Furniture restoration near me is usually a search for someone who will treat an old piece with care: a Cape Dutch chair, a Victorian couch, a riempie bench, a cane rocker or the imbuia dining set that came from the family farm. Restorers strip old finishes, repair veneer, reglue joints, treat woodworm and refinish with French polish, oil or lacquer, and many recover the upholstery too. Send photos and describe the piece, and we pass your request to independent restorers near you, who quote you directly. It is free, with no obligation.
Furniture restoration: what restorers do
- Structural repairs: loose joints taken apart and reglued, broken rails and legs remade
- Finishes: stripping, French polish, oiling, waxing or lacquer
- Veneer and timber: lifted veneer relaid, chips filled, woodworm treated
- Cane and riempie reseating on chairs and benches
- Brass and hardware cleaned or replaced
- Reupholstery once the frame is sound, see armchairs and dining chairs
Antique furniture restoration: conserve or refinish?
An antique with its original finish often has more value left as it is, cleaned and waxed, than stripped and polished like new. Ask the restorer for a view before anything is stripped. Older South African furniture is often made of timbers such as imbuia, yellowwood, stinkwood or teak; each takes finishes differently, so a restorer who knows them is worth finding. For upholstered antiques, traditional fillings like horsehair and coir can be kept or replaced with foam and wrap, which changes the look and feel.
Climate, care and common mistakes
Dry Highveld air shrinks timber and opens joints; coastal damp lifts veneer, rusts screws and brings mould. Keep restored pieces out of direct sun and away from heaters and air conditioners. Common mistakes: using paint stripper on a piece with veneer, gluing a wobbly joint with wood filler, and putting a modern lacquer over an old French polish. Patio furniture restoration for timber or wrought iron sets is a different job, often done with the cushions handled by an outdoor cushion maker.
What affects the price and what to ask a restorer
The price depends on the size of the piece, the state of the joints, the finish chosen, veneer work, cane or riempie reseating and any upholstery. Ask each restorer:
- Should this be conserved or fully refinished?
- Which finish will you use, and why?
- Is the upholstery done in your workshop or sent to an upholsterer?
What to include in your request
- What the piece is, with photos
- Timber type if you know it
- What is damaged or loose
- Finish you want, or ask for advice
- Upholstery or cane work needed
Furniture Restoration for homes, cars and businesses
- Homeowners and tenants: a family heirloom chair, an imbuia dining set or a riempie bench restored and recovered
- Restaurants, hotels, guesthouses and lodges: antique pieces in a country hotel, a wine farm tasting room or a heritage guesthouse
- Offices and businesses: old timber boardroom tables and chairs in a law firm or heritage building refinished
- Car, bakkie and taxi owners: timber trim and seats from a classic car or an old ox wagon bench restored
- Boats, caravans and 4x4s: teak deck chairs, a yacht's saloon furniture or a lodge's old campaign chairs restored
- Clinics, salons, spas and gyms: heritage furniture in an old hospital boardroom or a doctor's historic rooms restored
- Churches, schools and halls: church pews, museum pieces and council chamber chairs restored and reupholstered
- Upholsterers, makers, designers and DIYers: antique dealers and auction houses having pieces restored before they go to sale
Frequently asked questions
How much does furniture restoration cost?
Should I restore an antique or leave it?
Can cane and riempie chairs be repaired?
How long does furniture restoration take?
Furniture Restoration by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg