Furniture Refinishing & Restoration
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Overview
Furniture refinishing restores worn furniture through stripping, sanding, staining, and finishing.
With quality furniture expensive and vintage furniture valued, refinishing generates revenue of $95,000-$340,000 with 65-80% margins on labor.
The business requires workshop space, sanding and stripping equipment, finishing supplies, ventilation, and woodworking skills.
Services include furniture stripping and refinishing, wood repair and restoration, color matching and custom stains, antique furniture restoration, veneer repair, and French polishing.
Pricing typically $200-$800 per piece depending on size and complexity.
Success factors include quality finishing craftsmanship, understanding wood species and finishes, working with antique dealers and designers, offering pickup/delivery, and building portfolio of before/afters.
Most combine refinishing with repair.
Marketing focuses on antique dealers, interior designers, Facebook Marketplace before/afters, and local community.
With quality furniture lasting generations and refinishing extending life in 2025, furniture refinishing offers restoration opportunities requiring craftsmanship.
Required Skills
- Wood finishing techniques
- Stripping and sanding
- Color matching
- Wood repair
- Furniture styles knowledge
- Spray finishing
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Good margins on labor
- Satisfying restoration work
- Growing vintage furniture
- Designer partnerships
- Before/after marketing appeal
Cons
- Workshop space needed
- Finishing fumes and ventilation
- Physically demanding
- Long project timelines
- Material costs
How to Get Started
- Learn finishing techniques
- Set up workshop with ventilation
- Acquire equipment
- Stock finishing supplies
- Build portfolio
- Partner with antique dealers
- Show before/afters
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