By old furniture we mean solid wood pieces of furniture or wood replacement covered with veneer. People have many objects that have become useless and stand in their way and they do not know in what corner of the house, garage or balcony to store them. They should reconsider the thought of throwing them away and try to give them a new life. Such a project needs a little effort, some time, a little more skill, but ultimately it is worth the effort if you can enjoy the results. If you are not very skilled, you had better ask for help from the specialised companies that provide services of furniture restoration Wales and French polishing Cardiff.
In the case of the valuable furniture that was made decades ago, the most common problems that occur over time are due to peeling, breaking of pieces of the carved parts and casting of veneer parts. In the process of furniture restoration Wales the pieces are unfold and treated of cavities, the old finish is detached, the structure is being repaired and the veneer either loose or missing is completed and stuck with special adhesive. After all the parts have been repaired and straightened if necessary, the specialists proceed to finishing with a traditional technique used by the old masters called French polish, meaning hand polishing with shellac.
Old and valuable furniture needs a specialist who will carry out the restoration / conservation, as well as a workshop with certain work conditions. It should be noted that, while restoring usual wood can be made by a skilled carpenter, restoring furniture and art sculptures may only be made by artists who have both the knowledge and the necessary tools. Before starting any work the specialist will perform a thorough analysis which will include an expertise through shooting details (the so-called biopsy of the wood, its authenticity and age) and a fitting of the furniture in time: what period it was made, in what place / workshop and which tools were used.
This stage may require a fairly long period of time and only after finishing it can the specialists proceed to dismantling of the piece. It is very important to know that pieces of furniture of this type are not to be cleaned; instead they are being finished with original materials only, using the same tools. You should never tamper with the original colour. Also you are not allowed to apply chemical paint.
Finishing is done by successive waxing and, where needed, by rubbing with a brush made of straws. This brush has the ability to restore valences, lustre and natural patina of wood. Natural shellac is applied manually, layer by layer, in several days, according to certain procedures. The technique of French polishing Cardiff specialists use gives wood a special look and resistance. The furniture properly restored must resist (if stored in optimal conditions of temperature and moisture) for another 50 years until a next major restoration. Companies that perform furniture restoration Wales http://www.woodcareco-wales.co.uk and French polishing Cardiff http://www.woodcareco-wales.co.uk can also be found online. Look for their website and read the comments and testimonies of their previous clients so that you could form a better opinion.