“Working with A Quality Finish has been a truly remarkable experience from the very beginning. Every step of the process has been explained to me in a very helpful manner, as well as help with other issues. Words do not do justice to the quality and beauty of my furniture when returned to me. I was amazed!!! The entire crew was wonderful to work with as well. Always very helpful, pleasant, and mannerly. Thank you so much for restoring my fire and smoke-damaged furniture to a very beautiful state”
We recently completed the fire damage antique furniture restoration project. This was a large project with 170 pieces of furniture and the customer was thrilled with the results. In this blog post, we will be sharing the story of this furniture restoration project.
Where did this fire happen and what was the cause?
This loss occurred in the small town of Middletown, MD. Large historical home built in 1903 belonging to the Routzahn family. I believe this fire loss started during a windstorm with a large branch falling across electrical wiring, ultimately causing an interior wall fire.
What type of furniture did we restore?
This was a large fire loss, with approximately 170 pieces of furniture that sustained the full range of damage from soot residue to rebuilding parts of wood furniture back to like new condition. This was a lifetime of collecting antiques from all periods, family heirlooms, and even some true period pieces. Mahogany Federal, Queen Anne, and Victorian, along with some true Eastlake pieces.
When we are called to a fire restoration project for antique or wood furniture restoration, we catalog all the furniture and work directly with the insurance company to assess the antiques and determine a restoration protocol and outline for the adjuster. With close to 170 pieces of furniture, this was a big undertaking to ensure each was restored properly.
What damage did this furniture sustain in the fire?
When a fire occurs, it is common to have heavy heat, soot, and water damage along with wet debris damage. With fire damage furniture restoration, you have the original fire and soot damage and then water damage on top when they put out the fire. Visible deep soot patterns on all horizontal surfaces inside and out were visible on these pieces.
How did we restore these antique furniture pieces?
This restoration started with our emergency service team, suiting up for the removal, inventory, photo imaging, wrapping, and packing process. During this process, we sift through debris to find the treasured pieces, work with the insured (homeowner), answer questions, and try to help relieve some of the stress and anxiety.
Once we find all the pieces, we move the items into our climate-controlled storage facility in preparation for the restoration process to begin.
We begin by dismantling the wood furniture pieces, then we hand-strip the original finish, clean and polish the hardware, and repair burns, and damaged veneers. If there are broken pieces, we have to fabricate broken or missing parts of the furniture to restore it back to like new condition. Once the furniture piece is stripped, sanded, and structurally correct, we begin color matching and applying finish.
One unique part of this restoration is some of these pieces had hand-painted patterns and unique original finishes. We salvaged original patinas, painted pieces with some distressing techniques, and stencil work with hand-painted applique’.
We worked directly with the homeowner through calls, emails, and text communication, sharing progress pictures and discussing the entire process to ensure she would like the final outcome.
Once the furniture is complete, then comes the day for our final delivery, when the customer gets to see all the completed work. Part of the restoration process is the restoration of the home, we must wait until the home is completely restored before we can deliver the furniture back.
What were the unique challenges this project had?
This was not your typical fire claim, just the sheer size and magnitude of this loss presented many challenges. I am very proud of our team and how we all worked together to have Mrs. Routzahn’s furniture restored and delivered on schedule.
Antique Furniture Restoration in the DC Metro Area
If you are looking for a professional furniture restoration company in Virginia, DC, or Maryland, we have the team and facility to help with your restoration project. Regardless of if it’s a 170-piece fire restoration project or an antique family heirloom, we are ready to help. Request an estimate here or give us a call at (703) 335-2085.
You may also be interested in:
Furniture Restoration in Alexandria, VA