Services
The staff of Meeting House Furniture Restoration possesses a broad range of skills, education, and expertise in conservation, wood working, and finishing. These abilities include the conservation of wooden artifacts and fine art found in the collections of many local and regional museums, as well as extensive restoration of period furniture and decorative art at the Vermont State House. The everyday family heirlooms they work on, however, are of greatest significance: if the piece is important to the client, it is important to us.
This Furniture Doctor makes house calls! The Meeting House technicians make onsite visits to your home or business to perform various restoration and furniture maintenance procedures including: touching up dings, mars, scratches and gouges; removal of white water or heat rings in finishes; cleaning and waxing furniture; polishing brass hardware; gluing on loose or replacement veneers or trim; and any other tasks you need performed. We can also transport your furniture to our workshop and back at your convenience.
For over thirty years the staff has handled any and all types of moving and transit damage for all furniture and decorative arts. If damage occurs during a move, contact us. We are independent of all moving companies and are often called on by local and national firms to repair items damaged in a move. In most instances, staff will visit your home and many repairs can be made on site. However, some damaged items may need to be taken back to the workshop if more extensive work is needed. For moving damage, we do it all: fixing broken lamps, replacing shattered mirrors, repairing broken artwork frames, touching up scratches, rebuilding a badly damaged table, patching a punctured oil painting, stitching up a slashed leather sofa, or mending a broken marble table top.
Porcelain elephant shattered during transportation, before and after restoration.
We are well versed and experienced in the restoration of extremely damaged fire and water-damaged furniture. Please note: Before allowing a piece of furniture to be discarded after a disaster, contact us immediately. Often in the case of water damaged furniture, more damage occurs while the objects remain saturated with water or are improperly dried, than from the original deluge or fire.
Fire damaged Italian desk, before and after restoration.
Brass Andiron, before and after restoration.
Scorched fire damaged hardware as found, in process of restoration, and restored.
The skilled artisans at the Meeting House are experienced and equipped to perform the restoration of free-standing and built-in cabinetry, regardless of the type of damage. Whether worn from years of use or damaged from water or fire, we can restore all aspects of the cabinet: the face, the box, and even repair or replicate damaged doors, in order to restore a kitchen back to pristine condition.
A large percentage of the jobs performed by the Meeting House are for private clients. However, we have also worked with large commercial institutions as well as local and state governments. For example, we restored all the representatives desks, the two Senators’ 15-seat settees, and other furniture in the Vermont State House Legislative Hall.
The above image shows the view from the gallery of the Vermont State House Legislative Hall showing completed restoration projects performed by Meeting House Furniture Restoration: The 150 curved and straight walnut Legislators’ desks, the pair of 15-seat Senators’ Settees on the dais, the Clerk’s Desk, the Conference Table, and 2 Rococco Settes in the center of the Hall.
For their work, the skilled artisans at the Meeting House were recognized for their high level of craftsmanship exhibited in their restoration of the Vermont State House Furniture by lawmakers and dignitaries at the annual meeting of the Friends’ of the State House on October 26, 2001.
Pictured from left to right are project architect John Mesick, former Vermont Governor and Presidential candidate Howard Dean, the staff of Meeting House in 2001 (Bruce Fifield, Jonathan Schechtman, Wayne Saunders, Fred Tipton) and State House Curator David Schutz (far right, rear.)
We have taken on a variety of other interesting projects such as steamer trunks and hobby horses (as seen below). We’re always ready and excited to work on unique projects!
Irish trunk Restoration, before and after.
Water-Damaged 19th. Cent. English Hobby Horse in Process of Restoration, and after restoration, with reproduction saddle and tack, and replacement mane and tail.