With 500 line drawings and photographs

What should you do with that pretty but shabby chest of drawers, or the faded gilt picture frame you bought in that auction? Can you re-polish marble topped tables at home, fix a dented silver creamer, mend a broken glass bowl, or replace the missing pieces from an old lacquer box? What can be repaired and what is best left alone?

Here is the answer to all of these questions and hundreds more, an up to date easy to follow guide in 23 sections covering practically everything in your home from old furniture to modern acrylics.

Among the subjects covered are: Wood and how to repair it; Polishes, veneers and inlays; Gold leaf and gilding; Lacquer and lacquer look alikes; Stone and other natural materials; Plaster and plastics; Metalwork; China; Glass; Leather; Textiles; Re-upholstering.

Careful descriptions help to identify what you have, telling you something about the history of each kind of work and how it was used. Cleaning an repairs are carefully detailed step by step, with over 500 drawings and photographs. There are instructions for making up your own formulas in the original way with time tested ingredients, as well as hints for using the newest, labour saving products. All the formulas have been tried, all the sequences have been checked and information has been gathered from a wealth of sources, ranging from 17th century manuscripts to modern chemical and polish manufacturers. Warnings help you avoid common pitfalls, it is often important to know when to stop and which jobs you can’t do without risk.

To complete the picture, a list of more specialized guides for the beginner who becomes fascinated by a particular kind of work. Lorraine Johnson’s book is a must for the home-owner, a practical and easy to follow manual for the restoration and refinishing of thousands of beautiful and not so beautiful objects.