• Types of furniture refinishing businessesfurniture image by Luisafer from Fotolia.com
  
  The furniture refinishing business is a broad career field, ideal for creative designers and talented carpentry professionals. Furniture refinishers take on any number of different projects, with no two clients having exactly the same needs. Qualified professionals are needed in interior design, antique sales, consignment shops and custom-made furniture stores. Because of the nature of the work, the individual must be versatile and able to take on a wide variety of projects as needed.
  
  

Repair

• One type of furniture refinishing business is furniture repair. Individuals in this division focus on making out-of-date or broken pieces usable for residential or commercial use. This covers any furniture ailment, from broken sofa springs to a broken table leg. Often furniture repairers will also stain or paint pieces of furniture, to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the item. Because of the "disposable" quality of much contemporary low-budget furniture, furniture repairers usually work with only high-end clients and furniture pieces that are not so easily replaced. Individuals in this division of the business may purchase "junk" items from bargain bins, estate sales and thrift stores, and repair them as needed for resale.
  
  

Restoration

• Furniture restoration deals primarily in conserving antique pieces or pieces with historical interest. While ordinary furniture repair focuses on simply making a piece of furniture more attractive or sturdy, restoration pays close attention to the style of the piece and the period it was made. Restorers often hand carve elements as needed to match the piece they are restoring. Furniture restorers often research an item thoroughly before editing in any way. Organizations such as the Association of Restorers (AOR) and the British Antique Furniture Restorers Association (BAFRA) set the standards for furniture restoration. To be a full member of either association, you need to have several years of professional experience in the profession.
  
  

Reupholstery

• Furniture reupholstery is another important division of the furniture refinishing business. Upholsters focus on the both the structure of the piece and the decorative fabric elements. For example, a professional reupholster may repair an armchair, recoil the springs, add new cotton batting and then recover with fabric. Upholsters are often hired simply to update a piece of furniture to better fit with a design scheme, or breathe new life into an outdated piece of furniture. There are national and international organizations that individuals and businesses can join in this field, such as The Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers in the United Kingdom.