Restorers Without Borders

I had a great experience with Afonso. A great guy, amazing talent for what he does, and I couldn’t be happier with the end product. He and his team picked up a china cabinet with a broken leg from my condo in Brookline and delivered the repaired cabinet back in two days. Accurate price quote.

THESE GUYS REALLY DO WALK ON WATER, so I can’t NOT comment on the recently written Unilocal review on Restorers Without Borders.
I used their services to repair a roll top desk that belonged to my grandparents. The top surface of the desk was damaged and stained, the drawers were impossible to open, and the roller gears were barely operable.
They completely refurbished the desk from top to bottom. It’s BEAUTIFUL, and the makeover is not to be believed! They preserved the desk’s antique integrity and it looks and works perfectly. They even managed to save the original manufacturer’s maker’s sticker. They provided me with before, during, and after photos of the desk’s progression through the repair stages and completed the work exactly when promised. I can’t believe that this type of quality old world services which is done with a smile still exists.
Bravo to Restorers Without Borders. You’re the best.

We had an excellent experience with this company and so have our many friends who have used them.
I have used the services of this Company at least 3 times in the past two years. I’ve found their repair services to be no less than OUTSTANDING from start to finish.
I’ve continually given this Company difficult and challenging furniture items that seemed hopeless and asked them to perform miracles to bring them back to respectfulness. I gave them a scratched and gouged dining room table, a collapsed, living room armchair with 2 broken legs, and an antique gold leaf mirror that fell off a bedroom wall. All were returned to me within the estimated timeframes with great results.
Added to the above is the not-​to-​be-​believed customer responsiveness that has always come my way with each and every request. The owners of this service-​oriented Company ALWAYS call back on a timely basis and continually display a pleasant demeanor in their communications.
If I were to levy any one criticism, I’d have to remark that their prices are not cheap. That being said, I’m a firm believer in the saying «you get what you pay for» and these guys are as good as it gets in their finished product.
Unilocal’s readership should be encouraged to look at Angie’s List reviews of Restorers Without Borders. They’ll see
glowing reports about this wonderful group of woodworkers!
Don’t believe the reviews below. This Company could not have done a better job!

Who are these people giving them two stars? Way too generous.
Wish my wife had read the few reviews before getting involved with this company. All very consistent with our experience. We eventually pulled the ripcord, paid them for their time and abandoned the project. I could go on and on about why I would never work with them again, but likely it will just cause the owner to repeat himself over and over again about how his company meets their timelines and deliverables. I’d rather not hear it all, so I’ll just leave it as «buyer beware». send me a note if you really need more details.

My motto for these guys is «Get Shellacked». Terrible customer relations. Unprofessional payment practices. Sharp negotiating tactics. Bizarrely uneven work. Our experience was astonishingly like the other Unilocal reviewer, Allie G. We’re still recovering from the trauma of being their customer. My advice: if you must use these guys, document everything you expect to have done in writing and agree to a firm price (not a range) in advance. And don’t pay anything until the piece is complete and delivered! If anything goes wrong, you’ll hear from the owner about how it was absolutely your fault. I am now using Second Life for furniture repair work.

Terrible. I now refer to them as «Gluers without Scruples.»
We called about two table pedestals that needed repairing a while ago and initially stressed that we wanted them only to be operational, not pretty, and that we could just glue them or clamp them or screw them ourselves, but after talking with two guys at RWB (both really nice, fwiw) we figured we would get the job done right. They told us over three phone calls about their experience and process, and how often they make this repair, etc., etc — and that they only do the repair one way: right. So, we figured we’d bite the bullet and invest in a true repair. There were 2 – 3 straight hairline cracks only — in each pedestal — nothing jagged or complicated.
I’m not going to waste too much more time writing all the details, but let’s just say it took almost a month (over two weeks beyond the estimate), with the final two weeks of me calling, stressing that we didn’t have a working table to use; and then when we picked the pedestals up, they had just glued the pieces with some sort of tacky black glue that didn’t match at all (looked like tar), wasn’t wiped off in most places, smeared in others, and the whole thing just looked ridiculous. Several of the cracks weren’t even repaired. I could have hooked that level of work up with a vice and some glue myself and done a better job — thanks, 7^th-​grade wood-​shop. It was completely ridiculous — but having had to pay before we even saw the work (they brought the pedestals out to our car after we’d paid), we just wanted to get the heck out of there. Interestingly, we weren’t able to use a credit card, and we wondered if they had that policy because people might dispute the charges — just a theory, of course, but that’s how bad it was.
I have a friend who had a similar experience (not as bad) who told me she was going back just because she didn’t know of a local alternative — I myself wouldn’t return. Surprised to see that there are no other reviews here, as that month of waiting sure suggested that they have LOTS of customers… I’ve given them two stars (instead of one) since this is their first review, and I’d hate to imply that my experience is the definitive one. Plus — gotta say that the pedestals are officially glued, and the tabletop does rest atop them without the whole matter sagging. So, there’s that. (Damning by faint praise?)