Find the right furniture repair

Furniture repair and restoration specialists are skilled craftspeople who breathe new life into tired, damaged, or antique pieces. From fixing a wobbly dining chair to the meticulous French polishing of a Regency sideboard, these experts combine traditional techniques with modern materials to preserve your home's most valued items.

UK homeowners typically seek these services for two reasons: sentimental value or financial investment. Whether you need to repair a modern designer sofa, reupholster a vintage armchair, or restore the lustre to a sun-damaged oak table, a professional restorer ensures the job is done without compromising the piece's integrity.

The scope of work is broad, covering structural carpentry, delicate veneer work, leather restoration, and fabric upholstery. By choosing repair over replacement, you are not only saving a piece of history but also making a sustainable choice for your home.

What to Expect When Hiring a Furniture Restorer

Hiring a specialist usually follows a structured process to ensure the best possible finish for your furniture. Here is what you can typically expect:

• Initial Assessment: The restorer will examine the piece, often via photos first, to identify the wood type, age, and extent of damage.
• Detailed Quotation: You will receive a breakdown of costs, including materials (like specific fabrics or rare wood veneers) and labour.
• Collection or On-site Work: Small repairs like scratch removals can often be done in your home, but major restorations usually require the specialist's workshop.
• Stripping and Cleaning: Old, cracked varnishes or dirt are carefully removed using appropriate solvents that won't damage the underlying timber.
• Structural Repairs: Loose joints are dismantled, cleaned of old glue, and re-set to ensure the piece is sturdy and safe to use.
• Refinishing: This involves staining, waxing, or French polishing to achieve the desired sheen and colour match.
• Upholstery: If applicable, internal springs and paddings are replaced before the final top fabric is expertly fitted.

Why Hire a Professional?

While DIY kits are available for minor scratches, professional restoration is a highly technical skill. Using the wrong chemical stripper or an incorrect grade of sandpaper can permanently ruin the patina of an antique, significantly reducing its market value.

Professionals have access to specialist tools and traditional materials, such as animal glues and shellac, which are essential for authentic antique work. They also understand wood movement; timber expands and contracts with humidity, and a professional knows how to repair it so the fix lasts for decades rather than months.

For upholstered items, professionals ensure compliance with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations. They use fire-retardant interliners and materials that meet modern UK safety standards, providing peace of mind alongside aesthetic improvements.

Typical Costs

The cost of furniture repair depends on the complexity of the piece, the materials required, and the time involved in delicate hand-finishing. Below are estimated 2025/26 prices for common services in the UK.

Service	Low £	High £	Notes
Dining Chair Structural Repair	£60	£120	Fixing loose joints and "wobble".
French Polishing (Dining Table)	£350	£850	Price varies by table size and layers.
Dining Chair Re-upholstery	£100	£250	Labour only; fabric costs are extra.
Scratch & Dent Removal	£80	£180	Often a call-out service for on-site repair.
Armchair Re-upholstery	£450	£950	Includes stripping back to the frame.
Leather Sofa Colour Restoration	£200	£500	Cleaning, pigmenting, and sealing.

Factors that increase the price include the rarity of replacement veneers, the need for bespoke hand-carved elements, and the use of premium designer fabrics or high-grade leathers.

How to Choose the Right Furniture Specialist

Finding the right person depends on whether your piece is a modern functional item or a valuable antique. Use this checklist to vet your tradesperson:

• Check Accreditations: For high-end antiques, look for members of the British Antique Furniture Restorers' Association (BAFRA). For upholstery, check for the Association of Master Upholsterers & Soft Furnishers (AMUSF).
• View Their Portfolio: A reputable restorer will have "before and after" photos of similar projects. Look for consistency in the finish and attention to detail in the joints.
• Ask About Materials: Ensure they are using period-correct materials for antiques (e.g., French polish rather than modern polyurethane spray).
• Insurance: Verify that they have "Goods in Trust" insurance, which covers your furniture while it is in their workshop or transit.
• Red Flags: Be wary of anyone promising a "factory-new" look for a 200-year-old piece; a good restorer preserves the character (patina) rather than erasing it.

3 Questions to ask before hiring:

• "Do you provide a collection and delivery service, and is there an extra charge?"
• "Will the repair be reversible? (Essential for antique preservation)"
• "What is your current lead time for workshop-based projects?"

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you repair furniture that has been damaged by water or fire?

In many cases, yes. Watermarks (white rings) are usually in the wax or polish layer and can be removed easily. Heavy water damage or charring requires more intensive work, such as replacing veneers or deep cleaning to remove smoke odours, but a specialist can often save the piece.

Is it worth repairing modern flat-pack furniture?

Generally, furniture made from MDF or chipboard is difficult to repair once the structure fails or the laminate peels. Unless the piece has high sentimental value, the cost of professional repair often exceeds the cost of a new item. Solid wood furniture, however, is almost always worth repairing.

How long does a typical restoration take?

Minor on-site repairs take 1-3 hours. Full restorations, such as French polishing a large table or reupholstering a sofa, typically take 2 to 4 weeks depending on the workshop's schedule and the drying time required between coats of finish.

Will restoring my antique decrease its value?

Professional restoration usually maintains or increases the value by preventing further decay. However, "over-restoring" (removing the original patina) can hurt the value. A BAFRA-accredited restorer will know exactly how much intervention is appropriate for your specific piece.