The focus of my work is the environment so each unique piece of furniture has been mended if necessary, then hand or machine sanded, preferably waxed to keep the natural wood look, but if it needs it or if the customer prefers the painted look, then painted.
No chemical strippers are used to remove the existing lacquer and paint and the furniture isn't dipped either.
Where the original handles have been retained I have carefully taken them off and cleaned them, removing the patina using vinegar or other natural products.
The primers and paint, if used, are top quality environmentally friendly Graphenstone or Little Greene paint brand, both exceptional companies whose products respect the environment. The waxes and oils used are also top quality and made mostly of naturally derived ingredients, so leaving an environmentally friendly finish. Beautiful furniture for the home with the minimum amount of VOC's (volatile organic compounds).
The environmental focus not only benefits the environment but your health, too. Modern furniture manufacture often releases volatile organic compounds (VOC's), which are harmful to your health. They are created during a lot of factory made furniture manufacture and continue to leach into the air long after that furniture is brought into your home.
Prolonging the furniture's life is a win/win/win for the environment, for the furniture and for your health.
If I can and the furniture is good enough, I restore it. If not then I sand and wax it or paint it using top quality environmentally friendly paints. I prefer to wax.
The bespoke furniture upcycled by Condover Furniture (some bought from charity and then upcycled, some from other sources) is individual, one off; no two pieces the same. Individual to the purchaser. Not mass produced.
One piece of well upcycled furniture can become the focus of a room and elevate it's whole look!
Furniture from the past was well made, finished by hand often with dovetail joints and is far more solid than much of the furniture made in factories today.
Well made furniture will survive more than one house move which cannot be said for some modern day furniture.
This is furniture with a past and helping all our futures!
I have exhibited at Olympia in London, at the Shrewsbury Flower Show, Grand Designs Live at the NEC, Birmingham and other areas of the UK. I ship the furniture nationwide using one of two courier companies.