Kilmister Furniture Restoration logo
Louie and Tony Kilmister from Kilmister Furniture Restoration riding in the Kilmister Furniture Restoration van.

THE KILMISTER FAMILY​

Since 1990, Kilmister Furniture Restoration has been restoring and repairing furniture throughout the greater Wellington, Kapiti, Wairarapa and Manawatu regions. Over the years, the name Kilmister has become synonymous with quality craftsmanship and fantastic service.

The term ‘family business’ is often a hollow statement. But, at Kilmister Furniture Restoration, we’re proud to employ three generations of Kilmister. All of which are passionate about furniture.

WELLINGTON

KAPITI COAST

WAIRARAPA

PALMERSTON

Headshot of Tony Kilmister from Kilmsiter Furniture Restoration.

TONY KILMISTER

Tony is a French polisher who has been working with furniture since 1986. Since then, technology may have changed. However, he still takes pride in using traditional techniques handed down through generations.

Headshot of Ruth Kilmister from Kilmsiter Furniture Restoration.

RUTH KILMISTER

Tony’s wife, Ruth, has been a big part of the business since its inception in 1990. Over the years, her role has varied from managing the books through to sanding furniture.

Headshot of Ailsa Kilmister from Kilmsiter Furniture Restoration.

AILSA KILMISTER

Tony’s mother, Ailsa, is an expert office manager who has been working in the finance industry for over 30 years. Her knowledge ensures billing is simple, from free quote to final receipt.

Headshot of Julian Rowntree from Kilmsiter Furniture Restoration.

JULIAN ROWNTREE

Julian is passionate about furniture and is Tony’s right-hand man in the workshop. Together, they work to ensure a quality furniture restoration every time.

Liam Kilmister from Kilmsiter Furniture Restoration.

LIAM KILMISTER

Tony’s son, Liam, is a digital marketing professional with many years in the media and furniture repair space. A quick Facebook message is all it takes if you ever have a question about the business.

Louie Kilmister from Kilmsiter Furniture Restoration.

LOUIE KILMISTER

Arguably the most important member of the team, Louie, is the Kilmister family’s beloved miniature schnauzer. He loves to be patted and to play. If you’re visiting the workshop, be sure to say hello.

WHAT WE DO

With keen attention to detail and the highest level of craftsmanship, your furniture and antiques will look exceptional and stand the test of time. That’s why we put our heart, soul and decades of experience into each piece of antique furniture restoration, boardroom table repair or general wooden furniture restoration. We provide the best of both worlds by bringing together traditional techniques and modern equipment. Our specialties include:

  • French polish
  • Heat damage
  • Veneer damage
  • Drawer runners
  • Sun damage
  • Oil finishes
  • Spray lacquer and 2-pot finishes
  • Chips and cracks 
  • Painting furniture
  • Insurance jobs


Every job is backed by our workmanship guarantee, whether a small furniture repair, boardroom table or larger furniture restoration. Over 90% of our business is from customers that have been referred. For this reason, the Kilmister name is well known in the lower North Island.

OUR STORY

1986
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Tony begins training with his uncle and French polisher, Brian Kilmister. Back then, Tony was fresh from shearing sheep for a living, and was keen to carry on the Kilmister name in the furniture repair industry.

1990
A COMPANY IS BORN

Kilmister Furniture Restoration is born and begins operation from a small workshop. To say these were humble beginnings is an understatement. There wasn’t even a light in the bathroom!

1995
A BIG JOB

The first work for New Zealand Parliament Service is completed, including restoring furniture and fixtures in the speaker's room. This was the first of many government and embassy jobs that were to come.

2008
AN UPGRADE

Up until this point, the business was delivering and picking up furniture with an old van. As the workload continued to increase, it was time for an upgrade. At this point, Tony purchased a small cab truck that the business would become famous for.

2010
IMPROVEMENTS

Kilmister Furniture Restoration relocates to a newer, larger and purpose-built workshop. This is the workshop that we operate out of today. It has a purpose-built spray booth and plenty of room to store large pieces of furniture.

2018
REFINEMENT

Unfortunately, our popular cab truck reached the end of its lifespan. In 2018, Kilmister Furniture Restoration welcomed a brand new purpose-built van to the business. This van has the same storage capacity as the truck. However, it’s much easier to manoeuvre through tight Wellington streets.

2020
EXPANSION

Kilmister Furniture Restoration expands from Wairarapa, Kapiti and Wellington furniture repair and restoration into the Manawatu region as well. To this day, we’ve been carrying out week pick up and delivery trips to make it easy for people to have their furniture repaired or restored.

TODAY
YOUR PROJECT

Get in touch to start your project today.

FAQ'S

Your frequently asked questions about furniture repair and French polish in NZ.

There are many different ways to approach fixing wooden furniture. You may be able to fix some more minor damage at home with glue. However, in most cases, it’s best to leave wooden furniture repair to the professionals.

At Kilmister Furniture Restoration, we have several methods to refurbish or refinish furniture, depending on the type of wood and desired style. In most cases, we will sand back or use a furniture stripper. Then, we’ll apply either a two-pot lacquer-based finish for durability or shellac for antique furniture.

No two pieces of furniture are the same. Because of this, the cost of restoring furniture will vary. Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote to get an idea of price. You can rest assured that we offer fantastic value.

If your wooden furniture has water-damage, we can repair it back to its former glory at Kilmister Furniture Restoration. Using expert techniques, we can remove rotted wood and fill any gaps.