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The minimum, signed off · New JerseyAntique Furniture
Restoration NJ
Conservative work on period pieces held for resale. Antique furniture restoration NJ dealers can use is defined by what we agree not to do, and by what can be undone afterwards.
Reversible where possibleNothing irreversible unsignedCall (347) 310-7483
Every intervention is a subtraction
On a piece held for resale, value sits in originality, so every intervention takes something away even when it looks like an improvement. That makes the brief the minimum needed to stabilise and present it, and it makes one test operative above all others: reversibility. Anything that can be undone later — a consolidation, a wax, a sympathetic colour — is a judgement we can make on your behalf. Anything that cannot be undone, which includes stripping, re-covering and replacing original material, does not happen without your explicit sign-off.
Hide, show-wood and seats that have given way
Antique furniture restoration NJ dealers ask for is usually one of three things, and in each case the question is how little can be done rather than how much.
Reversible, and not
This is the whole conversation on a trade piece. Everything on the left we can do and undo; everything on the right changes the object permanently, and that is your decision rather than ours.
Reversible
Cleaning and feedingDirt and dryness addressed without changing the surface permanently.
Sympathetic colourWorn areas toned back, patina left where it belongs.
ConsolidationCrazing stabilised from below rather than coated over.
Not reversible — needs your yes
RefinishingA new finish over original hide cannot be taken back off cleanly.
Re-coveringOriginal material removed is gone, whatever is put on in its place.
Re-webbingSometimes unavoidable on a failed seat, and still your call.
Look, propose the minimum, agree, do
Send photographs
With what you know of the age and any earlier work on it.
We propose the minimum
Including the option of doing almost nothing, where that is right.
You sign the irreversible
Anything permanent is listed separately for you to approve or refuse.
Done conservatively
And described, so you can tell a buyer exactly what was done.
Trade pieces, and collectors’ own
For a private owner rather than a dealer, antique leather restoration covers the same approach in less commercial language. Where a piece is modern enough that originality is not the value, the ordinary answers apply: leather restoration and furniture refinishing — the latter also explains why an original finish is worth conserving.
Antique Furniture Restoration NJ FAQ
What dealers ask before sending a piece.
Will you improve the piece?
Only if you ask us to. Antique furniture restoration NJ dealers rely on is stabilising and presenting, not improving — an over-restored piece loses the margin you were holding it for.
What counts as irreversible?
Stripping a finish, re-covering, replacing original material and re-webbing. Each is listed separately for your approval rather than bundled into a quote.
Can you leave the patina?
Yes, and usually we will argue for it. Even colour on a period piece is a sign of work, not of care.
Will you tell me what was done?
In writing, so you can pass it to a buyer. A described restoration is worth more than an undisclosed one.
Do you work on pieces with earlier bad repairs?
Often, and that is where the judgement is. Sometimes removing a previous repair does more harm than leaving it.
Ask for the minimum first
Send the photographs and ask what the least intervention would be. That answer is usually the one worth buying.
Or call (347) 310-7483 · office@leatherrestorepro.com