Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 8, 1990 TAG: 9004100202
SECTION: GUIDE TO BETTER HOMES PAGE: GTBH12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KIM SUNDERLAND
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
And that means the restoration business is booming. No matter what the price, many people will pay whatever it costs to have the furniture restored, repaired and sometimes even rebuilt.
According to local furniture restoration owners, people want to save old pieces usually because they have sentimental value.
"The restoration of family heirlooms and antiques is the trend of the era," said Kathy Harrison, owner of the Christiansburg-based Chair Doctor. "People are tired of the new markets."
Chair Doctor specializes in furniture restoration, which includes caning, woodwork, weaving and upholstering. Harrison, who's been in the restoration business for six years, said the work is enough to keep you busy. She and two assistants are surrounded by a room full of furniture with various problems.
For example, there's a chair, over 50-years old, that needs to be taken apart, piece by piece, so that age-old nails can be removed and intricate designs doctored. The paint needs to be stripped down to the wood, the fabric needs to be removed and replaced and a leg needs to be rebuilt.
It can cost the owner about $500 to $1,000.
"But people believe it's well worth it," said Derreth Hutt, owner of Hutt Furniture in Blacksburg, another furniture restoration company.
"Antiques go up in value," Hutt explained. "The factory-made furniture does not have the amount of pride and workmanship put into it as an older piece of furniture does."
She noted that materials, better jointery and the beauty of older wood are other reasons people are willing to pay whatever price it takes to restore an antique.
And prices vary.
At the Chair Doctor, Harrison charges $25 per yard if she provides the fabric for upholstering; it costs 25 percent more if the customer provides material. At Master Furniture Upholstery & Repair in Christiansburg, owner E.F. Brusseau sets the price by the amount of fabric used and estimates his labor costs.
With hundreds of fabric books, Brusseau, who has been in business for about 40 years, said the cheapest fabric runs $15 per yard and high quality Italian fabric can cost as much as $60 to $70.
Wicker repair at the Chair Doctor costs $20 per hour plus any additional costs for woodworking. Hand caning costs 90 cents per drilled hole. Brusseau estimates by the job for caning. At Hutt Furniture, weaving costs $30 per chair plus materials.
Refinishing is estimated by the job at the Chair Doctor and woodwork costs $20 per hour. Harrison charges $30 per trip for delivery. At Hutt Furniture, woodworking is also estimated by the job. Hutt said people can usually describe their items over the telephone for an estimate.
Some of Hutt's wood repairs have included a drop leaf table for $150 with larger tables costing $200 to $300. Dressers start at $130. A smoke damaged buffet cost $300 to restore and a secretary's desk is in the $200 range.
"Repairs are very labor intensive," Hutt said. "Some of the older pieces are 80-years old and are owned by retired customers who are preparing their estates. These items are irreplaceable so there's that amount of pressure when working on them."
Stripping is another process used to bring out the natural grain of furniture. At the Chair Doctor, Harrison uses a Stripolator, a giant machine that sprays pressurized stripping fluid onto furniture that works without dipping. The 8x5-foot machine has a ramp, like a dishwasher, whereby the furniture is loaded up and sprayed for 20 to 40 minutes. This means the antiques are not exposed to the stripping chemical for long periods of time.
Harrison said she's had contracts with universities and state and federal organizations to strip dormitory and office furniture. The Stripolator works faster on more furniture in a shorter period of time.
Stripping an armed chair at the Chair Doctor costs $32.50; a chair without arms runs $20. A three-drawer dresser costs $50 to strip; four drawers $60; five drawers $70 and six drawers $80. An unusual dresser that has a lot of ornamentation can run about $85. Mirrors are priced separately. Dining room tables cost $75 to $100 and accent tables cost $25 to $45 to strip.
"It's hard to set a price on stripping," said Brusseau who charges $20 an hour. "You don't really know what you're getting into until you start working on it."
Hutt does her stripping by hand and finishes are hand rubbed. She uses just enough stripping chemical to get the job done; leaving the chemical on for long periods of time can eat through to the glue. And then "furniture can fall apart," she said. And Hutt will not sand antiques since the process depletes their value.
Since all of the restoration businesses perform a variety of tasks, the amount of time it takes to get a finished product returned varies also.
Hutt has a backlog of work so there's a month waiting list. She usually has a two-week turn-around and will call a customer when she is ready to devote time to their piece. An 1850 pine dresser, with mahogany and cherry veneer, for example, has been a longer project for Hutt because it required new brass trim and special work due to its intricate inlays.
Brusseau said he is 3 to 4 months behind, but an easy piece that needs repair can be out in a week. Larger antiques take longer.
And Harrison, who has also started repairing wooden instruments, said restoration typically takes 2 to 4 weeks. Some pieces are in and out in as little as a day or week.
"It's true that restoring antiques is a trend and it's going like crazy right now," said Brusseau. "People are mixing them with their mod decor and putting them all over their house."
"It's a recycling business," added Harrison. "Trees can be saved by restoring furniture. And I really like that concept."
by CNB