Antique Furniture Restoration
in Northern Ireland
Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian and earlier pieces — restored with traditional techniques and period-correct materials.
Antique restoration is a different discipline from modern upholstery. The frame is older, the joinery often hand-cut, and the original techniques — hand-tied springs, hessian under-cloths, horsehair stuffing — aren't replaceable with modern equivalents without losing the character of the piece.
We take antique work seriously. Hand-tacking rather than stapling. Period-correct fabrics where possible. Wood treated with shellac, oil or wax as the era demands. The goal is for the piece to look and feel like the maker intended — only solid again, comfortable again, ready for another fifty years.
SLAWO UPHOLSTERY · BALLYMENA & CO. ANTRIM
What’s included
- Hand-tacking on original frames (no staples on antique work)
- Traditional natural fillings — horsehair, coir, jute — on request
- Period-appropriate fabrics, including specialist suppliers for damasks
- Hand-tied spring rebuilds
- French polish, wax and shellac wood finishes
- Matched timber and veneers for repairs
- Documentation of work done for provenance
Common issues we fix
- Collapsed or sagging hand-tied springs
- Broken horsehair stuffing, dust escaping
- Worn original damask or velvet fabric
- Loose mortice-and-tenon joints
- Lifting veneers, water rings on polished surfaces
- Missing decorative elements (rosettes, finials)
Materials we work with
- Period damasks, brocades and velvets
- Natural horsehair and curled hair stuffings
- Coir and jute fibre
- Hessian under-cloth, calico over-stuffing
- Shellac, beeswax and natural-oil finishes
From photo to finished piece
- 01
Photo and history
Tell us what you know about the piece — date if available, where it came from, any prior restoration work.
- 02
Assessment
We'll advise honestly — sometimes light conservation is right, sometimes full traditional rebuild is. The aim is preserving character.
- 03
Traditional workshop work
Typically four to eight weeks for a full antique restoration. Slow, careful, hand-finished.
- 04
Returned with notes
We document what we did — useful for provenance, insurance and future generations.
Most of what we restore is Victorian and Edwardian, but we work with earlier pieces by arrangement. If you have a chair or settee that's been in the family for generations and now feels too fragile to use, get in touch.
Antique Restoration
questions
Common questions about this service. Can't see yours? Send us a WhatsApp message and we'll answer directly.
Will restoring an antique reduce its value?
Sympathetic restoration almost always increases value — a usable antique is worth more than one too fragile to sit on. Heavy-handed work can damage value. We err on the side of conservation: keep what's original, repair what's failed, document everything.
Can you source period-correct fabrics?
Yes. We work with specialist suppliers for damasks, brocades and velvets in patterns appropriate to Victorian and Edwardian pieces. Where the original fabric remains in good condition, we leave it.
Do you use horsehair stuffing?
Yes, on request and where it's appropriate. Natural horsehair lasts a century in a properly built piece — modern foam never will. For dust-sensitive households we'll discuss alternatives.
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Upholstery Quote
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