My bad, I should have first read the very unfavorable reviews by Godfrey J, Megan J and Adam of this business on the corner of Kingshighway and Shaw on the Hill before entrusting them to refinishing 4 doors. What should have taken one month at best ended up taking six months was an extremely difficult and unpleasant experience costing 30% more than quoted. After two months contacted them and was told the weather had delayed the project which I didn't understand since the facility is indoors. Followed up one month later and got a lot of complaining about the job, very unprofessional considering this is their business. Contacted again two weeks later and received more complaining about the job. Finally I made an appointment to see the doors, and found that after almost 5 months, the doors were hardly touched. More promises about getting it done in one week, but again another month passed. Also, big complaining about one of the doors and next thing I found out he went out and purchased a new door. I can only assume that more $$ involved ending costing me even more money. Looks like a bait and switch approach to business, lacking in customer service, at one point threatening me with giving me the doors back to me unfinished. Beware and be forewarned. read more

Gorgeous fix to my mid-century modern chair! Some rough and tumble kids play had accidentally but completely separated the arm and part of the chair from the main frame, splintered wood and all. This is an original, not a copy and so I knew it had to be restored by someone who knew what they were doing and wouldn't try to nail or screw it together. St. Louis Restoration was the third of three places I looked into and was the one I entrusted with the job. The owner, Brett, spoke with me about the provenance of the chair, listened to my story about how and where I had found it and it's mate, and about my choices for restoring it to its former glory. It was clear that I loved the piece and he truly appreciated that. I could have chosen to have them place some discreet screws to make the chair stronger but I wanted it to be kept to its original design and free of any alterations, no matter how slight. The chair turned out beautifully and looks as though it had never been broken at all. They took the time and care to do it right and the resulting effect was truly a restoration. While the price was not "cheap" it was certainly fair and I am thrilled with the result. I recently sent another mid-century modern foot bench there to have the top panels re-caned and they quickly accomplished a beautiful replacement of the torn caning and added a gorgeous coat of new varnish to it, all at a very reasonable price. Now I've sent them their toughest task yet, a Wegner coffee table I found at a thrift shop with its poor, broken wings taped to it. I've no doubt I will again be amazed at what they return to me. My next project for them will be my kitchen cabinets! I strongly recommend this business for any restoration needs, they are meticulous in their work and take great pride in what they produce and it shows. read more

St Louis Restoration Co - My beautifully restored mid-century modern piece - Damage Restoration Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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I hired St. Louis Restoration last September to strip and repaint my bathroom radiator and my bathroom door, original to the 100-year-old house, while the bathroom was renovated. The results are mixed. I am pleased with how the radiator turned out, but I thought the price was high. It also took several more weeks than estimated. (I went without heat in my house until the radiator was returned and reconnected.) The solid wood bathroom door was returned to me with curled veneer because St. Louis Restoration stripped it by dipping, which was the quick and dirty way to do it. Also, the latch is now jammed, which prevents the newly replated hardware from being reinstalled. The owner, Brett, told me to "just spray the curled veneer and clamp it." No details on how long to clamp it or where I would get those clamps or how long after it was sprayed that primer was applied. They also wanted even more money to fix what they ruined. They said that dipping pulls the oil out of the wood and that is why the latch is jammed. (Seriously?) My repeated polite requests by text and e-mail all were ignored. Look elsewhere for your refinishing needs. Look for professionals who know more about quality wood. I am sharing this experience widely with anyone I know who has an old house. I have spoken to several fine woodworkers who all said this door should never have been dipped. This experience was such a disappointment, as I have a variety of other items I would like to have refinished. I am willing to wait for craftspeople to do their work, and I am willing to pay for their time. I am not willing to have items returned to me in terrible condition. read more

I had been given an estimate by someone who was not knowledgeable about antique pieces. Her quote of $200 was off by $400. So I ended up paying $600 and waiting months for the piece. After a year, it has bubbled up and is once again in terrible shape. What a waste of time and money. read more

I brought Brett four severely water damaged thermofoil kitchen cabinet doors, after having spent countless hours on the phone, online and in person trying to find someone who would take this job on. No one would! They were discontinued by the manufacturer. Finally I brought them to Modern Kitchens who originally installed them, hoping to maybe purchase doors at least similar to the originals and they suggested I try St. Louis Restoration. I did, and Brett agreed to take it on! I really didn't have much hope because the doors were so severely damaged, but I figured anything would be an improvement. I could not believe my eyes when I saw them completed!! The doors could not be restored , so they rebuilt them! The paint match was as close to perfect as you could get! They are so well built and sealed, I will never have the water damage problem with them again! I could not be hapier with the workmanship or the cost!! read more

Do not go to St. Louis Restoration if you are in a hurry and if you don't mind paying a third more than the estimate. I have a cedar armoire that needed minor repairs and I wanted two shelves added to the interior. I dropped it off on April 4th and was told it would take 2-3 weeks to be complete. In addition, the owner said he had spare scrap material for the shelves, so there wouldn't be any extra cost for materials. I finally received the finished work six and a half months later and having to pay a third more than the agreed price. Don't trust their word or their written estimate. read more

My wife purchased a pine, midcentury modern. bedroom set online, and when we picked up the pieces it was apparent that the tops had been refinished, poorly, with some sort of stain. St. Louis Restoration was able to remove the "bad" stain and refinish the original tops to match the rest of the original finish, perfectly, for a price that was more than fair for the work involved - highly recommended! read more

After a phone interview, pictures sent and an on site /in person assessment of the work we needed on our dining room table and chairs, Brett indicated he had sufficient expertise to refinish 6 chairs and table with inlaid burl wood table. We contracted for $2,200 to have the work done. There were delays in the furniture being returned by my contracted target date, but we worked with him as he stated he had lost help and was having problems with the table. The pieces where returned but the finish on the table has cracked and not functioned as one would expect from a professional refinishing . No additional chemicals were added to the finish and our home is kept consistently moisture controlled with out HVAC system. I consulted with another woodworker and was told the finish was too rigid and inflexible for use on the more porous burl wood and that the natural expansion of this natural root originating type of wood. When I contacted Brett, over 19 emails were communicated back and forth clarifying the situation, pictures, etc. I also attempted initially to call him and discuss the problem. He suggested I find another refinisher to handle the problem with his work, and then wanted another absorbent fee, without any guarantee on his new work . I feel he originally overstated his knowledge of refinishing quality pieces and did not act in an honorable way of handling the problem. read more

I am truly disappointed with the stripping job done on a chair my Dad and I took here. The job was completed in a timely manner, but was so poorly done. I have been refinishing furniture for years and so has my father. In all the years of doing so we have never raised the grain on a piece of furniture like it was done on this chair. In addition to the grain being raised a rung on the chair was broken as well. The chair is oak, a very solid wood and neither one of these things should have happened. In addition to being disappointed, I am saddened by all of this because the rocking chair belonged to my great grandmother and has been in our family for many years. Not only is it a cool chair, but it has an extreme amount of sentimental value. I would not recommend this place to anyone looking to get furniture refinished in the future. For future reference, St. Louis Restoration, you should not expect full payment for a piece that you damage in your process and should probably make a phone call to the customer to inform them of the damages before they pick up the piece. Absolutely unacceptable! read more