1908 Wisconsin Peerless Ice Box

Happy 2014!  Our first post in the New Year!

Take a look at this 1908 Wisconsin Peerless Icebox.  It was brought to us needing some serious repairs.  Our craftsmen created a new top lid and refinished the wood.  A dark cherry stain was applied, giving it that rich and artistic look.  We were able to preserve the original label from Wisconsin Peerless!

Fabric Friday: All I Want For Christmas

written by Carolyn

All I want for Christmas is....a new sofa. Well what I really want is an old sofa I can re do but my husband isn’t too keen on that idea. So hopefully I will find a company to make one with one of these amazing fabrics. I’m not sure if it’s the cold weather but I really want a grey tweed-ish or wool sofa. It would do great on hiding stains, and they are extremely durable. Hopefully in a few months I will be able to post an after photo. These are my top picks so far: 

                           

                             

Honey, We Shrunk The Couch!

This past week we were able to save an interior designer in a jam. A new sleeper sofa was ordered and delivered to a client in a  new home.  Except there was one problem.  The sofa was too big for the stairs!

 

Problem:

sleeper sofa+3rd floor= long day for FinishPros 

Solution: call FinishPros!

We began by removing the sleeper unit and then the material. This delicate task of removing the material and padding needed to be done extremely carefully since it would be reused. We then disassemble part of the frame and cut the arm. 

 The first attempt up the stairway was a bust and an additional section of the sofa frame needed to be removed. 

Finally after 5 hours the dismantled frame was on the third floor.  After several more hours the material was reapplied and we claimed a successful day!

A Whole New Purpose...

Do you have a piece of furniture that doesn't have a place in your home in it's current condition?  Or maybe a friend or relative has a well-made piece that is great structually but not your colors. 

 Consider repurposing that furniture for a whole new look! 

This dresser was an old mahogany piece that we refinished and painted for a customer's young daughter.  The history behind this piece is priceless; it's a dresser that has been in her family for generations....  and the tradition continues with her daughter.

How To Tell If Your Sofa Is Worth Reupholstering

Written by Ben W., Sales Manager

Why should someone invest in having a sofa restored? Why should a person spend 

money on fixing up something old, when the same amount of money can be used at any 

one of the big furniture showrooms to buy something shiny and new?  It comes down to quality.

 The American furniture industry has been outsourced to...well, a country far, far away. 

The last of the true furniture greats left our shores in the early 2000’s for a location due 

east of here, and let’s just say that they decided not to take a friend named quality along 

with them. It’s a shame beyond shames. Some of the most iconic, reputable furniture 

brands (the one’s that made my home state of NC famous) now produce flimsy things 

made of particle-wood, slapped together haphazardly with glue and staples. It’s junk, 

plain and simple, and you’re really lucky if you get ten years out of it. A good sofa can 

last a lifetime and then some.

To over-simplify it: you can either spend $2000 or more on a new piece of junk that 

won’t last you very long, or you can invest around $1500 or so in reupholstery labor and 

fabric in order to give new life to a quality-built sofa -- one that is “built like a tank”. The 

bonus of the latter option is also that you get to customize the sofa to your liking, as 

opposed to picking from the limited selection of a showroom floor.

So before you throw out that heavy sofa you purchased in 1992, or 1978, or even back 

in 60’s, consider that it’s really heavy for a reason. There’s real wood in there. Those 

are coil springs you’ve been sitting on. That’s quality -- it’s Made in America. A great 

upholstery business can restore that sofa to it’s former state of glory, for the same 

amount of money that would buy you something low-quality. 

The logic is all there: if you have a quality sofa,  reupholster.

Protecting your Fabric

We get a lot of questions about what we can do to help prevent stains or wear on fabric. There is a few different options ranging in price.

The first and most common, and easiest, option is to have us fabric treat your pieces before we deliver them. We apply 3-4 coats of a fabric treatment over your pieces and let it dry for about 24 hours. This helps any stains from setting in. While it will not fully prevent any stains it will help if any liquid or dirt is spilled on the piece.

Another option would be to have the fabric back. This process does not protect the fabric against any stains but it does allow it to last longer. Usually this isn’t needed but if a light weight fabric is selected then it might be something to look in to.

The most expensive and labor intensive option is to have the fabric coated in vinyl. This is a great option for a lake house, near a pool or a kitchen table. About one half of our fabrics can be coated in a vinyl which allows you to still have a great color fabric but it will be mostly water proof.

How to Entertain Your Guests and Preserve your Furniture at the Same Time

The holidays are upon us, which often means extra entertaining and dinner parties.   We thought it would be a great time to offer some reminders about preventative care for your furniture so that your food is served hot and your table remains beautiful.

Question:  I am hosting a dinner party for 30 guests but worry about people setting hot food down on my recently refinished dining room table.  What's the best way to protect the table but still have it look nice?

The short answer to this question is raised trivets and/or a table pad with a festive table cloth.  If the table is properly maintained throughout the year (see this link here for care instructions), it will help tremendously in preserving the finish on the table.  If for some reason a guest or relative places a hot food item on your beloved dining room table without protection, Finish Pros has published a video here to demonstrate how to get rid of heat rings.