Copyright © 2005 The Restoration Studio

A little about restoration and few ways that
                restoration and conservation differ from refinishing.               

 

The true process of restoration/conservation should not be confused with refinishing, although the two processes are often blended together on

many projects.  Often times, the antiques that make their way to us are

in such a state of disrepair, a new finish is required. In these situations,

much care is taken to replicate the original finish. The definition of

restoration is to bring back to a former or original condition; to reconstruct or repair

something so to restore it to its original or former state.

    Restoration can be performed on objects of any age. If original or prior condition is

the goal, restoration is the term of the process used to achieve that goal.

    We believe "original" is the key word and the basis of our restoration philosophy,

keeping in mind that an object does not always need excessive age to have value. 

Much of the restoration that we do is on antique furniture.  There are different thoughts

on determining how old furniture should be to be classified as an "antique".  Most will

say 100 years. A few others will claim that true antiques were only made by hand,

discounting all furniture made after the Industrial Revolution.  At The Studio, we

classify anything over 100 years old as antique.  Furniture built prior to the Industrial

Revolution would be considered a "period" antique.

    Although all restoration projects differ, the goal is generally the same. That is, to

return that item to as close to its original condition as possible, using the same type of

materials that were used in the original construction.

    It's important to note that when restoring antiques, that the aim should be to preserve

as much of the originality of the item as possible.  When restoring antiques we try not

to remove original finishes unless we have to.  When we do, we try sanding. Once you

start sanding an antique, you lose much of the original patina. At that point it begins to

stray from what we believe to be a true restoration.

    At The Studio we use the finest shellac available, and we always mix our own. 

Also, all veneer repairs are performed using meticulously matched veneer of the same

species. We stock over 35 different types of veneer... some are old growth that have

been handed down and are 60 to 70 years old.  All glue work is done with hide glue.

We try to reuse all of the original nails and screws, and use old timber when possible.

We can remanufacture and re-carve most missing parts... as well as turn exact copies

of missing or destroyed legs.

    At The Restoration Studio we pay attention to detail, and that is what we feel true

restoration is all about!