Expert: Greg Scholl - 12/5/2008

Question
QUESTION: I bought a set of French Deco chairs that need to be reglued.  I'm trying to get a sense of what it will cost to have this done in the tri-state area. I think they're mortise and tenon joints.  I know re-lacquering also costs a good bit, but will likely hold off on that for now.  Thanks for any information you can provide...  Adam

ANSWER: Hi Adam, restoration of a chair like that should be in the range of $135-350, depending on whether the upholstered seat and back come off. If the upholstery is not removable it gets expensive because to do it properly, the chair has to be disassembled. if they are lacquer,the finish repairs quite well, but I always shudder when someone asks me to do finish work on a white or upholstered chair...there's no room for error. If there are any broken tenons, veneer issues, etc, it could go slightly more. Hope that helps- Greg

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Yes the back/seat pop right out, which makes things easier.  Is this the kind of job you'd be interested in - or if not is there anyone in particular you'd recommend?  Thanks...

Answer
Hi Adam, it's the kind of work I do, yes, where are you located. In this tri-state area there are many, many restorers...so I would assume there would be several close to you. I would recommend calling a few reputable, local Antique dealers for some recommendations, as they usually know who's good. The other consideration is to take on the job yourself if you're fairly handy. It's fairly straight forward, like a puzzle, you can even mark each piece with blue tape and a marker to make sure you don't get them confused as you disassemble them. Then you clean the joints of old glue, and reglue them with the appropriate glue. A few medium bar clamps, glue, and a "Dead blow" mallet would be necessary, but that's a far smaller investment than paying someone else $45 per hour and up. The finish is far more difficult, and one needs experience to restore this type of thing, but from the picture, they look in good shape..............regards- Greg