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Master-craftsman strip, stain, and finish work — workshop on Marbach Lane.
Weathersby Guild has been refinishing furniture in San Antonio since 2013 — dining tables, dressers, hutches, antique pieces, mid-century modern, and Spanish Colonial. Our shop on Marbach Lane works in traditional finishes (hand-rubbed shellac, French polish, oil finishes) alongside modern lacquers and polyurethanes. No subcontracting. No assembly-line work. Every piece is touched by a master craftsman from strip through final coat.
Weathersby Guild refinishes furniture in San Antonio from a workshop at 18985 Marbach Lane (78266). The shop has been operating since 2013, holds a 4.8-star rating from 44 verified reviews, and offers free written estimates plus pickup and delivery throughout the SA metro. Most refinishing jobs run $200 to $1,500 and complete in three to four weeks. Call (210) 251-3019.
San Antonio homes carry an unusually wide range of furniture styles — from family Spanish Colonial pieces handed down through generations, to mid-century modern bought in the 1960s and now back in fashion, to formal antiques shipped down from East Coast estates. We refinish all of it.
Every piece moves through the same six-step process at our Marbach Lane workshop. For a deeper walkthrough of every stage including tools and materials, see our full process page.
We inspect the piece in person, identify finish type, look for hidden damage, and provide a written estimate before any work begins.
Chemical strippers remove old finish without sanding through veneer or carving detail. Hand scraping for inset areas. Eco-friendly stripper used on antiques to preserve patina layers.
Loose joints re-glued with hide glue. Veneer chips replaced with matched stock. Surfaces sanded progressively from 80 to 220 grit, by hand on carved areas.
Custom-mixed stain to match original tone (or new tone you choose). Test patches on hidden areas before applying anywhere visible. Color matching across legs, top, and skirt for uniform appearance.
Sealer locks in stain. Two to four topcoat passes (lacquer, polyurethane, or shellac depending on piece) with light sanding between coats for depth. Hand-rubbed final coat on antiques.
Finishes cure 5 to 14 days depending on type. Hardware polished, drawers waxed, glides replaced. White-glove delivery throughout the SA metro.
South-central Texas presents unique challenges for furniture finishes. Our shop adjusts technique and material choice for the SA climate and the Texas hardwoods we see most often.
San Antonio cycles from arid winter (under 30% RH) to humid summer (over 80% RH). Wood expands and contracts with these swings. We use flexible finishes — modern shellac, lacquer, water-based polyurethane — that flex with the wood instead of cracking. We avoid old-school brittle nitrocellulose lacquers on dining tables that see frequent humidity exposure.
SA's water carries heavy mineral content that leaves white deposits on wood furniture near sinks, dining tables, and bar tops. Mineral spots can usually be lifted before refinishing using oxalic acid treatments. Apply protective coasters and felt pads after refinishing — we provide care instructions with every piece.
San Antonio's UV index runs 9 to 11 from May through September. Furniture in front of south- or west-facing windows fades dramatically over 5 to 10 years. We apply UV-resistant topcoats on pieces destined for sun-exposed rooms and recommend repositioning or window treatments to extend finish life. Faded antiques can sometimes be color-corrected without full refinish.
Pecan, mesquite, and Texas live oak behave differently than the maples and walnuts most refinishing guides assume. Pecan takes stain unevenly and requires conditioner. Mesquite is dense and prone to checking — we use slow-building shellac instead of fast lacquer. Native oak grain pops with a quarter-sawn finish. Local wood, local technique.
Pricing depends on piece size, condition, finish type, and any structural repair needed. Below are typical 2026 ranges for jobs we complete in San Antonio. Every estimate is free and in writing.
Ranges reflect typical 2026 jobs. Final quote depends on materials, piece condition, and current shop workload. No verbal quotes — every estimate is written.
Our box truck makes regular runs throughout the SA metro. We handle pickup, blanket-wrap the piece, transport to our Marbach Lane workshop, and white-glove deliver back to you when finished. Areas we serve weekly:
Every piece is touched by a master craftsman from strip through final coat. No subcontracting. No "we ship it out" surprises. The person who quotes the work is the person who does the work.
French polish on antiques. Hand-rubbed oil on Spanish Colonial. Shellac on mid-century. We pick technique to match piece — not to match shop convenience.
Some SA shops subcontract refinishing to home-based finishers and add 40 to 60% margin. We don't. Our work is done in our shop by our team — pricing reflects single-shop overhead.
If our refinish fails under normal indoor use within a year, we fix it at no charge. Most SA chain shops offer 90 days. We back our work because we believe in it.
Every estimate is in writing — no verbal quotes that drift upward mid-job. The number we quote is the number you pay, unless you authorize change orders.
12 years in SA. 44 verified reviews at 4.8 stars. Workshop on Marbach Lane you can visit. We are local — not a franchise.
Most furniture refinishing jobs in San Antonio fall between $200 and $1,500. A small accent table or single chair typically runs $200 to $400. A dresser or buffet runs $500 to $900. A full dining table with leaves runs $700 to $1,200. Antique pieces requiring period-correct technique or hand-rubbed shellac runs $900 to $1,500. Every estimate is free and in writing — we evaluate the piece before quoting so you know the cost up front.
Standard refinishing — strip, sand, stain, and finish — typically takes three to four weeks from drop-off to delivery. Pieces requiring structural repair, veneer work, or color matching add one to two weeks. Antique conservation work runs four to six weeks because shellac and traditional finishes need extended cure time. We confirm a realistic timeline at estimate based on current shop workload.
We work with the full range of traditional and modern finishes: hand-rubbed oil finishes (tung, Danish, linseed), shellac (French polish on antiques), lacquer (nitrocellulose and pre-cat for durability), polyurethane (oil and water-based), wax topcoats, and milk paint or chalk-paint with sealed protective topcoats. We also do color-match staining for repair-and-blend work where only part of the piece needs refinishing.
It depends. For most pre-1900 American and English antiques, full refinishing destroys provenance and value — we recommend conservation cleaning and selective French polish touch-up instead. For early- to mid-20th-century pieces (Eastlake, Mission, Mid-century modern, Art Deco), refinishing is generally safe and often appropriate when the original finish has failed. We assess every antique in person and tell you honestly whether full refinishing or conservation work is the right path.
Yes. We provide pickup and delivery throughout the San Antonio metro including Stone Oak, Alamo Heights, The Pearl, King William, Olmos Park, Terrell Hills, Helotes, Schertz, Cibolo, Universal City, Converse, and Leon Valley. Pickup is usually scheduled within a few days of estimate approval. Delivery is white-glove — pieces are blanket-wrapped and placed exactly where you want them.
Yes. Color matching is one of the harder skills in refinishing — we test stain on hidden areas first, mix custom blends from base stains and pigments, and dial in the match before applying anywhere visible. This matters most when you have a refinished piece in a set (matching dining chairs to a table) or want a new piece to match existing built-ins. Color matching adds about a week to typical timelines.
San Antonio's humidity swings — dry winters, humid summers — are tough on wood furniture. We use moisture-stable finishes (lacquer, polyurethane, modern shellac formulas) that flex with seasonal wood movement instead of cracking. We also recommend keeping refinished pieces out of direct south- or west-facing sun exposure, where SA's intense summer UV can fade even quality finishes over time. With normal indoor placement, a properly refinished piece holds up for 15 to 25 years.
Yes. All refinishing work carries a one-year guarantee against finish failure (peeling, blushing, premature wear) under normal indoor use. Structural repairs done as part of refinishing carry the same one-year guarantee. Wear and tear from continued use, water damage, sun fading, or accidental damage are not covered — but anything that fails because of how we built it gets fixed at no charge.
Send a few photos showing the piece — overall plus close-ups of any damage. We will review and respond with a written estimate within one business day. Pickup throughout the SA metro available.
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Our home city — full service overview
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Full restoration catalog