Furniture Repair

and modification

©2013 by Charles A. Plesums, Austin, Texas, USA

I am often asked if I do furniture repair. Two answers... yes ... and ... no

If you have an armoire that you used for an entertainment center in the bedroom, and now want to use to store crystal in the dining room, I can probably help with a modification of the furniture. The back probably now contains ventilation and cable holes, and should be replaced with a new back. I can build new shelves or drawers to fit inside the unit, finished in a manner compatible with the rest of the unit. The process is straightforward for my equipment and skills.

If you have a desk where the drawers are falling apart, or a chest of drawers with drawers that don't slide any more, I would be glad to build replacement drawer glides, or reinforce or replace the drawer boxes, or other internal repairs to get the pieces working again.

If you love Grandma's kitchen table, but don't have a place for a kitchen table, we may be able to modify the furniture - make it into a desk or coffee table or something else you would like and use. I can use some or all of the material in the original table. Sometimes it would be cheaper to use new wood for part of the new piece, but you can decide if it is more important to use the original material owned by Grandma, or have the lowest cost where new wood would be cheaper. We would have to agree on exactly what would be done before I start. For example, if we are going to shorten the legs, there is no going back to the original or saying "oops." Or if the legs are removable, you might want me to make new short legs, so you can replace the original legs if you later change your mind.

You might want to look at a couple examples of my work with table and desk tops.

If a burglar smashed the corner of your favorite buffet, so a new side and leg has to be built and the finish must exactly match the entire dining room set, the answer is no. I am good at building new furniture, but am not an expert at matching the details, carvings, inlays, finish, and replicating the natural aging of both the wood and finish, of an existing piece. There are people who specialize in these techniques, but not me.

• A few decades ago Ivan Hentschel was an author in "Fine Woodworking" magazine - his article especially caught my eye since he lived in Virginia, not far from where I lived many years ago. Through Google I found him in Austin, and we met. Over the years he worked under a world-class expert in antique furniture repair and restoration - much like an apprenticeship. He recently moved to the Wimberley area, and would be glad to give you an estimate for whatever work you need. You can reach him at 512-769-4599.
• I walked into Yancey's Antiques at 9308 Anderson Mill Road in northwest Austin, because their sign also said "repair and refinishing services." (512-219-8511) All of the antiques on the floor looked new, routinely refinished by Alton Yancey before being shown for sale. No experience with him other than seeing a store full of older furniture in beautiful condition, but I would certainly check him out - let me know if you use his repair or refinishing services so I can update this reference.
• I have not seen the work of Lockhart Woodworks, Inc., 512-844-0039, but someone suggested them to me, and they look good from their web site.

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