Starting with the basics, this manual offers a course on repairing and restoring all types of furniture, from raising a dent to turning a chair leg. It includes an easy-to-use guide to identifying and dating your furniture as well as a directory of the tools, materials and equipment necessary to restore furniture yourself. Skills covered include turning, carving, upholstery, marbling, gilding, marquetry and parquetry. Each of the four chapters ends with one or two projects that encompass many of the techniques described in that chapter and each stage of restoration is shown in step-by-step format, from assessment of the damage to final polishing.