Riempie and Wicker / Cane restoration

We repair and replace old riempies on chairs and riempiesbanke. We use riempies that are hand cut from individually tanned cowhides. We adhere to the traditional method using ties and knots (no nails or staples are used).

We also replace caning on chairs, benches, settees and headboards. For more information call Janri on 021 886 6281

Antique Polish

polishEach individual tin of Antique Furniture Polish is handmade by one man using an age-old recipe designed to nourish and protect the precious antique furniture handed down to us. Antique furniture requires very special care and attention. Not only should the wood be fed regularly, but the surfaces too must be protected. Even minute surface scratches caused by day-to-day wear and tear (putting down keys, vases and other hard objects) can cause a dull appearance.

All ingredients in this polish are 100% natural. Only the best quality genuine turpentine, beeswax and carnauba wax are used.

Genuine turpentine is a fluid oleoresin, primarily obtained from the turpentine tree (Pistacia Terebinthus) and coniferous trees like the pine, larch and fir. The genuine turpentine lends the characteristic fresh pine smell to the polish. A natural by-product of the tree, it is completely compatible with wood and therefore ideally suited to acts as the carrier medium for the nourishing beeswax and protecting carnauba wax. As it is a natural resource, genuine turpentine is scarce, expensive and subject to huge price fluctuations. For this reason the less expensive mineral turpentine (a petroleum by-product) are often used by commercial manufacturers as the main ingredient. Petroleum distillate evaporates very quickly, resulting in an uneven coverage on the surface of the furniture, making it appear blotchy.

Beeswax acts to nourish the wood, making it supple enough to expand and contract during the change of seasons, preventing the wood from cracking.

Carnauba wax is a hard, lustrous wax obtained from the slow-growing carnauba palm (Copernicia Cerifera), which grows almost exclusively in the northeastern regions of Brazil. The fan-shaped leaves exude a protective wax to prevent dehydration. The crude wax is harvested once a year between September and February when a maximum of twenty leaves per mature tree are cut, sun-dried and thrashed to remove the wax. Each tree yields on average one kilogram of wax per year, making this an extremely scarce and difficult to obtain product. Because of this, synthetic substitutes had been developed. However, none of these substitutes has the same combination of properties in a single wax. Antique furniture polish only uses 100% pure carnauba wax as this hard and lustrous wax polishes to a high gloss, while filling in the fine surface scratches and protecting the wood from further damage.

APPLICATION

    • Antique furniture polish is a highly concentrated product and should be used at least twice a year, preferably in autumn and in spring. A small amount of wax must be applied at a time.
    • Apply evenly with a dry, fluff-free cotton cloth.
    • Wait for about 10 minutes (or as long as it takes to make and enjoy a cup of tea) and start the buffing.
    • Buffing should be done in two stages. Firstly by using a coarse, fluff-free cotton towel. Follow this up with a secondary buffing, this time using a soft, clean, fluff-free cotton cloth. Buff until a natural high gloss appears and no streaks of the polish are left on the surface.
    • Remove the application cloth from the tin between applications, as the cloth will absorb the natural turpentine thereby causing the polish to become dry.
    • Even though a twice-yearly application should be enough, your furniture will only benefit with more regular polishing, especially in dry conditions.
    • ANTIQUE FURNITURE POLISH can be used on all antique and modern wooden furniture.

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