Our Process: How We Do It

The best way to truly explain who we are is to fully describe for you the total process from pick-up to delivery. When the furniture arrives it is immediately labeled with a detailed work order. A man is assigned the task of disassembling your furniture, the hardware is removed, glass and mirrors stored and upholstery torn down to the bare frame.

The furniture is now ready for stripping. We strip ONLY by hand using a solvent exclusively designed and prepared for us. We DO NOT dip, or submerge in caustic solutions or water hose under high pressure; nothing that can harm your furniture. Our next concern is the physical well being of your furniture. Our experienced and talented craftsmen will make all necessary repairs; everything from basic re-gluing of chairs to veneering, inlaying and marquetry, intricate carvings and turnings and fabricating missing pieces and parts.

All our repair work is guaranteed in writing for as long as you own it. If your furniture needs our attention, we will honor the guarantee AT NO CHARGE.

Now, your furniture is ready for sanding. This is a multiple stage procedure using a variety of types of sandpaper as dictated by the uniqueness of each piece of furniture. We sand both by hand and machine. At the completion of the sanding process, we will invite you to the shop, your participation is important. The decision as to what your furniture will look like is very personal and we want your input.

Rather than showing you prepared samples, chips or blocks of wood, your furniture is our sample. We make our own stains and we mix directly from pigment. Samples are applied to your furniture, not another piece of wood and adjusted at your direction. This process guarantees that what comes home is exactly what you choose it to be.

We apply finish coats of catalyzed lacquer expressly formulated for us by one of the major manufacturers of professional coatings in the United States. Catalyzed lacquer is universally accepted as the premier furniture finish and is available in dead flat to a super high gloss and everywhere in between. The choice of finish is yours. Our state of the art spray system guarantees the highest quality professional results.

Lastly, the furniture is hand rubbed with super FINE (OOOO) steel wool and paste wax. Hardware is polished, furniture reassembled and then your finished furniture is delivered to you.

To Strip or Not to Strip

“To strip or not to strip,” that is the question.

With all due respect to Mr. Shakespeare and the Antiques Roadshow, the vast majority, over 90% of the 2500-3500 individual pieces we handle each year, are worth more, not less after they are refinished. This furniture is mostly mass manufactured mid and early 20th-century furniture. It should be finished in a fashion appropriate to style and period.

Those pieces that should not be refinished belong to a very special group of furniture that is unique to a small group of collectors. it is furniture of a specific style and period usually attributed to a particular cabinet maker or a particular locale. Compromising the integrity of such pieces is totally inappropriate.

With our many years of experience, I will gladly advise you as to how your furniture should be treated.