Category: Workshop Stories · Reading time: 6 minutes
A few weeks ago, the workshop phone rang.
A woman wanted us to restore her mother's bedside table.
We explained what we always explain: we don't restore furniture by commission. All the hours in our workshop go to the pieces we later sell on the website. We don't have enough hands for more.
But the conversation didn't end there.
She asked us how much it would cost her in a professional workshop. We told her, based on experience and without committing anyone.
Silence on the other end.
"But... the bedside table isn't worth that much."
And she was right. The bedside table wasn't worth that much.
What was worth that much were the fifteen hours of work that went into it: disassembling, treating woodworm, gluing, adjusting drawers, replacing a molding, cleaning the hardware, waxing. The bedside table was the excuse. The price was for the craftsmanship.
We hung up thinking that we have that conversation several times a month. And that hardly anyone publishes the figures.
So, we're going to publish them.
What a professional restoration really includes
When someone imagines a restoration, they imagine sanding and varnishing.
Sanding and finishing are the visible part. The cost is in the invisible:
→ Treatment against xylophagous insects. For pieces older than 1900, it's almost mandatory. Woodworm isn't visible, but it's there. And if it's not treated, it will destroy the furniture — and sometimes your home's parquet floor.
→ Disassembly and structural gluing. A hundred-year-old piece of furniture has worn-out glue. What's necessary is disassembled, old joints are cleaned, and it's re-glued. This is what prevents a piece of furniture from wobbling.
→ Adjustment of drawers, doors, and hardware. For an 1890 drawer to slide like new isn't luck. It's hours of work.
→ Replacement of parts. A lost molding, a mismatched knob, a lifted veneer piece. It's replaced with wood from the era when possible, and it shows when it's not done.
→ Cleaning and finishing respecting the patina. The most delicate part. As we told you in the 7 signs of a truly antique piece of furniture, the patina is the furniture's birth certificate. Restoring isn't about making it new: it's about making it good.
→ Drying and waiting times. Glues, treatments, and finishes have their deadlines. A well-restored piece of furniture spends weeks in the workshop, not days.
Estimated prices for a professional restoration in 2026
Each piece is a world unto itself, and no serious quote is given without seeing the furniture. Each workshop also has its rates, and rightly defends them: behind each one are years of experience.
That said, based on what we know about the sector, these are the usual ranges for a complete restoration in a professional workshop in Spain:
| Type of piece | Estimated range |
|---|---|
| Chair or slipper chair | 90 – 200 € |
| Bedside table | 170 – 390 € |
| Chest of drawers | 330 – 660 € |
| Dining table | 390 – 770 € |
| Sideboard or hutch | 500 – 990 € |
| Wardrobe | 660 – 1,300 € |
If a quote seems well below these figures, ask what it includes. Almost always the answer is: sanding and varnishing. That is, the visible part without the invisible.
What makes a restoration more expensive (and what doesn't)
It makes it more expensive: active woodworm, lost parts that need to be fabricated, accumulated layers of plastic paint (each layer is a battle, as we told you in the article about washed wood), moisture damage, and structural changes.
It doesn't make it as expensive as you think: size. A large wardrobe in good condition can cost less to restore than a small bedside table eaten by woodworm. You pay for hours and problems, not square meters.
Why we don't restore furniture by commission
We get asked several times a month, so we're explaining it here once and for all.
Our workshop in Navalcarnero has limited capacity, and we dedicate all of it to what we do best: finding truly valuable antique pieces — those that pass the 7 signs test—, restoring them unhurriedly, and selling them already finished.
Choosing each piece is half the trade. When you restore by commission, the piece is given to you, good or bad. When you choose what you restore, you are responsible for everything: for the wood, for the era, and for the result.
We prefer to be responsible for everything.
So, when is it worth restoring and when is it better to buy already restored?
It's worth restoring when the furniture has emotional or historical value and a sound structure. The table where your family dined for forty years justifies every euro spent in a good workshop, because there's no store where you can buy that.
It's not worth it when the piece is a recent reproduction without history, when the structure is severely damaged, or when the restoration would cost more than a truly antique piece, already restored, with the work done and guaranteed.
Do the math with the table above in hand. Add up what it would cost to restore that chest of drawers you're looking at. And compare it with the price of an already restored antique chest of drawers, where all those hours are included.
Often the smartest restoration is the one already done by someone else.
And if you've read this far and are deciding where to look for that already restored piece, in this guide we review the five ways to buy antique furniture in Madrid: El Rastro, antique shops, second-hand, antique-style stores, and specialized stores.
One last thing, from workshop to reader
Restoring furniture is neither expensive nor cheap. It's the cost of a craft that has almost disappeared, applied for hours to a unique piece.
Every piece of furniture on our website contains everything you've read here: the treatment, the gluing, the adjustment, the respect for the patina. Already paid for, already done, and without surprises.
→ Discover our already restored pieces
Best regards,
Pilar.
P.S.: The lady with the bedside table didn't restore it. She bought an Isabelino chest of drawers from us — a genuine one, with its irregular dovetail joints — and placed her mother's bedside table on top, just as it was, with all its marks. She sent us a photo. It looked beautiful. Some furniture doesn't need a workshop: it needs a place.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to restore an antique chest of drawers?
A complete and professional restoration of an antique chest of drawers typically ranges between 330 and 660 euros in Spain, depending on the condition of the structure, the presence of woodworm, the parts to be replaced, and the type of finish. A much lower quote usually only includes sanding and varnishing, without treatment or structural work.
Why does the price of a restoration vary so much?
Because you don't pay for the furniture itself, you pay for the hours of work and the problems that need to be solved: active woodworm, worn-out glue joints, lost parts, accumulated layers of paint, or moisture damage. Two identical pieces of furniture can require very different quotes depending on how they have been preserved.
Do you restore clients' furniture by commission?
No. At Antique Arte y Decoración, we dedicate the entire capacity of our Navalcarnero workshop to the pieces we select, restore, and sell on our website. We do not offer a commission-based restoration service for clients' furniture.
Is it worth restoring antique furniture?
Yes, when the piece has historical or emotional value and a sound structure. No, when it is a recent reproduction without history or when the restoration costs more than an equivalent antique piece already restored by a professional workshop.
