Furniture Restoration Courses

Furniture Restoration courses are designed to teach the learner the process of repairing cosmetic and/or structural damage to a piece of furniture. The aim of these crouses is to teach the student the porocesses involved in improving the appearance of the piece without detracting from its original charm or devaluing it. 

Why study it?

If you are someone who is reluctant to throw away old and beloved items in your home, you may be an ideal candidate for one of these courses. Alternatively you could be someone who wishes to pursue a career in furniture restoration, upholstering, refinishing or even just antiquing. 

Acquiring these skills does not have to require a degree. There are many courses available at all levels where you can learn about treating, varnishing, french polishing and upholstery techniques.

Furniture of all types, shapes and sizes will eventually incur some form of aesthetic or structural problem. This can be due to wear and tear, age degradation or simply bad craftsmanship. 

The most common types of damage includes cracks/splits to timber, wear of joints, failure of glued sections, losses to carvings, loss of veneer and damage to the finish.

Most furniture restoration, upcycling or upholstery courses will guide the student through a restoration, up-cycling or upholstery project, learning all the required skills along the way. 

What will I learn?

In general, a furniture restoration course will teach the learner any if not all of the following skills: 

• Conservation and/or refurbishment of paneling/built-in furniture
• Re-upholstery
• Leather conservation and re-laying of leather desktops
• Antique restoration
• Replication/manufacture of brass fittings
• Re-finishing
• Carving/replication of missing elements
• Re-glueing
• Veneer repair & replacement
• Condition reporting and assessment
• Structural repairs
• Veneer work (including marquetry)
• Lock repair and re-keying
• Gilding
• Finishing

What can I do with the course?

Upon completion of one of these courses the learner will be able to either work in the furniture restoration field or in the antiquing business. They will be able to reupholster, varnish, and restore old furniture pieces. They may even be able to go on to study other areas such as wood work, painting or carpentry. The student may also be inclined toward the world of leather work or working with materials. It may also interest the student to get into the area of locksmithing, mongering, or even metal work. 

There are a vast number of courses across the country that cover some if not all of these topics. These courses range in education leve from evening adult classes to degree level courses. 

Find Furniture Restoration classes near you at Courses.ie