short cuts should not be taken. It is important that proper technique be used. The methods such as heat and mechanical vats should not be used, as they can destroy wood surface, lift veneer, damage joints and texture after years of use. The best and least harmful method of removing an old finished is the use of a good commercial paint removal; hand strip only.
3. Complete restoration of antiques and collectables requires all the skill and craftsmanship of many years of experience. Many beautiful antiques are ruined by beginners and people with lack of knowledge of wood. When the original finish is in good condition, it should not be removed. A lot of beauty lies in an old finish. To preserve the finish, it should be cleaned, buildup removed and restored by hand. The French Polish finish is one of the most desirable, beautiful, finest finishes or all.
4. Preparation is very important, because the end result of the final finish depends on how good the wood has been prepared. Proper filling of dents, scratches and gouges, along with sanding, gives you a good idea of how the pieces will look.
5. Refinishing. When choosing the finish, consider the type of wood- Walnut, mahogany, pine, etc. Some of the most common types of finish material are lacquer, oil, shellac, varnish, polyurethane and waxes. All require different procedures. There are three basic types of finish. • High Gloss • Satin • Flat Also, there is the French Polish rubbed finish done by hand. This is seldom used, except on fine antique period furniture or fine reproduction pieces.
6. The basic steps for lacquer finish. First, make sure the surface is sanded properly. Second, the correct use of stain and filler maintains the wood's natural look, without dark or light areas. Third, a good grade sealer applied properly and sanded between coats is needed (too much can cause the top finish to be less durable). Forth, is a good grade lacquer applied properly, sanded between coats and hand rubbed or buffed to a proper sheen.
7. Lacquer Finish. We use the highest grade lacquer. Unlike a polyester, it can be touched up and repairs can be effective on this type of material. Alcohol and water resistant lacquers are also available.

To begin with, we must remember that wood is an organic, natural material made up of long fibers which carry sap from the wood to the leaves and ti is extremely uneven, unreliable and subject to unpredictable behavior. This is possible because of the ability of the wood to absorb the sap or moisture. There is a disadvantage in this continued absorption. Long after the wood has been cut, it continues to have the capacity of absorbing and throwing off moisture, according to the atmosphere in which it stands, and from this springs all the evils of warping and splitting, cracking and twisting.

I think from this we can see that wood inhales and exhales water with change in humidity. This causes movement always across the grain. Normally there is not enough movement along the grain to cause a problem. The problem with mood movement has not been something woodworkers have always faced as much as they have in recent years. The old maker didn't have to worry much because the pieces they built rarely left the vicinity in which they were built. The advantage of controlled heating and air conditioning has brought about a lot of changes. I can give you an example of an account I had that shipped several old chest in from England - when they arrived in Atlanta, they were fine but once they stayed here awhile they began to split on the sides and top. her you can see what climatic changes can do. Wood does move!

The large floating panels were designed so wood could move. This keeps the panel from overpowering the frame. I fell once we understand wood better and what transpires we can explain to our customers what causes doors and drawers not to close properly, along with chest that split, table topes that warp, bow, etc. I have normally been able to convince customers that movers have no control over wood movement. Usually all of this takes place when someone moves from a dry climate like Colorado to wet climates like Georgia. I feel a claim should always be denied when caused from climate changes.

I won't discuss how to make repairs due to all of us having different techniques. I also feel that we need to keep in mind that wood is subject to unpredictable behavior. It inhales, exhales and we need to leave room for it to move. If you try to prevent wood movement you are asking for trouble. Remember, wood moves!

Thanks,
Max Falls