Antique Furniture Restoration in Sarasota, FL

Signs an heirloom needs a restorer's attention

These are the problems families most often bring us:

• Veneer bubbling in the middle of a top or lifting at the edges and corners
• Chips of veneer missing from drawer fronts and banding
• Drawers that stick, rack sideways or drop because the runners have worn
• A solid top split along the grain where it was screwed down too tightly
• Feet or casters working loose, or a leg that has cracked at a joint
• A finish gone dark, cloudy or crackled until the grain is hard to see

Most of these are structural and can be fixed while the old surface stays put.

What Florida humidity does to old glue and veneer

Much of the antique furniture in Sarasota homes was built somewhere else, often in cooler and drier northern states, then trucked south with a family move. Older pieces were usually assembled with animal hide glue, which softens with heat and moisture. Here, a chest spends humid summers beside open windows or in a closed-up seasonal house, then dry months in strong air conditioning. Each swing makes solid wood move against veneer and glue that cannot follow it.

Veneer lets go, drawer bottoms split, tops crack, and joints that held for a century start to wiggle. Unconditioned storage units speed it all up.

Should an antique be appraised before restoration?

For anything that might carry real value, yes. To many collectors, the original finish and the wear it shows are part of what makes a period piece worth owning, and a stripped and refinished surface cannot be put back. An appraiser can tell you what the piece is and what kind of work would or would not affect it. We are woodworkers, not appraisers, and we will not guess at a dollar value.

With that answer in hand, we can talk through how far to go. Antique restoration ranges from a light conservation cleaning to a full antique refinishing, and the right point on that range depends on whether the piece is mainly an investment, a family keepsake, or furniture you plan to use every day.

Ivory, rosewood and other rules that follow an antique

Restoring a freestanding antique is not building work, so no permit or Chapter 489 contractor license applies; licensed trades handle any mantel or bar tied into walls, wiring or plumbing. Federal wildlife rules matter more. Brazilian rosewood has been on CITES Appendix I since 1992, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service restricts commercial sale of items with elephant ivory, such as old inlay or escutcheons. We never patch with ivory or other protected materials, so lost ivory inlay is replaced in bone or another legal material. Keep papers showing a piece's age for an appraiser working to USPAP.

Antique restoration at three levels, gentlest first

Conserve the surface

We remove old wax, grime and polish buildup, consolidate loose finish and fix structural problems underneath. The piece looks cleaner but still clearly old. This keeps the most value and suits pieces headed for appraisal or sale.

Revive the original finish

Many early finishes are shellac or lacquer, which can be softened and blended back together rather than stripped. Crackled or cloudy areas often even out, scratches fade, and a few thin new coats sit on top. It costs less than stripping and keeps the patina.

Restore and refinish

When a finish has failed completely, been painted over or was already stripped by an earlier owner, we take it back and refinish with materials appropriate to the period. The piece looks fresh, but the original surface is gone, which is the trade-off to weigh.

Every level starts the same way, with condition photos and structural repairs; the level only decides how much original surface we touch.

How do we re-lay lifting or missing veneer?

Veneer repair starts with cleaning the old, crystallized glue out from under the loose area, because fresh glue cannot grab dust and failed adhesive. We then work in new hide glue, press the veneer down with padded cauls and clamps or a veneer hammer, and leave it until the glue has fully set.

Where veneer is missing, we cut a patch from veneer stock chosen for species, figure and grain direction, shape it to an irregular outline that hides the seam, and color it to the surrounding wood. A good patch is hard to spot from a normal viewing distance.

Antique furniture restoration in Sarasota, from intake to pickup

1. 1

   History and photographs

   Tell us what you know about the piece, and send pictures of the front, back, underside and any labels or marks.

2. 2

   The appraisal question

   If value is uncertain, we pause here so you can have it appraised before any work.

3. 3

   Intake at Lewis Ave

   Deliver it by appointment, or ask us to collect a heavy case piece. Its condition is recorded in photos on arrival.

4. 4

   Stabilize the structure

   Joints, runners, cracks and loose parts come first, using methods that a later restorer could reverse.

5. 5

   Surface and finish

   Veneer, patches and finish work follow the level we agreed on, and nothing beyond it without asking you.

6. 6

   Review and return

   You see the piece before it leaves, along with notes on what was done and how to care for it.

Remaking missing parts so they read as original

A lost bun foot, a broken molding or a replacement drawer bottom is made in our shop from the same species as the original, whether that is mahogany, walnut, oak or cherry. Each part gets a working drawing taken from the surviving parts, so profiles, turnings and proportions match. We then color the new wood to sit beside the old.

We can mark new parts discreetly on a hidden surface, so a future appraiser or family member knows what is original. Period restoration is more honest that way, and it keeps the history of the piece readable.

What drives the cost of restoring an antique?

We quote an heirloom only after examining it in person. The main factors are:

• How much veneer is loose or missing, and how unusual its figure is
• The number of joints that must be taken apart and re-glued
• Parts to be remade, especially turned or carved ones
• Whether the original finish can be revived or has to be removed
• Inlay, banding and carving that slow every step
• Pickup and delivery for heavy case pieces

Local history adds its own variables. A chest trucked down from a northern house can arrive with several joints loose at once after a few Florida summers. Pieces kept in unconditioned units, or left damp after Ian, Helene or Milton, may need veneer re-laid across a whole top rather than at one corner. Hide glue and shellac also set more slowly in August humidity.

Restoration moves at the pace of glue and finish, and we give you a timeframe before we begin.

Living with a restored antique in a Florida home

Steady conditions do more for an old piece than any polish. Place it away from air-conditioning vents, exterior doors and sunny windows, and keep the air running at an even setting if you leave for the summer. Lift chests and tables rather than dragging them, and empty drawers before moving a case piece.

Teak and other outdoor pieces need a very different routine; see teak furniture refinishing for those.