Antiques restoration

Mirror frame restoration in Surrey

Do you need expert mirror frame restoration in Surrey? If so – then at Snelling Associates we can help you! We are time-served antique restoration experts who have been working for many years on a wide variety of antiques – with the restoration of mirrors a speciality. Indeed, it is rare for us not to be repairing mirrors, the frames of which can often be extremely delicate. They are, as you know, easily damaged either through drying out or impact. Of course, mirror frames, their gilt filigree and details require exceptionally careful work – if they are to be restored to their previous glory and to match in exactly with the rest of the frame. This is work that we undertake, always ensuring that the finish is exact and authentic. The latter quality is very important. Indeed, we believe that there are very few restorers able to produce the quality…

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Antique restoration of furniture in the Reigate area

I never cease to be surprised at the range of items that are brought into my workshop and this is as true of the requirement for antique restoration of furniture in the Reigate area as it is for anywhere else in Surrey! Actually, as an antique restoration expert this is one of the joys of my work and few things delight me more than receiving extraordinary items of furniture to work upon. That said, recently, I have been kept much occupied in restoring the frames to a variety of different mirrors. Of course, frames suffer though the passage of time. Invariably they are delicate and any filigree rarely lasts more than the smallest knock. Meanwhile, the advent of central heating has meant that any items made from plaster or wood dry out to an extent never imagined by the original craftsmen. Central heating is great for us humans but generally…

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Antique repairs in Cranleigh, the best around!

At Snelling Associates we pride ourselves upon not just the personal service we provide for antique repairs in Cranleigh but also upon our superb quality of work. This, of course, is essential particularly when we deal with the repair and restoration of valuable antiques – many of which are also much loved family heirlooms! As you can see from the many images on this site, we are professional restorers who have been doing antique repairs in Cranleigh and the local area for many years. You may have seen us at various shows around the area or in some of the local papers and magazines, where we have been featured. Our workshop is in Shere and it is here that we undertake our restoration work and this covers a wide range of furniture repair and antique restoration issues from insurance claims through to the decay or damage of items due to…

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Furniture repairs in Surrey, time served expertise!

At Snelling Associates we are experts in the renovation and restoration of furniture and objets d’art. So, if you are looking for furniture repairs in Surrey then do contact us or come to our workshop in Shere. Here we undertake an extensive range of repairs and restoration – all undertaken by our dedicated and professional staff. We pride ourselves upon the quality of our work and the fact that the vast majority of our work comes by word of mouth or from existing clients, many of whom we have worked for over several decades. On this web site you can see the type of furniture repairs in Surrey that we undertake and the quality of finish that we achieve. Certainly, we understand the inherent importance of patina and how critical it is to preserve and (wherever possible) enhance the value of any item that we restore. As a consequence, you can…

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Antique restorations around Dorking

As you can see from the image above, last weekend I was at the Albury fair promoting Snelling Associates and our ability to undertake highly skilled antique restorations around Dorking. I am pleased to say that this was very successful, as was the fair – which was held in some of the most glorious weather I can remember for years! Of course, promoting our skills is not something that comes naturally to us. Like most craftsmen, at Snelling Associates, we spend almost all our time in the workshop deeply involved in our work. This tends to override everything else and sometimes the level of concentration required when we are tackling complicated work means that we forget to tell the rest of the world that we exist – and that we are really good at what we do. Certainly, it is true to say that, over the years, we have been…

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Gorgeous, fully restored London Trolley for sale

You may be interested to know that I have a London Trolley for sale! This gorgeous piece from the past is really lovely and something that I have restored over the past couple of years (in between my more normal restoration of antiques and objets d’art!). As you can see from the image above, my London Trolley is in superb condition and is something that would be a stunning adornment to any property. It is also fully functioning, in as fine a condition as the day it was made and is only £1,500.00 (a bargain!). Of course, it is now rare to see London Trolleys and yet, in my youth, I used to see them all the time. They were used for transporting a bewildering array of goods through the streets of London from coal to potatoes to just about anything that the owner could put on them. Often they…

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Professional restoration of antique furniture in the Guildford area

Recently a client brought into our workshop a gorgeous burr walnut card table, which has suffered badly over the years – not least from the lifting of its veneers. Well, as you can imagine, this card table is not only a valuable piece but also one that is treasured by the family concerned as an heirloom. Indeed, it has been in the family for many generations now and is in need of expert attention from someone (like us) used to professional restoration of antique furniture in the Guildford area. It is certainly not a piece of furniture that would retain its value if any repair work was ‘bodged’ (as so often happens when amateurs attempt to restore antiques!). In fact, professional restoration of antique furniture is required whenever a piece has inherent value. This may seem obvious but we tend to receive a great many antiques that have been repaired…

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Examples of Snelling Associates’ repair and restoration of furniture in Surrey

Over the past few weeks we have been busy with a wide variety of repair and restoration of furniture in Surrey within our Shere workshop. This has included some very attractive pieces of furniture, which we have completely transformed! Indeed, all the three examples shown here are a tribute to what can be done. Certainly, we are pleased with the results achieved! In fact, all three pieces required substantial work from making new turnings to finding and laying new veneers (to match those existing). We then had to do some very careful colouring, in the case of the desk and table, followed by French polishing. In any event, if you need repair and restoration of furniture in Surrey then do contact us! Peter Snelling

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