G. Michael's Furniture Repair Technician in Fort Collins

G. Michael’s Restoration Expands Its Furniture Restoration Team in Fort Collins

G. Michael’s Restoration, a professional furniture repair and antique furniture restoration studio in Fort Collins, Colorado, is expanding its team.

As demand continues to grow for high-quality furniture restoration, wood furniture repair, antique restoration, veneer repair, refinishing, color matching, structural repair, and heirloom furniture preservation across Northern Colorado and the Denver metro area, our shop is looking for new restoration technicians and apprentices to join the team.

This opportunity is ideal for someone who enjoys hands-on work, woodworking, problem solving, furniture repair, and detailed craftsmanship. Previous professional restoration experience is helpful, but not required. We are open to training the right person if they have the right mindset, patience, work ethic, and willingness to learn.

About G. Michael’s Restoration

G. Michael’s Restoration is a Fort Collins furniture restoration company specializing in the repair, refinishing, and preservation of antique, vintage, heirloom, and damaged wood furniture. Our team works on projects that require careful surface preparation, structural repairs, finish restoration, color matching, veneer repair, and detailed craftsmanship.

We do not simply “refinish” furniture. Our goal is to preserve the beauty, function, history, and character of every piece we work on.

G. Michael's Furniture Restoration Technician Working

The Role

We are hiring a furniture restoration technician or apprentice to assist with hands-on restoration work in our Fort Collins shop.

The position may include:

  • Preparing furniture surfaces for restoration and refinishing
  • Assisting with chemical stripping and finish removal
  • Working with delicate veneers and solid wood furniture
  • Helping with structural furniture repairs
  • Disassembling and re-gluing loose or damaged joints
  • Learning color matching, staining, toning, and finishing techniques
  • Using professional power tools and hand tools safely and correctly
  • Supporting restoration projects from intake to final detailing

Skills and Experience

Professional furniture restoration experience is a plus, but it is not required.

We are interested in applicants who have experience with, or a strong desire to learn:

  • Power tools and hand tools
  • Woodworking basics
  • Furniture repair
  • Sanding and surface preparation
  • Refinishing and finishing techniques
  • Careful detail work
  • Shop safety
  • Problem solving with wood furniture and antique pieces

A background in woodworking, cabinetry, carpentry, finishing, art, sculpture, construction, or hands-on trade work may be helpful.

Mindset Matters Most

The most important requirement is the right mindset.

We are looking for someone who is open-minded, patient, responsible, and willing to learn from experienced restoration professionals. This trade requires attention to detail, humility, constructive feedback, and pride in work that is often invisible when done correctly.

The right candidate should be able to accept feedback, improve continuously, and understand that furniture restoration is a skilled craft developed through practice, mentorship, and respect for the process.

What You Will Learn

Team members at G. Michael’s Restoration have the opportunity to learn professional restoration techniques, including:

  • Furniture stripping and wood preparation
  • Identifying wood species and historical finishes
  • Understanding finish chemistry and solvents
  • Veneer repair and replacement
  • Structural furniture repair
  • Color matching and touch-up techniques
  • Grain painting, burn-in repairs, and finish blending
  • Traditional and modern finishing systems
  • Production efficiency in a professional restoration shop

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation starts at $20–$24 per hour, based on skill level and experience, with performance bonus opportunities.

For permanent employees, G. Michael’s Restoration offers long-term benefits, including health insurance and a 401(k) plan with Safe Harbor matching. As your skills grow, your pay can grow as well.

How to Apply

To apply, please send your resume and, if available, photos of woodworking, furniture repair, refinishing, restoration, or hands-on projects you have completed.

Email: shop@gmrestores.com

G. Michael’s Restoration
113 Hickory Street
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524

 

G. Michael's Restoration Shop
Ethan Allen Pine Desk - After

Located in the historic city of Fort Collins, Colorado. G. Michael’s is an esteemed furniture repair and antique furniture restoration wood shop.

Furniture repair & restoration expert
Furniture repair & restoration expert
Furniture repair & restoration expert
Furniture repair & restoration expert

Danish Skovby SM-32 Dining Table

This Danish Skovby SM32 dining table arrived with a shattered base, broken extension mechanism, and a damaged cherry top after taking a tumble down eight stairs during a move. We rebuilt the pedestal base piece by piece, realigned the internal mechanism so it glides open like new, and fully refinished the cherry top. It might just look better than the day it left the factory in Denmark.

Antique Front Door Restoration

This 120-year-old front door in Old Town Fort Collins arrived with peeling finish, weathered wood, and a sticky lock. We took it through 12 to 15 steps: stripping, our 9-step wood prep, lock restoration, and a new mechanism. ML Campbell Poly 2K finish protects it for 20 to 30 years.

Solid Pine Closet Restoration

Built by our customer's grandfather, this 7 by 9 foot solid pine closet arrived covered in a bold Southwestern mural. We stripped every inch of paint, refinished it in a rich warm tone, and cleaned up the original hardware. Same bones, whole new soul.

Antique Oak Dresser Restoration

This antique oak piece arrived at our shop missing its entire bottom drawer, with the top drawers reduced to just front panels. We custom-built a new bottom drawer and fresh boxes for the upper panels, then hand-blended stains until the raw wood disappeared seamlessly into the original. A traditional French polish and high-end wax finish brought back that silky, antique glow.

Windsor Armchairs Restoration

These two Windsor armchairs came in with failing finish on the arms and spindles, the areas that take the most wear over the years. A thorough cleaning and careful touch-up brought the finish back to life across both chairs. Sometimes furniture doesn't need a full overhaul, just the right hands.

Table With Carved Base Restoration

This antique carved table base arrived covered in lion heads, grotesque faces, acanthus leaves, and ornate scrollwork. Beautiful craftsmanship, but no top. We fabricated a brand new solid walnut top to match its scale and presence, then finished it with ML Campbell conversion varnish for decades of protection. Old world base, new world craftsmanship.

Oval Mahogany Table Repair and Refinishing

A moving company broke the lip trim off this oval table and couldn't return the missing piece. We made a mold of the original profile, fabricated a new lip from scratch, then matched the stain and sheen against the table's banded inlay edge. Every grain direction and tone lined up: you'd never know it happened.

Heywood-Wakefield Dresser Restoration

This Heywood-Wakefield dresser arrived with a tired, scratched-up finish, especially across the top. We took it through a full refinish from top to bottom, restoring the warm, even blonde tone that makes this signature birch so iconic. Clean grain, smooth finish, exactly the way it left the factory.

Heywood-Wakefield Chairs

These vintage Heywood Wakefield chairs arrived hidden under a heavy dark stain and dated floral fabric. We carefully stripped the non-original finish, refinished the wood to reveal that famous blonde grain, and replaced the upholstery with a clean modern blue fabric. Iconic mid-century design, back to its original glory.

Mid-Century Cabinet Restoration

This mid-century walnut cabinet arrived with a faded, cloudy finish hiding the natural beauty of the wood. We stripped the old finish, then carefully sanded and refinished the walnut veneer to bring back its deep, warm tones. The sharp contrast with the black accent doors is back, exactly the way mid-century modern was meant to look.

Antique Dining Set Repair and Refinishing

This antique dining set came into the shop ready for a second life. The table leaves got a full refinish that brought out the natural grain, while the matching side chairs received a careful finish restoration without touching a single thread of the original needlepoint seats. The warmth is back in the wood, the history is still in the fabric, and the whole set looks ready for the next generation of dinners.

Mission Style Dining Table Restoration

This Mission-style trestle dining table came to us completely unfinished: bare, pale oak with beautiful natural grain and clean slat detailing on the base. We took it through a full staining and finishing process, building up a rich, deep warm tone that makes the oak grain absolutely sing. From raw wood to a table built to last generations.

Heywood-Wakefield Coffee Table Restoration

Heywood-Wakefield coffee table arrived needing a full restoration, from its sculpted splayed legs to the perfectly rounded top. We took it completely apart, stripped everything down to bare wood, and brought every surface back to life before the finish went on. That signature 1950s honey tone is back, exactly the way collectors love it.

French Oak Buffet Cabinet Repair and Refinishing

This antique French oak buffet cabinet arrived disassembled, with a split top, worn finish, and decades of grime hiding incredible hand carving: rosette medallions, egg-and-dart molding, turned columns, and ornate brass hardware. We repaired and refinished the top, then treated the whole piece to a rich, deep, smoky oak finish that unifies every surface while letting each carved detail pop. Pieces like this are irreplaceable, and this is exactly why we do what we do.

Queen Anne Style Dining Table

This Queen Anne style dining table came through our shop for a complete refinish, from the cabriole legs and pad feet to the scalloped apron and every curve in between. The whole piece was finished in a deep, rich dark brown tone that gives it exactly the presence it deserves. Smooth, even, and consistent from the top all the way down: the way it was always meant to look.

Ethan Allen Pine Desk

This Ethan Allen pine desk arrived buried under decades of dark stain and years of scratches. We stripped it back, brought out that warm honey pine grain, and gave it a clean professional finish that shows off every knot and ring. Same desk, same solid pine, completely different life.

Mid-Century Lounge Chairs Restoration

These mid-century lounge chairs left the shop with their curved scissor-style legs telling the whole story. We refinished the walnut frames to a warm, even tone that lets the grain and the sculptural shape do the talking, while our partners at Sparrow House of Design handled the bold tropical upholstery. Two shops, two trades, one result worth staring at.

Hexagonal Gun Cabinet Repair and Refinishing

This 1960s hexagonal gun cabinet arrived locked, scratched up, and fitted with original 1/16 inch glass fragile enough to shatter from a single touch. We picked the lock and had a brand new key cut by Red Rocks Locksmith, swapped the original glass for 3/16 tempered panels from Black's Glass, replaced the old fluorescent tubes with color-changing COB LED strips, relined the interior in fresh wool felt, and gave the whole piece a full pine refinish from top to base.

Multi-Species Dining Table Project

This multi-species butcher-block dining table came through our shop and the wood alone stopped everyone in their tracks.This multi-species butcher-block dining table came through our shop and the wood alone stopped everyone in their tracks. Alternating strips of dark and light species sit side by side, creating a pattern that looks almost like a piece of art as much as a table. A surface this dramatic deserves to be seen.

Antique Round Oak Pedestal Table

This antique round oak pedestal table just left the shop after a full refinish, and those carved claw-and-ball feet under the turned column base are something else. Quarter-sawn oak grain runs through the column and base, with strong ray patterns across the top, all finished in a rich deep brown that makes every carved detail pop. Antique tables like this deserve to be used, not stored.

Antique Furniture Restoration

Check how we restore wonderful pieces of antique furniture to its new glory. If you would like to have your valuable piece of furniture restored, simply contact us! We cover Fort Collins and all Denver metro from Downtown Denver, Boulder, Arvada, Lakewood, Evergreen and more.

Antique Oak Sideboard

This antique oak sideboard came to us with years of water damage across the entire top surface and a finish that had long since given up. We completed a full refinish in a warm reddish-brown tone that brought every surface back to life, and those bookmatched burl panels now show the depth and figure they were always hiding.

Inquires:

  • Office
    shop@gmrestores.com
  • (970) 493-8737
  • Estimate
    shop@gmrestores.com
Address:
113 Hickory Street
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524

 

Hours:
8a – 5p M-F

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