Furniture Restoration

This course aims to Give beginners a sound practical introduction on the subject of furniture restoration. It is a hands on course designed to give beginners new skills that can be used to restore and repair their own furniture. It is essential that students do not bring their best furniture or family heirlooms to work on initially.

For returners to the course, or students with prior knowledge of the subject there will be plenty of opportunity to improve and progress.

It is for: No prior knowledge or experience is needed to enrol on this course.

For the first class you will need: A small piece of furniture that is not too valuable i.e. a chair or small table is a good starting point, if you need advice on this matter then please contact the centre at your earliest convenience - 01423 563768

Please bring an old shirt that covers your arms, a couple of old brushes, two pots(jam jars/cartons) and a pair of protective (marigold) gloves.

We provide goggles

By the end of this course you will be able to: Restore a small / medium size piece of furniture using a variety of techniques. You will learn a number of essential skills including some basic cabinet making and traditional polishing.

• Assess and plan the restoration of a piece of furniture.
• Strip and repair a piece of furniture as necessary.
• Patch veneer if required.
• Sand and prepare for a suitable finish.
• Apply a suitable stain / French polish / oil or wax finish.

 

For the first session students will need: Please bring your own piece of furniture to work on, or

Additional Costs: You will be provided with the equipment for this class, but may decide to buy certain items. Will is on hand to advise.

By the end of the course students should be able to: Confidently know the processes to French Polish and have learnt particular restoration techniques.

Course Programme Each week will have a focus for learning a Furniture Restoration and French polishing skill. The weekly plan is a guide, and can be changed dependent on skill level.

Week1

All students will have the opportunity to discuss their piece of furniture with the tutor and an agreed action plan will be devised.

Over the following weeks the following techniques will be taught if required

• Stripping and re-polishing, either on your own furniture or starting with a simple board, you will be taken through the traditional way to French Polish from stripping, sanding, neutralising to staining & sealing the wood.
• Full Grain French Polish finishing.  Using traditional techniques to develop a high shine through hand French Polishing.
• Re-gluing a chair.   This is a delicate process whereby a chair is dismantled without damaging it and then reconstructed and repaired by clamping the chair correctly. This is one of the most common issues that William has to deal with when restoring furniture
• Loose Veneer. A veneer is the thin layer of wood that is found on the majority of antiques. This wood often lifts and can become unsightly.
• Re-Runnering drawers. As furniture is used over a period of time the drawer runner can become worn and this can cause damage to the furniture. You will be shown how to replace the runners.
• Stains.  You will learn how to apply and work the various forms of wood stains.

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