Restoration Gallery

Golden Oak Restorations

Page 2

Hand Carved Viking Chest & Chimney Cabinet

These piece sis are not really classic American Golden Oak, but of the same quality and period. This folk art chest exhibited progressive loss of veneer, a shellac finish that had almost completely flaked away, and various stains in the wood.

Our client received the chest and chimney cabinet from her grandfather, creating significant sentimental value as well as a good possibility of a budding true antique value.

Typical wear and tear includes loss of veneer, especially if plants or other wet objects are kept on top of a piece. Several sections are clearly highlighted with replacement materials before the blending process began.

Veneer repair is time consuming and tedious, but the results are critical to bring back a piece properly.

The piece was brought back to life by through a finish restoration process that started with cleaning away years of dirt and grime. Since the existing shellac finish was almost entirely gone, we applied a new finish by mixing our own cuts of antique shellac flakes. The piece came out with the true beauty of a restored antique, its character and patina intact.

Stained with paint, water damage, and apparently lacquer clear coated somewhere in the past this chimney cabinet had to be stripped of the surface layers of lacquer before restoration of the appropriate finish could begin.

Lawyer's Cabinet Doors

This door is from a Golden Oak era three-door lawyers cabinet, a closed bookcase unit commonly used in turn of the century offices or as curio units. Golden oak furniture through the 60's and 70's was trashed, commonly broken up for wood or put at curbside to discard.

In recent years, this furniture has seen a serious jump in value and a return of favor amongst antique collectors. We warn you, do not put a Golden oak piece at the curb; the unit we repaired with these doors has an estimated value of $6,500.

Note the missing molding and damaged veneer. The piece saw water damage that loosened the molding and veneer - damage like this could cut the value of an antique almost in half. Artisans can restore damage to pieces like this and closely match the original finish, returning almost the prime condition value to the piece.

Children's School Desk & Chair

A perfect scenario, requiring complete disassembly of the chair in order to replace several broken dowels and replace a missing spoke. This shows how much work it takes to make a "wricked-ee" old chair strong again. Removing the improper repairs, usually multiple nails and screws reversing years of neglect and reinforcing structure take place before any finish work is even considered. Single chairs are often not worth the cost of restoration, however sets brought back to their high end value are always a good investment.

Feeling nostalgic? A classic old school desk, fit perfect for a child's room or perhaps a small hallway desk.

top of page