How to Restore Antiques and Heirlooms After Fire or Water Damage

If you or a loved one suffered a fire, flood, or water damage, don’t let your heirlooms and cherished items wait. 

Mumford Restoration has put together some FAQs that will help you find help for your beloved pieces!

You can count on us to give you the best advice on saving your furniture and beloved items.

We are the go-to specialists when homeowner's antiques, furniture, or collectables are damaged by fire or water.

Clients from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and across the country know to reach out to us when disaster strikes.

 We hope these answers and suggestions will  help you with fire and water damage cleanup & restoration!

Does Mumford Restoration restore houses?

No, we only restore specialty items. 

However, we do know many conscientious and reputable companies who focus on house restoration after fires or floods. 

Call us for a referral to vetted companies that you can trust.

What kind of specialty items does Mumford restore?  

We restore:

• Antique AND Modern Furniture
• Heirlooms
• Art
• Grandfather Clocks
• Pianos (Upright, Grand, Baby Grand)
• Upholstered Items
• Collectable Pieces
• & Much, Much More! 

Essentially, we restore specialty items that hold sentimental or monetary value and cannot be replaced. 

Whether it’s repairing water damaged wood or cleaning a beloved piece of art, you can trust Mumford Restoration. 

For over 40 years, we have been a trusted resource for restoring your cherished pieces carefully and correctly. 

Visit our fire and water restoration page for more details on what we restore

Can my piece look like it used to?

Our clients have been shocked to see how much damage we were able to reverse! 

However, please note that if it involves an insurance claim, we can only restore it to the degree it was damaged due to the fire and/or water loss. 

We CANNOT restore or repair damage that existed before the loss.

And yes, we can identify which damage is pre-existing and which damage isn’t. 

If you’d like more work than is allowed for a particular piece, you can pay out of pocket for anything beyond what your coverage will allow.

What can Mumford's services include? 

We can pick up, deodorize, repair, and refinish these items and store them until your home is back to its old self again. 

Then, we can deliver them back to your home!

Your piece is with Mumford Restoration from start to finish, and the excellent results show it. 

After we return items we’ve restored, our clients often tell us that they’d have no idea anything ever happened to these pieces. 

If you have questions, you can take a look at our website to learn more about the water damage restoration process. 

Do I HAVE to use the specialty restorer recommended by

my insurance or home restoration company?

Absolutely not. 

You get to choose.

As the policy holder, you have the right to tell your insurance company and the water damage restoration company that you want them to send these pieces to Mumford Restoration. 

What should I do after fire/water damage?

Get Your Items Away From the Water

Don't allow your cherished items to sit in a home that has had water or fire damage, this can cause organic growth/mold and further deterioration.

Don’t Dry Your Items Too Quickly

Be very careful about how these pieces are dried--how quickly or slowly they are dried matters.

If the wood dries out too quickly, it can cause the wood to split, veneer to loosen, etc. 

The restoration company is only trained to dry the home out, not the specialty contents within it.

Only Allow A Specialty Company to Work on Your Specialty Items

Do not allow a home restoration company to clean or handle your specialty items. 

They mean well, but it isn't their expertise to know how to address wood furniture, antiques, or highly specialized items. 

A company that restores buildings/homes may attempt to:

• Dry your wooden items too quickly and ultimately split the wood and loosen the veneer, causing further damage to your pieces. In the case of leather, if dries too quickly, it can split and crack.
• "Clean" wood furniture with chem wipes that will damage and/or penetrate the finish on wooden or antique furniture.
• Discard important or irreplaceable items that they don’t realize can be saved. 

Will they really throw salvageable things away????

We've seen far too many instances of a  restoration company or adjuster deeming something non-salvageable that is very MUCH salvageable. 

They simply don’t understand antiques, collectables, and the restoration process of specialty contents like wood, art, pianos, clocks, lighting, upholstery, firearms, etc.

Families have forever lost pieces because of this lack of knowledge.

Don't let this happen to you. 

The photo to the right is just one example of something most restoration companies and adjusters would have thrown away.

If you've had anything damaged by water and/or fire, our team can almost literally work miracles to restore them. 

If you have questions about anything, don't hesitate to reach out to our team with 43+ years of experience in the restoration of wood, antiques, and specialty items.

Trusting Mumford

Give us a call and our restoration specialists will be happy to walk you through the next steps.

We know you want to get back to normal and we’ll do everything we can to help you. 

Call our restoration specialists at  919-510-6310 to learn more about your options.

Or you can submit photos via our online form and one of our specialists will reach out to you shortly!