The Furniture Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Identify, Restore & Care for Furniture

This quickly become my favorite furniture book of all time! I’m a decorative painter that also restores fine furniture & find a lot of books are filled with fluff that doesn't really give any new information or insight into age old practices or tries to keep their “techniques & products” a secret which eliminated the point of writing a book in this catagory. Unlike some of the others this book is FULL of information, wonderful examples, pictures, and shared tips & tricks on how to do each finish He quickly establishes his expertise in the field so as the reader you know to trust what he's teaching. Credibility & masters in their craft are becoming hard to find in a world filled with blogs & videos that will teach you how to do anything yourself. Being a master craftsman requires mentorship and years of experience, which Christophe has! The finishes he completes as examples are absolutely stunning! It starts out explaining to the reader how to differentiate periods of furniture, styles, places to shop, and how to become known in the industry as someone with a sharp eye. I particularly love the part that shows you how to figure out what the existing finish is (no matter the age) and how to fo about repairing or re-doing it. He does a wonderful job of explaining why certain pieces are worth more than others; depending on where they were purchased, the craftsman that have worked on them, and the time period in which they come from. This is a great resource for those of us who struggle to explain to people why something of value or antiquity is worth the price! I've not been able to put this down...it will live in my shop & surely be reached for over & over until worn and haggard. From someone whos purchased HUNDREDS of books in this area I can say this is a MUST OWN for anyone in the field or looking to refinish a piece of fine furniture while keeping with the period & original techniques. I’ve not found a better source to date! I cannot thank Christophe for willingly sharing his knowledge with us all and putting it into such a wonderful and easy to read format. If you want to refinish your own pieces of furniture and care for them properly do yourself a favor & GET THE BIBLE!

Christophe Pourny’s The Furniture Bible: everything you need to know to identify, restore, & care fo furniture is chock full of all one needs to know to tackle every level of renewal and maintain any type of wood. From history to beginner tips this beautifully crafted book can nurture any level of project start to finish (pun intended). Even though five stars for this deserving read, it’s not necessary for everyone. Depending on your goals could easily benefit from a few YouTube clips on a solitary project specific to your piece. I bought this book because someone gave me a variety of vintage furniture pieces that need help. Complimenting the vintage property being used as a Midwest office. Plus, my hope was to learn tips to improve my current knowledge for use on non-furniture when renewing trim or installing shelves, etc. Another benefit to the book with decades of experience is the info it provides on how to improve and add to my shop. I’m amazed by how uncomplicated renewing pieces can be. The author makes this simple through tips that helped him begin to advancing professionally. If this is your interest. One section shows a drawer with all the tools to get started the average person who enjoys DYI owns to what if you have a shelf can add xyz to a wall shelf and so on. The photos to add context are very telling adding depth to descriptions. Aiding in the quality of the studying experience. For the novice or average project this text is overkill. For the person anticipating long term growth of skills and acquisition of tools and equipment for projects this is the guide to your Mecca. There’s so much attention to detail, terms, context that everyone will gain improvement and beautiful furniture along the way. If ya wanna own a copy check amazon’s like new and used section to save a few dollars or new. It’s lovely for a coffee table, shop, or display in any bookcase for easy reference as needed. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💯

For the past several months I have been researching furniture refinishing as my skills in the area are really rusty. (I haven't refinished anything major since Junior High...which was a while ago ;) In my bedroom sits my grandparents headboard and footboard. So far, my research points to 1928-1930 as the manufacturing date. It's a lovely set, even has flowers painted on! Needless to say, given the age of the piece, those are handpainted by somebody. Pretty dang cool. I really want to refresh rather than replace the finish, so I've been researching options. While watching a bunch of YouTube videos, I came across 'Mad City Modern' who has some great techniques. Barry (the guy from Mad City Modern) quotes this book quite a bit, so I ordered it. Oh my. Brilliant! Just completely brilliant. A general overview of furniture manufacturing and styles, then a pretty detailed introductions into all the various techniques of finishing. I think there is good information here for anyone, beginner to pro. This book is not going to make you a professional furniture restorer, but it will give you a solid introduction into the choices you have in refinishing furniture to make better decisions on what you want to do. The book is also very well written, clear precise instructions with photos and lots of examples. I'd give it 6 stars, but Amazon doesn't go that high. Thank you so much for such a clear, informative introduction/review to furniture!

The best book I've found on the subject of refinishing for a home user. I'm a novice and have a lot of books on the subject on how to refinish furniture that I find at flea markets. This book is the best book I've found to take me from nervous novice to feeling confident enough to attempt a project. I started with a small table and the tips on sanding and filling were invaluable. I was very pleased with how the project turned out and it was my first ever attempt. I hope more practice makes it even better on future projects. Updated April 2019: This book gets better and better for my needs. Right now I smell like turpentine because I just finished making my own tinted wax to use as a grain filler. I am refinishing a couple of MCM cocktail chairs and the wood used is most likely beech which blotches terribly if not prepped properly. I took the advice of preparing a pre-treatment of shellac and denatured alcohol and what a difference it made in the staining! I custom mixed the stain because I wanted a certain color hue and the stain went on like a dream. I can't wait to see what the filler does. Not sure I'm ready for a french polish test and will most likely seal with just poly but these details have taken a couple of mass produced not very high end MCM chairs (which have great lines and are solid wood which is leagues ahead of anything now) and makes them look custom. I'm also doing the upholstery work and the videos of Upholstery on Broadway on Youtube has taught me everything you'll ever need to reupholster like a pro using old master techniques.

Great condition of book from seller and content in it is amazing not only does it explain how to restore but also antiques and which ones are worth the process of restoration. I only wish i gave more details and juice on the actual processes in depth and maybe include a dvd in the next upgrade or volumes to follow. Thats the only reason why i gave a 4 star.

As someone with related experience in the trades I found this book to be clear, informative, and wide in scope. There is plenty of content that will satisfy a wide spectrum of people with varying interests and abilities. On one end people interested in furniture style and history will be able to also have a glimpse into how the actual finishes and techniques are created, restored and maintained. Those with a strong practical side will be able to make a connection to the evolution of furniture styles and how they form a visual vocabulary that helps us understand the elements of design that we see in all the varying types of furniture around us today. The pictures are clear and the drawings are charming. Truly a wide range of information with something for everyone all done with taste, style, and humor. I especially liked the photos of all the tools used in the trade. Highly recommend for the casual reader to the informed craftsperson.

Helpful advice. Hoghly recommend

I may not have the skill, aptitude or patience to do what he does, but I will still end up with better-looking yard sale finds than I ever imagined possible. If you love the look of fine old furniture, but shop thrift stores/Craigslist/ebay, Pourny demonstates how to bring well-made but worn wood furniture back to maximum gorgeousness. I can't wait to revive a Widdicombe mid-century mod bachelor's chest I bought much worse for the wear--but well made and rock solid. I can revive the drawer fronts' original finish, repair veneer and stain the more damaged body with Pourny's not-quite ebonizing technique. I'm so glad I got this book. Each technique--stain/oil or shellac finish, French wax polish, two degrees of ebonizing (true ebony and not-quite), gilding, repairs, hardware aging, etc.--is illustrated with step by step photos of what he does and clear, concise instructions. He gives a list of tools and materials up front, so you'll have what you need start to finish. And he names names in terms of products to use, so you'll get the one he himself relies on. And a huge advantage over other furniture makeover guides, he has exquisite taste. He understands the history of a style and works in ways to enhance it, not obliterate it, as did the mistake-book on furniture makeovers I also got. (Oh what awful, ugly things were done.) Pourny suggests you have a DIY refinishing 'kit' on hand that fits your available space: what fits in a box (the bare necessities), a shelf, or a whole wall (soup to nuts). Having the right tools and materials are critical, but what he specifies is not exotic. His directions are thorough and exacting, but not at all intimidating. Best of all, the results he achieves are spectacular, and to some degree achievable, even by me. Highly recommended.