Restoration Services

Cleaning and restoration is an important part of Gadbsy’s service as is the careful preservation and rebuilding of old frames.

Most of the clients who have used the Gadsby’s Restoration Services have been unable to find any other business offering the services Gadsby’s provide.

• Repair and restoration of frames
• Restoration of damaged or aged pictures
• Cleaning and revarnishing of pictures
• Repair of china objects (objets d’art)

Painting Restoration

The process for restoring paintings depends on the damage. The first step is always to assess the canvas to understand the full scope of the current condition.

Usually the restoration work begins with the removal of the existing varnish. Once the varnish has been removed any patching of the canvas can be performed and any necessary re-touching of the painting.

After a suitable drying period a new layer of varnish can be applied which again is left to dry.

The process differs slightly for paintings of different mediums – oils, acrylics, watercolours.

Repairing Frames

Assessing the damage to an old frame can take a while – spotting what is aready broken or damaged and what is likely to ‘fall-apart’ next.

The actual restoration work can involve:

• rejoining the corners
• making a mould of undamaged decoration to enable the replacement / repair of damage sections
• re-toning the frame to restore the original colour
• highlighting any original decoration

Repairing China (objets d’art)

After assessing the damage to a piece of china the restoration work can include

• repair of cracks & chips
  • colour matching to the original
• applying varnish as required

It is worth noting that this service only provides a decorative finish. The restored article is not suitable for use in a dinner set, for example.