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Frequently Asked Questions
If you have never used refinishing services before or are looking for a better source for services just check out some of the questions below.
How can I find out about your local company reputation? That’s easy! We are members in good standing with our own area’s New Albany Chamber of Commerce. We'll be going into our 30th year of service with an A+ from the Columbus Better Business Bureau. You'll also find that we have top ratings with the popular Angie's List. References are available also upon request.
Does your staff have any special training in refinishing and repair? All of the management team has not only had thousands of hours of hands-on training but also many hours of business restoration management training as well. Many people have even apprenticed with us over the last 24 years to learn our methods. The customer is assured that we not only know our craft but can successfully complete their furniture on time and within budget. Your biggest advantage in having us do your work is our extensive customer base. Furniture Physicians current customer base is over 8500 strong just here in central Ohio. People know us and trust us with their furniture, becoming long term customers that use our services again and again.
How long does it take to have a piece of furniture stripped, repaired ,or refinished? If you need only stripping 2 days to a 1 week is our normal time frame. If that same item also needs repair work and refinishing a total of 2 to 3 weeks is needed. Special considerations can be given to “rush” jobs, just ask!
I’ve always heard it costs a lot to have refinishing done, is this true? Although good refinishing is not inexpensive it usually costs 1/4 to 1/2 of the money you would spend for comparable new quality furniture. Keep in mind you may not even find comparable quality in new furniture!!! Quality spot-repair and touch-up can cost less than refinishing, giving you even more value. For local central Ohio residents you can just go to our Interactive Restoration Form on this website. Fill out the form and we will provide you with background and more importantly cost information on restoring your furniture! Due to the volume of these forms we receive please allow 1 to 3 days for our replies. A real craftsperson answers these forms personally for you!
I own veneered furniture. What's that mean and can it even be restored? Veneered surfaces are thin layers (1/8 to1/64 inch thick) of decorative patterns applied over a substrate (usually solid wood in older furniture). The furniture builder can get patterns in the wood that just don't occur in solid lumbers. While some newer furniture is done this way for economy it used to be done to achieve these beautiful effects just not seen in solid woods. Did someone tell you that veneered furniture can't be restored??? What a shame, since about 60% of the furniture we do is veneered. Loose veneers can be reglued, missing pieces filled and "faux finished" to match, etc. Don't let an uninformed person lead you to believe that veneers cannot be restored. We know how to handle veneered furniture.
How do I find out whether the furniture I am considering is worth refinishing? Call us!!! It all begins with a phone call. Your description of the items can tell us relative age and many times style of pieces. If you are in the central Ohio or surrounding areas we can follow up with a free in-home estimate or if you are out-of-state photographs and dimensions of the pieces will give us an idea of what you have. We are a quality operation and always prefer to work on good quality furniture. Restoration of poor quality furniture is of no value to anyone. Phone (614)855-9720
It all sounds pretty good over the phone so what do I do now? You may simply drop furniture off at our New Albany shop (just ask for directions), have items picked-up by our staff after an in-home estimate is done, or ship items to us after a thorough fax quote has been completed. The furniture is checked over one more time in our shop for any hidden problems that may have been unseen to you. We always notify you by phone if their are any changes that must be made in an estimate due to this circumstance and will wait for your verbal okay before proceeding with any changes in an estimate.
Someone recently told me not to refinish but to “refurbish” my furniture to maintain it’s value. What is “refurbishment?” This is a new term to most consumers but nothing new to quality restoration shops. We have always offered this service when a piece can and should be done this way. Refurbishment usually consists of cleaning the existing finish, minor touch-up of nicks, scratches, gouges etc., and the application of a few more thin layers of new matching coating. We would like to stress that it is the condition of the piece itself which dictates if this process can be done. Many coatings have lost so much of their original ingredients as well as evidence of more severe types of damage to the wood can easily prevent this type of restoration. We can however do some testing on your furniture which will tell us if this is a possible treatment. We have seen many examples of poor refurbishment over the years which seriously damages the value of the pieces.
My restaurant has over 140 loose chairs that also need some touch-up. How can I afford to send them out for repair??? Don’t send them out! Our in-home and on-site division (Darrel Kestner Restorations) can do them right in your building even after hours or on weekends. You can be ready to use them the next day! Just leave a message for Mr. Kestner at (614)855-9720.
My old dresser is really a basket case. The brass hardware is dull, the frame is loose, and several carvings are missing. Is there any hope for a piece like this??? Sure! Because older furniture was built right in the first place, we can take “ your basket case” and re-polish the hardware, re-glue the frame (permanently this time), and actually re-cast the old carvings using bits and pieces of the existing carvings. Add our great stripping and refinishing processes and you’ll own fine furniture again! |