The NZS.com Furniture Restoration article contains information on restoring furniture, professional restoration, at home furniture restoration, upholstering and reupholstering.
Restoring and Reupholstering Furniture
Are you interested in furniture restoration? Bring new life to a piece of furniture with professional or at home restoration and upholstery in New Zealand.
Furniture restoration can be a fun experience for any homemaker, whether it be a one-off restoration or a series of pieces. You can restore your furniture yourself, or take it to a professional; either way you are sure to create a truly personalised piece which no one else in the world will have. When people decide to restore a piece of furniture it is normally for one of two reasons:
- Restoring an Existing Piece
The first is when the item is a loved piece, already in your home, which looks a bit shabby. Perhaps the fabric is faded, torn or just plain ugly. Perhaps the cushions are saggy, or the bracing is broken. Perhaps the paint has chipped, or wood is damaged. Restoring a piece of furniture you already own in a great way to bring new life to a room in your home with something that feels new, but still holds sentimental value.
- Buying a Piece that Needs Restoring
The second common reason for restoring furniture is buying a piece that isn't yet perfect. Often, those of us who love going to secondhand and antique furniture stores will find great buys which aren't 100% suitable but have big potential. You might find a bargain sideboard that has scratched wood, or a perfectly-shaped club chair that's covered in unsightly fabric. If you can see the potential in the piece, it could be a great purchase for furniture restoration.
Restoring Furniture at Home
For your average homemaker, furniture restoration at home can often become a bigger task than you think it will be, so unless you have significant hands-on experience with DIY projects, it may be best to take your furniture to a specialist restorer. However, at home restoration is great for touch-ups and cosmetic repairs.
Restoring Wooden Furniture
There are many beautiful pieces of wooden furniture in New Zealand that could easily be restored to their natural beauty. From armoires to church pews, chaise longues to dressing tables, New Zealand's architectural heritage has been largely complimented by wooden furniture and fittings and you'll never regret restoring a piece that has been neglected. Restoration of wooden furniture can involve paint stripping to reveal the natural wood, sanding to remove knocks and scratches, joint repairing and oil recoating, among other things.
Simple wooden furniture jobs can be done at home, such as light sanding and recoating in an oil or lacquer to bring it back to life. For larger jobs which involve intense restoration, carpentry or an absolutely perfect stain or finish, you may want to enlist in the services of a professional wooden furniture restoration company.
Restoring Upholstered Furniture
You can give a favoured old piece of furniture new life (or use a piece you've picked up which is perfect except for the covering) with reupholstering. Restoring upholstered furniture such as chairs and couches is a great way to get a piece of furniture looking exactly as you'd like it - because you can choose your fabric you have complete artistic expression. Additionally, you'll create a piece that no one else has, something completely unique to you and your home. Reupholstering can add character and colour to a room, and is a great option when you have a chair that perfect in shape and design, but lacking in comfort and covering.
Simple recovering is just replacing the fabric, a great option for a chair or couch with rips, stains or unattractive patterns or colours. More serious reupholstering involves both recovering the fabric, and replacing the cushions and even internal springs and bracing to restore a pieces original shape and usable state.
While a full reupholster is an expert job, there are several courses available in New Zealand from vocational schools which can teach you how to recover a piece of furniture. Often, they invite you to bring in a piece for assessment, then will tell you how much fabric to purchase, and you'll return to the course to reupholster the piece yourself with teacher guidance and assistance.
Looking for a project? Get a piece of furniture restored for your home or give basic at home restoration a go; and create an individual, unique piece to fit your personal style.
For more information on upholstery and furniture restoration, check out the NZS.com directory.
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