Vincent uses the very best methods known to correctly conserve and restore all aspects of historic joinery, with a focus on the importance of maintaining patina using traditional techniques.
If you need to conserve interior and exterior woodwork, fittings or furniture damaged by damp, infestation, fire or flood and return them close to their original condition, Vincent can consult with you on how to achieve this. He can also expertly and correctly restore whole rooms – including flooring, architectural joinery, panelling and staircases – to bring everything back to its former glory.
The historical relevance and restoration of historic woodwork has been Vincent Reed’s passion for over 35 years. In that time he has gained hands-on experience of all types of period properties, from private homes to palaces, as a historic woodwork consultant.
His unrivalled knowledge, experience and expertise has been called upon with confidence by a wide range of clients including Kensington Palace, English Heritage and National Trust properties. He has also worked within UNESCO world heritage sites and privately owned historic properties.
Whatever the size and scale of the project, Vincent brings the same 35 years’ dedication and attention to detail.
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Vincent Reed started his career as an antique furniture restorer at the age of 16. Over the last three decades he’s used the same painstaking approach for restoring interior woodwork: “You’d never use a sanding machine on antique furniture. Your period floorboards, staircases and doors deserve the same respect. Stripping or sanding them would destroy their history and value forever.”
The beautiful architectural features in your home were created by skilled artisans over generations. That’s why we never use sanding machines, only tools such has hand planes and chisels. On every project we carefully mirror the approach of our talented predecessors. So exquisite wooden details – down to the last floorboard and window latch – are returned to their original charm, adding to the character and investment value of your home.
As a leading authority on period wood restoration, Vincent Reed has been brought in as a consultant for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Qasr Al Hosn in the UEA; The Great Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Auckland Castle, palatial home to the Prince Bishops. Vincent Reed’s team also restored the George I panelling in Kensington Palace, untouched since its original installation in 1720.
The era of rip out and replace with new may be over; but as an historic property owner, do you know how much can be salvaged when ancient timbers look beyond repair? Or recognise the point where over restoration, or the wrong finish, can destroy the original character and historic importance of a feature forever? You may acknowledge the responsibility of keeping your period property in good repair; but faced with damage from damp or rot; or the ravages of fire, flood or infestation, can you be sure important historical detail is not at risk of being lost forever in the process?