This review is for their furniture restoration furniture refinishing service. I brought a family heirloom, a simple wooden chest handmade by my great-grandfather in the early 1900s, to The Barn on 26 because their website stated they restore both simple and elaborate antique pieces. The chest needed only basic refinishing and the installation of a hasp latch. We later learned that all restoration work is outsourced to a third party.
What should have been a straightforward project took more than eight months and ultimately left the chest in worse condition than when we brought it in.
After bringing it home the first time we discovered that the hinge screws protruded into the interior, scratching the wooden drawers whenever they were removed. We returned the chest for repair. When we received it back the second time, we found the newly installed latch had been misaligned, causing it to chip the original wood every time it was opened and closed.
When I brought it back a third time, the proposed solution was to cut a notch into the original wood rather than correctly reposition the latch. I declined and instead requested that the latch be removed and the damage repaired. After several more months and three follow-up phone calls, we finally got it back.
Although the latch had been removed, the repairs were disappointing. The screw holes were unevenly plugged, the wood plugs did not match the surrounding finish, visible glue remained, and the hardware had left permanent indentations and discoloration in the wood. When I expressed my concerns, the owner told me to find someone else to fix it.
We paid nearly $900 for what should have been a simple refinishing job with the addition of a latch, but instead received a permanently damaged family heirloom. While the refinished surface itself was acceptable, the hardware installation, the subsequent repair attempts, and the overall attention to detail fell well below our expectations.
I cannot recommend The Barn on 26 for restoration work requiring precision, craftsmanship, or the careful preservation of an antique or sentimental piece. read more