As the years go by, antique, rare and high-quality furniture will sustain some damage. Time and daily use cause damages such as scratches, dents, water rings,,paint fading, and furniture kept in storage often degrades due to less-than-ideal conditions. It is important to keep treasured furniture in pristine condition because these pieces will ultimately last longer.
No matter where you live in Orange County or Los Angeles and you are looking to restore or repair a family heirloom, an antique, or a contemporary piece, Rahn’s Furniture Restoration will refurbish your furniture to its former condition.
Quality Furniture Repair and Restoration Services
When it comes to furniture restoration, we strive to preserve the original features of your piece of furniture. Our ultimate goal when restoring furniture is to refurbish the piece, while preserving the natural character many heirlooms and antique pieces accrue over time, giving your prized piece the protection it needs, and reinforcing its value. Our restoration techniques will create a seamless look that improves its aesthetics while staying faithful to its original style.
The Difference between Repair and Restoration
Furniture repair and restoration are similar services. The primary difference between the two is whether the issue with your furniture is aesthetic or functional. Repairs are mainly focused on restoring the function of the piece, whereas restoration involves improving and renewing the aesthetics of your furniture. In many cases, repair solves both the functional and aesthetic issues of your piece.
When the damage is more significant and the focus must be placed equally on restoring function and aesthetic, restoration is the better option. Restoration is time consuming and requires a professional touch, which our team is more than capable of performing. With our restoration process, your furniture piece will retain its original luster as well as refurbish its functionality with long-lasting repairs.
Why Should I Restore Rather Than Replace?
It is important to know whether you should restore or replace your piece of furniture. The experts at Rahn’s Furniture Restoration have been providing trustworthy advice on this issue to the residents of Los Angeles and Orange County for almost 40 years. Our professional conservators make sure the client knows that the restoration process is an investment you make in your furniture, and not just any piece of furniture is worthy of this investment. When making the decision between restoring your furniture or replacing your furniture, keep several factors in mind: the quality, monetary value, and sentimental value of your piece of furniture.
Restoring your piece is a good option if your furniture is made from high-quality materials such as solid wood. Restoration of antique, vintage and even modern high-end furniture is a good investment to make because it can significantly extend the life of your piece.
When considering whether to restore or replace furniture you have to keep in mind the price and personal importance of the furniture. If the furniture is valuable, or priceless because of its sentimental value, spending the money to restore your piece is the best choice you can make. If your piece of furniture has a high monetary value, restoration is the best way to use one investment to protect another. Restoring your furniture, whether it is already an antique, or is destined to be a timeless piece, is the best way to retain or increase its value.
When you are emotionally attached to a piece of furniture, the investment is priceless.. When you bring your heirloom and antique piece to Rahn’s Furniture Restoration for repair or restoration, we treat it as if it is our own, ensuring the expert and quality service our Los Angeles and Orange County customers have come to know us for.
Antique Furniture Restoration
Whether you have a cherished family heirloom or a piece you just acquired, our antique furniture restoration service can restore the look and value of your furniture. Our professional conservators work to preserve the original look and style of your piece while correcting any underlying issues. No matter which time period your antique piece is from, our dedicated experts can offer the time-tested restoration techniques and modern process that will not only meet, but exceed your expectations.
Our team can complete any level of restoration needed, from removing stains, damaged veneer or finish, the buildup of dirt, oils, and grime to addressing structural problems within the piece such as scratches, chips, loose joints, cracks and splits, and more. We can even rebuild your piece of furniture when the damage is too extensive, replicating the look and style of the original piece. Below are some of the restoration services we offer:
Basic Cleaning
This restoration service allows us to focus on cleaning the surface of the piece while also removing minor issues within the protective finish layer. For this service, we use gentle yet effective cleaners, taking away the buildup without damaging the piece. For significant buildup, we do utilize stronger cleansing agents, but our expert restoration team will apply them without causing any damage to the item.
Finish Restoration
In many cases, the issue with a piece of furniture is no deeper than the finish. If this is the case, we can easily restore your piece’s finish by removing stains or scratches, repairing the veneer, or completely refinishing the piece to either its original color, or a custom finish you want.
There are three primary processes we use for finish restoration:
- overcoating
- reamalgamation
- and patching.
The method we choose will be based on a variety of factors to ensure we are offering the best service for your furniture item.
Overcoating
Overcoating is a simple wood finish restoration process where a new finish is applied over the old finish. Overcoating is the finishing technique frequently used when the wood on your antique piece is in good condition, but the finish is worn out or thin. We begin by cleaning the surface with paint thinner or a weaker solution to clean the surface. We then apply a stain that matches the original stain to the worn spots, or to the whole surface if the original finish has significantly thinned. A clear finish is then applied and waxed, completing the overcoating process, and restoring your piece to its original glory.
Reamalgamation
When the finish on your wood furniture has cracked or alligatored, reamalgamation is the best solution to restore it to its its original beauty. Amalgamation is combining two or more things into one form. Therefore reamalgamation is the process of taking the cracks and filling them seamlessly, restoring the original look of your furniture. At Rahn’s Furniture, our expert conservators identify whether your piece has a shellac or lacquer finish, ensuring they use the proper products for refinishing. When our professionals finish the reamalgamation process, your piece will be restored to its former glory, leaving you with the piece you remember with a finish that will last for years to come.
Patching
When your piece of furniture has large scratches, gouges, burns, or other damage, patching is the best method to repair the piece and its finish. Our professionals use a technique called stick patching. The sticks they use are made of one of two materials: shellac or wax. Either material works, but our experts use shellac sticks as they match the stain and finish of your piece better. The shellac is carefully melted, filling the blemish. The shellac is then sanded with very fine sandpaper and touched up with lacquer to emulate the same shine as the finish on the rest of your piece, ensuring an almost unnoticeable restoration.
Structural Restoration
When there is a problem with the structure of your antique furniture, it is an issue of both quality and safety. If you notice that your furniture seems to have structural weaknesses, allow us to help. We can determine the underlying cause or causes of this issue and address it in a way that restores its stability, safety, function, and aesthetic. Common structural issues that require repair are loose joints, worn out shock mounts, and broken joinery. The experts at Rahn’s Furniture Restoration have provided quality structural repairs for antique furniture to the residents of Orange County and Los Angeles for 40 years, making us the go to furniture restoration shop in Southern California.
Replacing Missing Parts and Rebuilding
If you have a piece of antique furniture that has damaged pieces, you may need parts to be completely replaced; in cases of significant damage, rebuilding might be necessary. Our goal is always to retain as much of the original piece as possible. We will work with you to come up with a plan to improve the piece and maintain its integrity.
Caning and Rushing Restoration
Caning and Rushing furniture restoration are two methods for creating a flexible, comfortable seat without upholstery. These restoration techniques require a skilled craftsman, and are difficult to find. The residents of Los Angeles and Orange County don’t have to look any further than Rahn’s Furniture to find the experienced professionals that can meet all of their caning and rushing needs for their furniture.
Caning and rushing can last for around 60 years if the original job was skillfully executed. However, this means that even in the best cases, you will require some restoration to maintain the function and aesthetic of your pieces. We can assess the caning and rushing problems problems of your piece and determine if restoration is feasible or if replacement is necessary. Our professional conservators have the experience needed to know what to look for, making us the best restoration store to go to.
Restoration after Significant Damage
When furniture suffers significant damage such as fire and water damage, you need experienced restoration professionals to assess the extent of the repairs that need to be made. In some cases, a simple repair job can restore your piece to peak condition. However, since the risk of structural damage is so great in furniture pieces that have significant damages is high, extensive restoration is most likely needed.
Our restoration services can return your piece back to its original strength and integrity while also matching its original look, even when it is severely damaged. Fire and water damaged pieces often need new parts to be created to replace those too damaged in order to preserve the structural integrity of the piece of furniture. In these situations, When replacing damaged parts we make sure to use the correct wood and finish that match the original piece, ensuring a furniture restoration service that addresses both the structural and aesthetic aspects.
Work with Los Angeles and Orange County’s Trusted Furniture Restoration Store
Rahn’s Furniture Restoration has 40 years of experience restoring all types of furniture for residents of Los Angeles and Orange County. From heirlooms and antiques, to modern pieces, we have the expertise to address and fix anything your furniture needs. From minor restorations to complete rebuilds, we offer every restoration service you could need for your piece. Contact us today to schedule your consultation and learn about our in-home pickup program.