Wood 1021 Wood Refinishing: Before & After Pictures

Students are in their final section of the 9 month course, Refinishing. Here we take furniture, strip it down to the bare bones, and start over. We involve our knowledge of methods of fastening as we need to re-glue many items before they can be stripped. We may use some of our wood shop skills if we need to replace missing wooden components. We may need some spot repair skills to fix nicks, dents and scratches, or to in-paint on filler. We use our knowledge of solvents to devise a game plan for how we are going to strip the furniture. We make educated choices about coatings taking into consideration both the needs of the object, and the needs of the user. Then we make it happen by stripping, coloring and coating the furniture. Here are 2 examples of before & after results that our students are turning out every day!

A Maple Rocking Chair Before... And After!

A Mission Style Plant Stand Before... And After!

Wood 1007 Methods of Fastening: Day One

Today we begin another new section; Methods of Fastening. In this section we look at and learn about the many ways that furniture is fastened, as well as how to repair the best, and the worst of joints. We will be re-gluing chairs and tables, and making any replacement parts we might need along the way using the skills we acquired in our woodworking section.


We started the day with some conversation on why glue joints fail. There are many reasons that glue joints can fail and it only takes one misstep to make even the nicest looking joint come loose. However, we often find that there is at least one, if not many things wrong with some joints, and we need to learn how to respond to these situations. Our 1st step is learning about how our furniture is constructed.


The students brought in many of their own projects, but we also have some pieces that need attention here in our workshop. We need to know how furniture is put together in order to know how it is taken apart, so we need to look at each chair individually to check for nails, screws and other fasteners, we look at where the joints are and number them so we can put the chair back the way it was. Then we get down to the nitty gritty and actually begin dis-assembling the furniture, and clean the joints, make any necessary repairs in preparation to re-glue each chair.

Wood 1004 Woodworking: Begining a New Chapter Again

We are 3 days into our next section of our program, we set color aside for a bit and turn our focus to woodworking. Our students come to us with a variety of backgrounds, some have never worked with wood, some have hand tool experience and no power tool experience, or vise-versa, and some have been woodworkers, professional or hobbyists for many years. With this mixed bag, it is important to cover all the basis, and look at safe practices and proper technique.

In the wood working section we learn techniques required to make wooden components for repairing wooden objects. We learn how to square a board, make, and repair a number of different common joints used in woodworking, and the proper technique for sharpening hand tools and the safe practices of using any of our tools.

Although wood working is not the primary focus of our training at NIWF, it is a useful skill to be able to make replacement parts for wooden furniture, millwork, or any other wooden objects.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: NIWF Tours Schneiderman's Distribution Center

On a week packed with field trips, we visited Schneiderman's Furniture Distribution Center. Our guide was past NIWF Graduate Kathy Morse, who works at Schneiderman's ensuring the quality of the furniture meets the Schneiderman's standard. We saw how they do touch-up and repair on some of the furniture that comes in that might not meet their standards, or on returned furniture that had been damaged. After a few demonstrations Kathy also let the students perform some of the repairs as well.

Once again, the class got to see a past grad in action at their work place, using their skills and knowledge that they gained while attending DCTC & NIWF.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Class of 2010 visits HOM Furniture

Once again, NIWF Students got to take a behind the scenes tour of HOM Furniture's Distribution Center. And like in years past, they got to work side by side with the Techs at HOM doing spot repair, upholstery repair, leather & vinyl touch up, wood fills, burn-ins and many other techniques the students already learned.



Working out in the real world gives the students a first hand view of what they might face on a day to day basis once they leave DCTC. Some of the Employees at HOM are past graduates of the program so they speak the same language of wood finishing. This unique experience helps to shape the students knowledge of some of the careers that may be opening up to them as graduates of the National Institute of Wood Finishing.

A Testimonial‏ From a Past Graduate

I’d like to write about my experience at NIWF. I graduated in 2000. This nine month course was demanding. Mitch (the instructor) set high standards and challenged us. The course is designed to enable you to succeed, not just get a job.
After graduation I worked for a refinishing shop that readily employed NIWF graduates because the owner knew the graduates were qualified, professional, and required little training. This employment was valuable in that it taught me the real world of furniture finishing as a business. That is, dealing with customers, how to make a profit, and what it takes to run a finishing business.

I moved to Virginia 4 years later and started my own business. Make no mistake; this was not easy. I now have the largest finishing shop in my town. I have 4 wonderful employees who love the work as I do. We are still struggling but business gets better each year.

Because of NIWF, I have the most rewarding career. I and my employees enjoy coming to work every day.

Dick Patch

Astonish Furniture Restoration
2000 Graduate
Roanoke VA

Wood 1015 Spot Repair I: HOM Furniture visits DCTC to demonstrate spot repair technique

Three past Grads from NIWF who now work for HOM Furniture came in today to share some of their repair techniques with us and talk a bit about life in the field. They demonstrated burn-in techniques to fill and repair scratches, a flocking technique to repair micro-fibre and leather and vinyl repair as well. It was an interesting visit, the students got to see many different techniques for simulating wood grain & matching color, and they were introduced to some new tools as well.



It is always gratifying to see past students become the professionals and to watch them teach the new group of future pros!

Wood 1032 Furniture Conservation: Past Grad Seth Stevenson talks antiques

Past NIWF graduate, and professional antique dealer, Seth Stevenson, came in today to talk about his business in dealing, refinishing, refurbishing and conservation of antiques. Seth was dealing in antiques before he came to DCTC, but decided to take his knowledge, skills, and abilities to the next level by attending the National Institute of Wood Finishing.
Seth is a walking encyclopedia of American Furniture, and it shows when he talks to the class. It has been a lifelong study for him and his expertise pays off.
Seth came in as part of our Furniture Conservation section, because that is such an integral part of the antique business, who better than Seth to talk about it.

Wood 1015 Spot Repair I: David Wendell Larson visits NIWF for a spot repair demo

Master spot repair artist David Wendell Larson came to visit and show his more than 45 years of spot repair expertise! David has been self employed since 1957, and has been operating his business in the Twin Cities since 1966, not to mention that he was the furniture conservator for the Groves Collection from 1976 to 1984 and for the Norwest Corporation of Arts Program from 1988 to 1998. He was a Member of the George Frank Study Tour to China in 1987 and to Paris & London in 1994. He is a contributor to Professional Refinishing magazine, and we are pleased to have him on our Advisory board as well. David is always a welcome addition to our classroom, we thank him for his visit, and look forward to next time!

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: DCTC visits Schniederman's Furniture

NIWF students went on a field trip to Schniederman's Furniture warehouse and meet some of the graduates of the NIWF program. Kathy Morse (in the green shirt), a past graduate and now employee of Schniedermans gave us a tour of the warehouse and demonstrated some repair techniques as well. There were opportunities for the students to try these new techniques with the Master Technicians.

A Master Leather Technician at Schniederman's shows the students real world leather repair techniques on furniture that is soon to hit the showroom floor.

Students get lots of opportunities to see professionals working, it is crucial that they see the hows and whys of the entire process. To go out and see masters making a living using the same skills that they are learning at the National Institute of Wood Finishing in invaluable!

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: DCTC Vists HOM Furniture

HOM Furniture employs several NIWF graduates. Today we are going on a working field trip to learn about the life of Spot Repair Technitions in the warehouse. The day was full of learning new techniques and the students having a chance to use their new skills of wood, leather and vinyl repair.