Wood Restoration of Wooden Objects and Sculptural Works

Naturally, there are better and less well-formulated guidelines for wood and furniture restorers.

Expectations regarding the results of restoration are high. In many cases, clients expect restorers to give the treated objects a like-new appearance or for a clear “before-and-after effect” to occur. However, that is not the intention of professional restoration. Good restoration remains largely invisible. Restoring does not mean “making new,” contrary to what the Latin term “restaurare” might suggest.

Restoration goes beyond conservation measures. Restoration involves direct intervention on cultural property. In doing so, its aesthetic, historical, and physical properties are respected as far as possible. It may involve making additions or reconstructions that must remain subordinate to the historic object.

For a restorer of furniture and wood, the first prerequisite is the learned trade—cabinetmaker or joiner—as the professional ethical foundation. Subsequently, during academic study, the restorer learns the scientific approach to professional restoration. Quality criteria and guidelines are derived from professional standards and the guidelines of the Association of Restorers.

The criteria of heritage conservation are more narrowly defined than those of privately practicing restorers.

Anyone expecting professional restoration should consult a qualified restorer. Unfortunately, “restorer” is not a protected designation in Germany. Anyone may carry out restoration, even without professional ethics or expertise. In the event of disputes over the outcome of the work, only civil court can provide assistance.

Addition techniques or methods are intended to renew lost or damaged areas on furniture to complete the artwork. In furniture restoration, the term “additions” refers to the renewal of missing parts, which may be larger or smaller. It always concerns the addition of missing areas, regardless of whether it involves solid wood or veneer.

The task of the wood and furniture restorer is to close the missing areas in such a way that the affected area is secured. The material loss should be visually minimized by ensuring that the addition blends in as closely as possible in appearance—i.e., in color and structure. Furthermore, it must be adapted in dimension and in the given craftsmanship surface treatment to the surrounding area. Only through a professionally correctly executed addition can optical integration finally be achieved by means of color or varnish retouching. The demands on the execution quality of an addition are thus very diverse. In some cases, leaving missing areas as they are may also be considered.

The quality of additions places high demands on the professional maturity of the restorer.

Damage to antique furniture:

Just as individual as each historic object are the respective damages. They depend on many factors such as the age of the object, use, environmental influences, or care. There are some “typical basic damages” that are repeatedly observed in antique furniture.

These include:

• Shrinkage cracks—a common reaction to usually excessive room temperatures with dry air
• Breakouts—caused by mechanical impact through use
• Structural damage—loose or opened wood joints
• Wood abrasion—common in unwaxed drawers—wood rubbing on wood
• Detachment of small parts and veneers
• Stains—fading
• Surface damage in general—caused by lack of care or incorrect care
• Wear of functional metal components (locks, hinges, etc.)
• Metal corrosion
• Non-original replacement parts / poorly executed wood additions

To remedy the various types of damage requires appropriate knowledge and craftsmanship know-how. For wood additions, precisely matching wood is essential. Density, structure, and grain must be correct. Stains in wood cannot simply be removed with universal cleaners without knowledge of their origin. Improper removal can have the opposite effect, enlarging stains or making them more prominent. Wood dust created by abrasion (drawers) is frequently misinterpreted by laypeople as bore dust from “woodworm.”

Before the restorer can proceed with damage remediation, he must clarify the many individual case factors.

In the field of furniture restoration, reconstruction refers to the restoration of missing areas. It is important for the significance of the furniture or wooden object. Cultural objects are often in very poor condition before restoration and are frequently no longer complete. Parts are lost through theft, vandalism, or deteriorate due to poor environmental conditions. Before a furniture restorer decides on reconstruction of the furniture or wooden object, he must examine in each specific case whether lost parts should be replaced or whether the fragment should be left as is.

The following questions must be clarified in connection with a reconstruction:

• Degree of impairment to the comprehensibility and experienceability of the object
• Significance of the impairment to the aesthetic effect of the object
• Unambiguous reconstructability of the appearance of the missing area
• Technological prerequisites for the reproducibility of the missing part
• Ethical and aesthetic problems arising from the addition.

For many owners of antique furniture, restoration is an aesthetic question. One wishes to enjoy the beauty of the furniture. Other objects are old picture frames whose gilding has been damaged over the years.

Generally yes. The necessary measures depend on the scope of restoration needs or damage. Working on-site is often even advantageous. Most conservation, protective, care, and cleaning activities can often be carried out directly at the object’s location. Likewise, simple interventions such as: securing loose veneers, repairing defective locks, surface regeneration, etc.

For more complex measures, however, transport to my ZRW Berlin is essential.

For wood and furniture restoration, replacement or addition materials—wood, fittings, leather, shellac, glue, etc.—are selected to meet both aesthetic and historical and technical quality requirements.

If there are no concerns regarding functionality, wood additions are also made with naturally aged materials and comparable patina for aesthetic reasons. In furniture restoration and wood restoration, gluing or consolidation is carried out using various time-tested agents such as hide and bone glue, sturgeon glue, parchment glue, cellulose derivatives, etc.

If wood must be replaced, it comes either from the material collection of my ZRW Berlin or from well-known veneer and timber merchants in Europe. If the original furniture was already built with machine-cut knife veneer, then only knife veneer is used.

Natural varnishes are produced in our own workshop for color tone, haptics, and important surface protection.