Good Questions: Where Do I Take These Chairs to Get Stripped?

Dear AT,

After many months of being an avid “lurker” to the Chicago site I finally have something that I’d like to ask:

I recently purchased what I believe to be a pair of authentic Eames LCM chairs for $15 at a local thrift. An awesomely spectacular deal , however there are some condition problems. The black lacquer finish on one of the chairs has rubbed and flaked off and continues to do so. The black lacquer on the second chair is in really great shape, however there is a small nick/chip to the wood near the back on the top portion of the seat...

(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first. Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: chicago(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)

...Do you or other readers know of a reputable company in Chicago whom might be able to strip and re-apply the black lacquer coat on the one chair and possibly repair the other? I’ve contacted Herman Miller directly but unfortunately they bluntly indicated they didn’t deal with these kinds of issues and told me to look for someone locally.

Any help anyone could provide would really be appreciated!

Danny

Dear Danny,

Congrats on the excellent find! We're a little stumped on this one, though. Our first thought was to find an upholsterer who has someone on staff that also does stripping/re-coating work. We need reader input and recommendations! Anyone?

Comments (5)

We've had great luck with the Strip Joint, which is located on the north side just off of Elston (not sure the address right now). We haven't done chairs there but we've done lots of odd trim and doors. They're pretty capable.

They wouldn't do the refinishing, I don't think, but would strip the existing lacquer off.

posted by Aaron on 2006-07-12 10:54:44

Woops, wrong spelling. Here's their info:

THE STRIPP JOYNT
3812 NORTH ELSTON AVE
CHICAGO, IL 60618
(773) 478-6500

posted by Aaron on 2006-07-12 11:09:15

Tom Coe
Renu Onsite Furniture Repair
1965 N. Lake Terrace
Glenview, IL 60025
(847) 724-2798

Great furniture restoration

posted by Kim on 2006-07-12 11:37:37

What is the average pricing for something like, say, stripping paint from a french door ;)? I am looking to do some refinishing of various objects and I'd like to know if it's worth it to try doing this myself or just have them dipped somewhere.

posted by stonelake on 2006-07-12 11:39:19

Danny:
Congrats on the find.

You might want to go with the pro stripping and then diy the rest.

Since you are going for black, you could ebonize the chairs. Working with an ebony stain, slowly build up the color and highlight the grain at the same time (especially if it looks nice after the stripping).

Simple diy instructions for ebonizing (from the Domino site) are available. Click my name to check it out.

posted by janel on 2006-07-13 06:34:19