When you have an antique or other piece of furniture that you don't want to get rid of but that has lost some of its original luster, you can choose furniture restoration services to bring that piece back to life. The right services can mean making it look brand new, and in some cases it can preserve the value of that piece as well.

Obviously you can try your own furniture restoration methods; there are products you can buy at just about any retail store and sometimes a coat of oil or polish can bring back the luster and shine to wood pieces. A good cleaning of upholstered pieces can also make them look fresh and new, and again, you can buy products that are meant for this process at home. However, it's usually best to leave more complicated furniture restoration methods to the professionals.

One reason for this is that different types of wood and different coatings on that wood call for different methods and different products. This is especially important when you're dealing with antiques as the wood will change as it ages. A good furniture restoration company will understand this and will have many different products and methods they use for handling these items. The same is true of fabric; different fabrics mean different cleaning methods. It's important that furniture restoration methods for fine silk be different and more delicate than the methods used for corduroy which may hold up better, and of course leather and vinyl are completely different altogether.

Using the wrong methods and the wrong products for your own furniture restoration can mean actually damaging the products and making the problem worse. There is also something of an art to handling these pieces and restoring them in a way that won't look cheap and obvious; after all, anyone can put a brace or a bracket on a broken table leg and call it fixed. Professional furniture restoration means making it look new again.

So how do you choose the right professional individual or company for your furniture restoration needs? The first step is to shop around for someone that handles your pieces in particular, if they're very valuable or very unique. Only use an antique furniture restoration company if that is what you have; if you want a piano restored, choose someone or a company that specializes in these pieces. Those larger pieces and specialty pieces require a specialist, so don't settle for anything less.

Check out the website of any furniture restoration service and see before and after pictures; these will help you to see the craftsmanship and workmanship of any company. It's also good to ask questions about what they can do for your particular piece. How many like it have they handled previously? What can they do for your furniture restoration needs? It's also good to expect questions from them about your pieces as well. This will help to determine if they're the best choice for you.