It is unfortunately a fact of life that furniture gets damaged over time. Unless you keep all of your furniture in a hermetically sealed museum vault, wear and tear will inevitably degrade your furniture over time. You can take steps to extend your furniture’s longevity, like buying high-quality custom pieces and using protective products like slipcovers and table pads. Still, even these are not permanent solutions. Eventually, every piece of furniture you own will probably require repair or replacement. Today, the furniture experts at Howard’s Upholstery will walk you through the signs that signal you should repair your furniture.
Types of Furniture Damage
Here are just some of the types of damage that can make you need to repair your furniture if the impacts are severe enough:
Moisture & Water Damage
If your wooden furniture has been damaged by moisture, it can have several consequences. Water damage can cause ugly stains and blotches to appear on your furniture, ruining its aesthetic beauty. Excess moisture can also lead to mold growth or rot that can compromise the integrity and usability of your furniture. A few water stains can be ignored, but if the water damage is noticeable or severe, it is time to replace or repair your furniture piece.
Scratches
The size and location of scratches determine if they are unsightly enough to justify repairing your furniture. Small scratches or scratches that are in an unobtrusive location are more easily ignored than large, obvious scratches. It is also worth noting that scratches often only affect the finish of your furniture, which makes them relatively easy to fix through refinishing.
Mold
Mold can easily grow on furniture in high-humidity areas with low airflow, like garages and basements. Moldy furniture is not only unsightly, it can also threaten human health. Mold can often just be cleaned off of furniture, but in more severe cases, it may require more serious repair, refinishing, and/or refurbishing. It is not a good idea to store moldy furniture in your home, so if any of your furniture is covered in mold, you should have it cleaned and repaired.
Smoke damage
Smoke damage from cigarettes, fireplaces, and house fires can cause color fading and stains on your furniture. Smoke damage can be removed by getting your furniture refinished. If you have smoke-damaged furniture in your home, getting it restored is a good idea, particularly if the damage is severe.
UV rays
Over time, too much direct sunlight can damage your furniture with UV rays. Exposing your furniture to these UV rays can cause unpleasant color fading in both wood and fabric. If you are unhappy with having sun-bleached furniture, it is a good idea to get your furniture repaired, refinished, or reupholstered to solve this issue.
Structural damage
If the structural integrity of your furniture has been compromised, it is time to have that furniture repaired or replaced. Examples of structural damage include broken joints, snapped wood, and tabletop dents. If you have a piece of furniture that is suffering from any structural defect, it may need to be disassembled during the repair process.
When Is It Worth It To Repair Your Furniture?
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to repair a piece of furniture:
1. What is the condition of the item? Is the damage really bad enough to warrant spending time and energy to repair it? Can you continue to happily use it in its current condition?
2. Conversely, is this piece of furniture beyond repair? Not every piece of furniture can be rescued.
3. Is this a piece of high-quality custom furniture that is worth repairing? Or is it a piece of low-quality, mass-produced disposable furniture that can be replaced with something of a higher quality?
4. Does this piece of furniture have any sentimental value that makes repairing it important to you and/or your loved ones? For instance, is it an antique or family heirloom?
5. Can any of the furniture repair and refinishing services offered by Howard’s Upholstery repair your furniture?
Howard’s Upholstery Can Repair Your Furniture
If you decide to repair your furniture, do not waste your time and energy trying to fix it yourself. We proudly provide the full spectrum of furniture repair and refinishing services, including stripping and refinishing, scratch and dent repairs, furniture regluing, restoring old finishes, repairing broken legs and frames, and more. Contact Howard’s Upholstery today so we can save your beloved furniture.
Written by hrosenthal-admin
