Ken's Musings about Pender's Antiques and Refinishing

Click on the images to see larger (768x1024) versions.

Once again I take up my keyboard in order to agitate the electrons in favour of Something Done Right. In this case, it's a firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, named Pender's Antiques and Refinishing.

Pender's Antiques and Refinishing
7105 Capitol Boulevard
Raleigh, NC 27616
+1 919 876 5735

Cathy (my wife) has had a couple of tall kitchen cabinets on the to-be-refinished list for about three decades. At some point in their earlier existence they were painted a most singularly eye-catching shade of yellow. (You should be able to see this effect in the thumbnail to the right.)

Somehow or other, locating a refinisher finally bubbled to the top of the we-might-manage-to-do-this-today list, and a search through the local business telephone directory turned up the name of Pender's, among others. Pender's picks up and delivers items being refinished, which was a big plus. Another item in their favour is the free visit and estimate they provide.

So we called and made an appointment for an evaluation. We simply wanted the cabinets stripped, and either stained (if the yellow paint hadn't become too integral to the wood) or painted with a wash. Dave Pender, the owner, came out and took a look at them. We were very impressed with his air of confidence and competence. He said he thought he could do something with them, and we made an appointment to have him come and take them away to his shop. He said he'd probably have them stripped for us to look at the following week.

In fact, it was a bit more than a week before we heard from the shop, and a few days more before we could get over there. (It was in the depths of August, and it was bloody hot. The shop was large and not air-conditioned, so I'm not surprised that there was a bit of a delay; I wouldn't wish working in that heat on anyone.) When we got there, we were led to a back room and shown two very nice birch cabinets. They really had cleaned up nicely. Cathy discussed stains and such, instructions were given, and we left.

We received a call a week or so later, informing us that the staining was done and we should come take a look. We did and the results were beautiful. (You can see thumbnails to the left and right.) They had been stained and laquered, inside and out, including the shelves.

We were very, very impressed with the entire process. (And with the price tag, too, but work by a specialist usually is more expensive and this work was definitely worth it.) The stripping and staining was done very professionally and quickly (judging by the number of items in the shop they're not hurting for work), and we are absolutely pleased with the outcome.

So, if you live in the Raleigh area and are looking for a professional refinisher, I have absolutely no reservations about recommending Pender's.