Terms of Service

1. Who we are

Alberto's Furniture Refinishing ("we", "us") is a furniture refinishing and repair workshop serving Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Venice, Osprey, Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Nokomis, Palmetto, and Anna Maria, Florida. You can reach us at [email protected] or (941) 296-5427. These terms govern work we perform on your furniture.

2. Estimates and pricing

Every piece is priced individually after we see it. We do not publish flat rates, because the same repair can differ by hours depending on the wood, the finish, and prior work someone else did. Estimates are free and based on photos you send us.

An estimate is our good-faith assessment from the information available. If we open up a piece and find damage the photos did not show — hidden rot, a failed prior repair, an unstable joint — we will contact you with a revised figure and wait for your approval before continuing. We will not perform unapproved work and bill you for it.

3. Deposits and payment schedule

Some services require a deposit to reserve a place in our schedule and to arrange pickup. A scheduling deposit secures your slot; it is credited in full against the final cost of your project.

Once you have accepted our quote, a project deposit of half the total is due before work begins, and your scheduling deposit is credited against it. A further payment falls due when you approve the color and finish, and the balance is due on completion. We tell you each amount in writing before it falls due, and nothing beyond the scheduling deposit is payable until you have seen and accepted a quote.

If you cancel before we begin work, your deposit is refundable less any costs already incurred on your behalf — for example a completed pickup. Once work has begun, the deposit is applied to labor and materials already performed.

4. In-home visits

Some work does not need to leave your house — a white ring, a scratch, a loose joint, a touch-up after a move. For these we come to you.

In-home visits carry a minimum charge of $250, which covers travel, setup, and the visit itself. Work beyond that minimum is quoted before we begin. We tell you the minimum before we schedule, so nobody is surprised by an invoice for a job that took twenty minutes — the minimum reflects the trip, not the clock.

5. Timelines

Most projects run three to six weeks from the date work begins. This is a target, not a guarantee. Finish work is dependent on temperature, humidity, and cure times we do not control, and Florida weather affects all three. Rushing a cure produces a finish that fails later, so we will not do it.

If your project will run materially past our estimate, we will tell you rather than wait for you to ask.

6. Pickup, delivery, and risk

We transport furniture with reasonable care. You are responsible for telling us in advance about structural weaknesses, prior repairs, loose joints, or fragile elements that are not visible on inspection — these affect how a piece must be handled and are the most common cause of transport damage.

Please remove all contents, glass, mirrors, and personal items before pickup unless we have agreed otherwise in writing. We are not responsible for items left inside furniture.

7. Completion, collection, and storage

When your piece is finished we will notify you at the email address or phone number you gave us, and arrange delivery or collection.

Workshop space is finite, and a completed piece awaiting collection occupies space another client's project needs. If a piece stays with us beyond the period we agree at intake, storage is charged at a rate we tell you in writing before it begins — never applied retroactively, and never a surprise on a final invoice.

We retain possession of your furniture until the balance for work performed is paid in full, as permitted by Florida law governing liens for labor performed on personal property.

8. Uncollected furniture

If a piece remains uncollected after we have told you it is finished, we will contact you at the details you gave us. We will not dispose of, sell, or otherwise part with your furniture without giving you written notice first, and without following the notice period and process Florida law requires for property left in a repairer's possession.

We would much rather return your furniture than dispose of it. If you are having difficulty collecting a piece or settling a balance, contact us — we will work with you. This clause exists because workshop space is finite, not because we want your furniture.

9. What we do and do not do

We refinish and repair wood furniture, including structural and joinery repair, veneer and inlay work, color matching and touch-up, and kitchen cabinet refinishing. Our lacquer finishes are available in three sheens: flat, satin, and gloss.

We do not do upholstery — it is a separate trade, and we will refer you rather than pretend otherwise. We cannot refinish thermofoil or laminate cabinet doors, because there is no wood surface for a finish to bond to. We do not offer French polishing.

10. Our work, and its limits

We stand behind our workmanship. If a finish we applied fails under normal household use, tell us and we will make it right.

Restoration is not manufacture. Antique and previously repaired pieces carry history we did not create, and some conditions cannot be reversed without destroying what makes the piece worth keeping. Where that is true we will say so before starting rather than after. We do not warrant against damage from misuse, accident, extreme humidity, or direct sunlight.

11. Opinions of value

Where we comment on what a piece may be worth, that is a documented opinion based on comparable sales — not a certified appraisal. We are an interested party, because we also perform the restoration work being discussed. If you need a certified appraisal for insurance or legal purposes, we will point you to an independent credentialed appraiser.

12. Photographs

We photograph work in progress for our own records. We will not publish photographs of your piece without your permission, which we ask for separately and which you are free to decline — declining does not affect your estimate or your place in our schedule.

13. Changes and governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida. If we change them, the version in effect when your project began governs that project. We will not apply a changed term retroactively to work already underway.

Questions about any of this? Email [email protected]. We would rather explain a term than have you agree to something you do not understand.