Repairs typically involve reassembling broken pieces, filling small voids, and doing minor paint touch-ups when needed. Repair lines or imperfections may still be visible. Many customers prefer this approach because it is more economical, and a few visible imperfections don’t matter to them as long as the piece is whole and stable again.
Restorations are more extensive and may include larger fills, recreating missing pieces, sculpting, airbrushing, and hand painting to return the piece as closely as possible to its original appearance. Our goal is always to make the restoration blend as seamlessly as possible. Many customers tell us they cannot see where the damage was, but because every piece and every break is different, we do not feel comfortable guaranteeing an invisible result.
We generally recommend treating repaired pieces as decorative rather than functional. Regular use, washing, heat, moisture, and repeated handling gradually degrade repaired areas and finishes over time.
We recommend getting an estimate before attempting a repair yourself. Old glue can interfere with how broken edges fit back together and may make a future repair more difficult as well as more expensive.
If you decide to repair the piece yourself, we’re always happy to offer our best judgment on which glues to use or avoid, along with tips that may help.
We typically do not work on glass, jade, soapstone, marble, metal, gold leaf, or very large pieces. We also won’t accept a project if, after reviewing it, we don’t feel confident that we can achieve a result we’d be comfortable putting our name on. If we don’t believe we can do a good job for you, we’d rather tell you upfront.
That’s a personal decision, and we encourage you to consider the cost of the work and potential shipping cost alongside both the replacement cost and the sentimental value of the piece. Sometimes replacing an item may be more economical, while other pieces are meaningful or irreplaceable regardless of their market value.
We don’t provide appraisals and don’t claim specialized knowledge of secondary-market values, so we encourage you to do your own research if monetary value is an important part of your decision. We’re always happy to explain the repair or restoration options and associated costs so you can decide what makes the most sense for you.
For shipped pieces, size and weight are important considerations. Because we’re a small studio, we have limited capacity for oversized packages. We’ll review the dimensions you provide with your estimate request and let you know if the piece is too large or heavy for us to safely accommodate. Some pieces may not be accepted for shipping, even if the item itself is within our usual size range, because proper packing can significantly increase the overall package size. We may decline shipment of especially fragile pieces if we would not be able to fully restore additional damage that might occur in transit.
Turnaround time depends on the type and extent of the damage. Repairs are typically completed within 2–3 months, while more extensive restorations generally take 3–4 months. These are estimates, and more complex projects may take longer.
Because restoration work can be unpredictable, we can’t always know exactly how long each project will take. Some restorations move along quickly, while others require more time than expected. For that reason, we recommend sending your piece once you’re ready to proceed so it can secure its place in our work queue.
If you’re shipping your piece, we’ll email you a customer form to complete and include in the box, along with our shipping address and packing tips. Before you ship, we often like to have a brief phone conversation so we can make sure we’re all on the same page, review any final details, and answer any questions you may have before the piece is on its way to us. We will contact you when your piece arrives, collect a 50% deposit, and email your work order.
If you’re local to the St. Louis area, we’ll contact you to schedule an appointment at a gallery in Webster Groves. Since our studio is not open to the public, we use this meeting to examine your piece with you, discuss the damage and repair options, answer any remaining questions, and confirm the plan before work begins. A 50% deposit is collected at that time.