Steven Kennard - Woodturning Gallery Six

Restoration of Antique Furniture

I have been restoring furniture since the mid nineteen seventies and since moving to Nova Scotia have found these services to be very much in demand.

The methods and materials I use are traditional - French polish, scotch glues heated in a my old glue pot, and the use of old wood veneers where appropriate. I always view preserving the original construction and patina of the piece as a priority.

Here are some pictures of a chair I restored fairly recently for some clients. The upholstery was done by a local craftsman.

I thought it would be interesting to see pictures taken before and then after the work was completed.

These are two angles of the chair prior to being restored, but after having stripped off the old upholstery. It's a pity that I didn't think to take a picture of it before I removed it.This rocking chair had spent many years in a damp old barn, and was home to various forms of wildlife when it was brought to me. The restoration involved rebuilding the legs that were partly missing, regluing the frame and recolouring and polishing the wood.

Here are the same two angles of the chair after the restoration work was completed.