Justin Neales Antiques

We refinish a lot of dining tables due to the continual use they receive. If they are modern reproductions, they are normally spray lacquered with a heat and water resistant finish. If they are antique, they are generally French polish in the traditional manner.

I’ve just got this teak dining table back from being lacquered and I’m extremely pleased how well it’s turned out.

I’ve been restoring for 40 years and have never polished a Singer sewing machine before.

The large Victorian mahogany dining table has now been traditionally french polished and delivered.

The last job to come in on Friday was a teak dining table, the folding leaf is in such good shape I thought we could just re-finish the ends.

This Victorian chair was brought into me this morning, my customer was slightly alarmed when I showed her the progress a few hours later.

I’m a bit snowed under this week restoring the large mahogany dining table, hopefully it might be finished tomorrow.

The singer sewing machine is progressing between other jobs, having been totally dismantled the next step is to repair the damaged veneer then removing the dark stains.
The finish will be fairly easy to remove being shellac.

Large stains that you think have ruined a piece are generally removable with re-finishing.

The latest job to come into my workshop is this early Victorian mahogany dining table, it’s not a wind out just push and pull so the frame needs to move smoothly. The leaves are badly stained and one of the leaves was cut in half.

The challenge is to understand your customers vision and return it in a condition that they will be very happy with.

Many years ago when I was 19 I worked for an auction house in Bristol, we sold vast amounts of antiques including many tables like these.
I was always interested in how the obvious damage on those antiques was repaired before being sold onto customers which is why I started my career into antique restoration. I went to work for a restoration business on a weeks unpaid work and realised it was for me, this lead me to enroll on a years course with Bruce Luckhurst and the rest is history.

After quite some work the Early Victorian flame mahogany tilt top table is ready to be delivered.