Furniture repair West Village: a carved antique armchair in a townhouse living room

Furniture repair West Village The Cover Is Rarely What Failed

Old pieces in these townhouses wobble, creak and sag long before the fabric wears through. We check the frame first, because a new cover on a loose frame fails again.

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ManhattanGreenwich VillageChelseaSoHo

The test anyone can do

Sit Down, Push The Arm

Every furniture repair West Village visit starts the same way: we sit on it and push.

Gap opening at a chair leg joint
It movesA loose joint

Old glue has let go. Reglued, not screwed.

Open joint where a chair rail meets the leg
It creaksA rail working free

Heard before it is seen. Dining chairs.

Sagging leather seat cushion
It sinksSupport gone

Springs or webbing under the seat. Cushions.

Where an old frame gives way

Four Places To Look

The cover shows it; the cause is underneath.

Loose joint at the back of a dining chair
Leg jointsWhere rails meet legs. Wood repair.
Seat pad no longer fitting its frame
Seat fitA pad that shifts means the frame has spread. Chairs.
Sagging leather sofa cushion
Seat deckSagging from the springs, not the foam. Cushions.
Loose nailheads on a leather wing chair
Loose trimNails pull out when the wood flexes. Wing chairs.
Frame first, cover second

Inspect, Reglue, Touch Up

Small joint work can be done in your home. A frame that needs clamping overnight goes to the bench. Wood repair.

Close inspection of a wood frame corner01Inspect

Every joint pushed.

Carved wood frame of an antique sofa02Reglue

Old glue cleaned out, joints clamped.

Brush touching up a wood frame edge03Touch up

Chips and rubs colored by hand.

Repaired wood frame under a leather seat04Then the cover

Only once the frame is sound. Color.

What we will not do to an old piece

No Screws, No Shortcuts

  1. No screws through jointsThey split old wood.
  2. No modern glue on hide glueIt will not bond, and it blocks the next repair.
  3. No stripping the finishTouched up, not refinished. Ask us.
The wood is half the furniture

Carving, Finish, Crest

Carved wood scroll on a leather chair arm
Scroll armsCleaned and fed, not sanded. Feeding.
Carved walnut dining chair frame
Carved legsKnocks filled and colored. Chairs.
Close view of a wood finish grain
FinishMatched to the grain around it. Finishes.
Camelback leather settee with a carved crest
Crest railsThe first place a settee cracks. Antiques.
When the cover shows it

Signs It Is Underneath

Loose seam and piping on green leather
Seams openingThe frame flexes and pulls them. Seams.
Loose leather upholstery on a cushion
Baggy leatherThe fill underneath has shrunk. Refill.
Leather sofa with sagging seats
One seat lowerA broken spring on that side. Rebuild.
Seat springs and foam exposed on a frame
Under the coverSprings, webbing and foam. Reupholstery.
Old pieces we see most

Settees, Dining Chairs, Armchairs

Victorian leather settee with a carved crestSettees French provincial dining chair in carved walnutDining chairs Carved scroll arm on a leather armchairArmchairs
West of Seventh Avenue

West Village And Nearby

Furniture repair West Village visits cover the townhouse blocks protected by Village Preservation and the streets around them. Nearby:

Carved crest sofa before and after
Asked by people who inherited the sofa

Common Questions

Can a wobbly chair be fixed at home?
Often. If the joint needs clamping overnight, it goes to the bench.
Should the frame be fixed before recovering?
Always. A new cover on a loose frame tears at the same spots.
Is an old frame worth saving?
Solid hardwood usually is. A split rail or a frame full of staples may not be, and we will say so.
Is the visit free?
Yes, with a written quote and photos.
Do you refinish the wood?
We touch up and match. Full stripping is rarely right for an old piece.
What about the leather or fabric?
Once the frame is sound: conditioning, color, or a new cover. See materials.
How long does furniture repair West Village work take?
Joint and touch-up work is often done in one visit. Clamped pieces come back once the glue cures.
Carved wood detail on an antique frame
West Village, Manhattan

Photograph The Underside

Tip it back and send a photo of the frame. We'll quote from there. All services.

Book a free visit Call (347) 310-7483
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