Furniture Repair and Refinishing

[Ralph Allen Jones]

Good Evening All,

Being in the furniture repair and refinishing is a good side job to be in for now with the economy being in the situation it is in, folks have now been bringing the old hand me down pieces in to me and it has been very profitable. Though I charge much less than some folks in the business because I have a very low overhead. The junk you buy today and throw away in two years has finally shown people that it is more economical to have the pieces out in the shed or barn refurbished.

 

What are your thoughts on this topic?

 

Respectfully,

 

Ralph "Sawdustr"

[DAB]

since i don't have a business, this wouldn't affect me.  but if i did, how do you figure out how much to charge for a refinish or repair job?

[Steve Krumanaker]

Ralph, I do some bit of furniture repair, not a lot because I'm basically lazy and want to do what I want to do. Most of the repair work I do is for people 50+ years old. People of a younger age seem to have a throw away mentality and don't expect an item to last for long. Now and then I find a young person who appreciates quality but they are few and far between.

 

Steve

[Joeb41]

I totally agree with Ralph on re-building old furniture. A piece built from real wood can be repaired and last for a long time. I get some good finds on trash day or yard sales. I have a strict rule that no flakeboard or MDF will be allowed in my house.

Edited August 28, 2016 by Joeb41

[Stick486]

I agree w/ ya Ralph...

the real problem is when people bring you that disposable junk in for repair that you refuse to repair and if it's of the chip/particle board family don't even ask...

and the get upset w/ you because of it...

[schnewj]

2 minutes ago, Stick486 said:

I agree w/ ya Ralph...

the real problem is when people bring you that disposable junk in for repair that you refuse to repair and if it's of the chip/particle board family don't even ask...

and the get upset w/ you because of it...

"Friends don't let friends buy particle board". Period!

[John Morris]

Ralph, it's a great business to be in at this point in time! And here is why, contrary to popular belief regarding the youngsters in our country being a disposable generation, while that may be true to a certain extent for some areas of consumerism, I am finding that our youth today are appreciating more and more the value of quality in the products they purchase.

It's the whole hipster generation, which is already pase, but the remnants of it is long lasting, and the good ideals that came out of this movement are, quality, vintage, hand made, American Made, indy (independent) arts, music, small venues for get together's and quaint cafes and restaurants full of cigars and micro brews and acoustic music, much of the music with a mountain or Appalachia flare and heavy on the folk. Even the recording studios where today's music is being produced by our young artists is full of old furnishings, Persian carpets and acoustical jams.

Within this mindset and philosophy is an appreciation for simple and rustic furnishings. The youth today are in love with Danish Modern, Shaker, Adirondack, International Modern and any type of furniture with clean lines and a heritage to go along with its style.

 

Now, couple that idealism that seems prevalent among our younger folks today, 18 yrs to 35 yrs of age, and the fact that they love re-purposing (the green movement) the worlds rejects, you have a generation of folks who love finding "vintage" products, and restoring them. And if they do not possess the talent to sand it down and splash some milk paint on it, then they'll find someone who does. Also, you'll find that the more distressed a piece of furniture looks, the better to them.

 

If you are building Danish, Shaker, Modern, then you are going to make a good living with this generation. And if you are restoring the same, you'll have a long supply of customers if your marketing and value is good.

Ralph, you are the guy that these young folks love to interact with, your whole image, your appeal, your demeanor, and your history and talent, it's what these youngsters love. The appreciation for "Hand Made" is so high in today's youth, it's really quite refreshing.
Now that's not to say we don't have some knucklehead utes (for fans of "My Cousin Vinny") walking around and just want what is hip and cheap, but in my own personal experience, the other type of youths are greater in numbers, it's a great time for re-finishers, and it's a wonderful time for hand made builders.

 

Just a little anecdotal story here, my wife and I were walking through a furniture store last year looking for a sofa. Actually we walked through many stores, and while we were looking for sofas, I noticed young couples that were looking for dressers, buffets, china cabinets, they were pulling the drawers out, and looking for dovetails! They were asking the salesman, were are the dovetails! How refreshing is that? It's a good time for "hand made" folks, if you are thinking about going into business, do it, the timing could not be better.

 

So ya Ralph, I can see why you are so busy, it's a perfect time to be doing what you are doing.

[lew]

Ralph, You still doing the radio program?

[kmealy]

I've been in this business full time since 2002 and part time since 2014.    Most of my work has been on-site, in customer's homes, retail stores or delivery company warehouses.  I quit doing refinishing a few years ago when I got so busy doing onsite work that it was had to find an hour or so every day to keep the project moving.

 

I do a lot of structural repairs to casegoods and upholstered furniture frames, finish repairs, often involving "burn-in" repairs, upholstery repairs, motion furniture (e.g., recliner) repairs, and upholstery cleaning.

 

I remember many years ago when I visited Colonial WIlliamsburg that in the leatherworking shop, the gentleman from England was speaking.   In said in the 1760 era, if you did leatherwork in in England and someone came in wanting something, you could say, "No, I only do suitcases, or shoes, or saddles, or horse tack," and send them away.   In Williamsburg, when a customer came in and wanted one of those things, you'd say, "Fine, sir, and when would you need it done?"    That stuck with me.  Don't get too specific and let demand determine your market.

[John Morris]

1 minute ago, kmealy said:

often involving "burn-in" repairs

I've had an interest in this for years, just never really read up on it or had a need to use it in anything I am doing in my own shop.

Years ago we purchased a china cabinet and it was delivered with a deep scratch or gouge in it, the repair man showed up a few days later and did a burn in repair, you have to really look hard to see where that gouge was, it's a really neat process, I was impressed.

[kmealy]

When I was taking training, he woman at the next workstation was working for a repair shop already and was in the process of taking over the business.   When we covered burn-ins, she was amazed and said something like, "Wow, why don't we ever do this?"    My thought exactly -- how can you be in the business and not do them?

 

I'll have to say, it's easy to learn the basics but it takes you a couple hundred tries to get the knack of it.   Even then, once in a while you get a real stinker that will cause you headaches..  I told this to a guy watching me once and he said, "I must be a slow learner, because I've been trying to get them to work for 15 years."

Edited August 29, 2016 by kmealy

[Gene Howe]

Both of our boys (twins) are 37 years old. They are married to good, solid ladies with old fashioned values and taste. Both boys were schooled early on about quality vs junk in all phases of life. Apparently, so were their wives. 

Both their homes boast well built, solid wood furnishings. Some built by their old man. Some purchased new and a lot from second hand stores. They know what to look for and there is no particle board anywhere in their homes.

Though they are out of the 18-35 range, they've been exercising their good sense and eye for quality for a good while. Not only in furniture and tools but you should meet their wives.

I'm not proud of our boys. Nope, not at all.

[Stick486]

45 minutes ago, kmealy said:

When I was taking training, he woman at the next workstation was working for a repair shop already and was in the process of taking over the business.   When we covered burn-ins, she was amazed and said something like, "Wow, why don't we ever do this?"    My thought exactly -- how can you be in the business and not do them?

 

I'll have to say, it's easy to learn the basics but it takes you a couple hundred tries to get the knack of it.   Even then, once in a while you get a real stinker that will cause you headaches..  I told this to a guy watching me once and he said, "I must be a slow learner, because I've been trying to get them to work for 15 years."

got tutorial???

[John Moody]

I don't really like repair work, but like it was said above, I don't send many things away.

 

And if you do a little of it, then word gets out and it starts coming regular.

[Stick486]

11 minutes ago, John Moody said:

I don't really like repair work, but like it was said above, I don't send many things away.

 

And if you do a little of it, then word gets out and it starts coming regular.

yup...

 

[Gene Howe]

Stick, a tutorial for you.

https://www.google.com/search?q=burn+in+furniture+repair&oq=burn+in+fur&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l15j69i60.13295j0j4&sourceid=silk&ie=UTF-8

[Stick486]

^{Many thanks...}

Edited August 29, 2016 by Stick486

[Ralph Allen Jones]

I kind of thought these comments were as I thought they would be and unless we train others how to do it, when we are gone there will be a lost art. Thank you all for your comments.

 

Respectfully,

 

Ralph "Sawdustr"

[Gene Howe]

8 hours ago, Stick486 said:

^{Many thanks...}

Any time, Stick.

[kmealy]

Tutorial?

 

I don't think I've ever seen two people do it exactly the same.  The two biggest things, IMO are not letting the knife damage the existing finish and getting the right colors blended for the repair.   You may only be dealing with a few thousands of an inch deep damage.