A few questions for the furniture repair/refinishing folks....

[Harold Balzonia]

Ok.... so I got a request to repair and refinish and old secretary desk. It has sentimental value to the owner but it is not a piece of any high dollar value. It's 19th century style, but likely made in the 1960's. there isnt much, if any, solid wood in the construction. The veneer is peeling off the top, the drawers and legs need stiffening work, and at some point someone filled in some missing chunks with white Bondo. It's going to take a good number of hours to fix it correctly.

by the time I'm done fixing it and refinishing it, I estimate that the repairs will cost approximately 8 or 10 times what the thing is worth. how do you folks approach this kind of assignment? This desk is certainly better than some Ikea dresser, or something, but no matter what I do to it, it will never be fantastic.

To be honest, I think it is maybe best suited for one of those horrible "refinish it by painting it" DIY projects. But the owner insists on maintaining the "real wood" classical look and bringing it back to "original condition."

I have not accepted the job yet and I'm curious how anyone here feels about doing this kind of work? I feel silly busting my hump doing quality, detailed work that is ultimately just putting make-up on a cow, if that makes sense. Am I nuts?

[Lee Schierer]

Repairing old work is labor intensive and the end result is usually a compromise between quality and getting the job done at a reasonable cost and time frame. Owners with sentimental attachment want it to look like new, but don't usually want to spend the money it will take to do that.

[Wayne Lomman]

Restorations focus on returning a piece to a sound condition for its age. It is not desirable nor authentic to make it brand new again. Fix the joints, re glue the veneer and repolish without trying to fix every defect. It needs to look it's age without being shabby. Cheers

[Doug Hepler]

Harold,

I agree with Wayne's esthetic. We strive for perfection in new work, however, so it's hard to stop where taste and sense say that we should. For that reason, and to avoid disappointment down the road, make a list of what you are willing to correct and what you are not. Go over it with the client, so that he will not expect the piece to look pristine when you are done and will not be too surprised by your bill.

Doug

[Brian Famous]

+1 to what both Wayne and Harold said.
My wife and I get quite a few requests to restore old furniture and we always detail out the differences between restoring, refinishing, and simply reviving.
Put the options out there for the client in very detailed format, without discounting your time and effort trying to keep the price "reasonable" for the client, and let them decide what is practical for their budget and desires.

[Mike Henderson]

You need to do what the customer wants you to do with the furniture. Regarding costs, I tell them up front what the cost will be and that it will greatly exceed the value of the piece, but many people have a sentimental interest and are willing to pay. If they want it to look like it was new, you should do what you can to make it look like new. If they just want mechanical repairs and the "dings of age" left along with the old finish, that's what you should do. It's the customer's piece and the customer's choice.

Mike