Furniture with Painted Decoration Conservation

Painted furniture often requires stabilising due to cracking and flaking, as seen in the example below. Distortion can be caused by heat and is often made worse when polish that has been applied later has built up under the damaged surface. We normally use a blend of seven different alcohols to lift and clean the surface without disturbing the paint film itself.

Over view of sewing table top Finely painted mahogany sewing table (painted detail picked out on legs)

Close up of painted sewing table top Floral detail Main body of sewing table during repair, in clamp following reconstruction