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Restoration Job Of The Week..... We were missing the pieces of plaster that had broken off this frame, so we fabricated new parts and finished/ antiqued to match.
A little about Antique Furniture 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 sometimes 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. 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. When we can reasonably do so, we will use 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.
At The Studio we use the finest shellac available, and we always mix our own. Also, when possible veneer repairs are performed using matched veneer of the same species. We stock over many different types of veneer... a few we have are old growth that have been handed down and are 60 to 70 years old. Much of our glue work is done with hide glue, and we can remanufacture most missing parts.
At The Restoration Studio we pay attention to detail, and that is what we feel true Antique Furniture restoration is all about!
A Few Picture Sets of Our Restoration Work
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We Also sell uniquely refinished and restored high quality furnishings
Voted Best Of Philadelphia 2011 by the USCA
With Instructor Rodney Keyser
A truly unique website, brought to you by The Restoration Studio. Tips, techniques, tricks and advise on how to refinish, repair & restore old wood furnishings
Howard Products, Family of Fine Wood Care Products
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