The Chairman

Lamar was super! He was very easy to reach out to (via text!) and super responsive. He took our table (inherited from grandma) and created additional leaves so we could make it more functional in our smaller space, and completely refinished it! It's so beautiful now! Highly recommend The Chairman!

Lamar is a gem to find. My little table has been in the family for many years and badly warped and stained. Lamar was thoughtful, prompt, reasonably priced and delivered a week ahead of time. In highly recommend him!

We shipped an old buffet from the Philippines that my late father in law had bought back in 1965. It isn’t very expensive but it was the first major piece of furniture that he had purchased. It’s actually two years older than my wife. It was badly damaged by multiple floods and from years of use, with warped shelves, a half missing foot, severe water damage, and stains. It was sitting in their old house for years until we decided to bring it here. It has a lot of sentimental value and we were worried that it was a hopeless case. Lamar and his wife did their magic! You can hardly tell where all the damage was. We could also tell that they really care about what they do and how much this meant to the family. They even completed the work sooner than expected. I recommend highly! Thank you Lamar. We will be able to use this for many more years to come.

I highly recommend The Chairman. I recently hired them to refinish two small coffee tables and a large wooden salad bowl that has sentimental value. Lamar was easy to work with - very professional from start to finish and did a nice job. Price was reasonable as well. See attached pictures of before and after.

Quick work and easy communication! I brought Lamar a very sentimental item, my grandmother's chair (she recently passed) to fix. Past attempts to fix the detached leg join had resulted in lots of glue residue and, despite all that, the chair was still regularly coming apart. Lamar removed the glue and repaired the join. I've had the chair back with me for only a few days now, but it's held strong with no issues so far! See the attached photos for a before and after, no glue residue left at all and it's looking much better. Please note that the scratches and wear marks on the chair were there before. I just asked for a repair, not a restoration, as I wanted my grandmother's chair to continue telling the story of how many of her children and my cousins had used it before me. I appreciate Lamar for getting this fixed faster than his estimate and for a very reasonable price. I paid just over $100 for this fix and hopefully will be able to continue using my grandmother's chair for years to come.

After I first met Lamar I knew I was in good hands. He promptly replied to me and kept me in the loop as to the progress of my job. I had an old Singer sewing machine and an Italian music box, both from my mother-in-law, that had seen better days, including chips in the wood, discoloration and a missing knob. He gave both pieces the TLC that they needed and more. Lamar did an excellent job and I would certainly use him again.

Lamar was wonderful to work with. His attention to detail was evident in what he was doing, and the final product (2 dining room chairs) is very nice. His price to do the work was very reasonable!

Lamar and his wife did an amazing job restoring and shortening our church pews. These pews were made in 1911 and are extremely sentimental to us, so we didn’t entrust them to just anyone. We couldn’t be happier with all the detail work they did.

Fantastic Work! He refinished a bedroom side table and make it look brand new. Fast turnaround and a reasonable pricing. Highly recommend.

I am so pleased with my patio chairs. He transformed my old patio chairs and made them new again.

Lamar is a craftsman. I am very pleased with the replacement/repair to the caster on my antique oak swivel chair.

Lamar replaced & stained the cane back of a 50 year old Ethan Allen dining chair. He did an excellent job at a reasonable price. He is a real craftsman, Hard to find these days.

This review is well overdue. We brought an antique dining room chair that a family member had (poorly) attempted to repair to Lamar. The chair was repaired well within the estimated time quoted- and the repair was beautifully done. It's impossible to see the repair as it's seamless. Lamar is an artist.

Absolutely zero stars! After reading the glowing reviews and seeing the photos of his work, I contacted the Chairman about a table that needs refinishing. As requested on his website, I texted photos. He texted back in a timely manner and gave me a reasonable quote to perform the work. I arranged to borrow a truck and scheduled the time to drive an hour each way to his workshop. When I arrived, I was in for quite a disappointment. Based on the photos, he made the incorrect assumption that the table was stained, but it's a high gloss paint. He's supposed to be the knowledgeable professional and should have asked the question! Had he taken a minute to do that, hours of time and effort would not have been wasted.

I bought 2 antique chairs that are really beautiful, but they needed some TLC. I was going to take them to a place in Emeryville, but it was no longer there. I think this is a slowly disappearing craft. I looked on-line through several reviews and decided on "The Chairman " I sent some pictures and he said he could help. I took the chairs in and they were done very quickly. I thought it would be at least a month, but it was probably a couple weeks? I was super impressed by the workmanship. He repaired, and Im guessing , polished the chairs too; they look amazing. Mr. Spaulding and Thuy were so very nice and I wouldn't hesitate to take any piece of furniture there.

This business is A-1 all the way. I had them refinish an antique desk for me and it turned out beautiful. They are very pleasant people to deal with as well as getting the job done in a timely manner. I will definitely be using them again.

Does great work on antiques. Highly recommend him. Great customer service and for a small fee went to customers house to fix her table. Was very reasonable !! I will not hesitate to use him again.

I had this rocking chair I bought over 20 years ago during my visit to Costa Rica. I liked it enough that I did not throw away when it was broken, hoping to fix it someday. My attempt to fix went unsuccessful and finally, after 20 years, I sought out for a professional service! Check out the pic of before and after! The repair cost me 3 times more than the original chair, but nothing can replace the sentiment that comes with certain pieces of furniture! thanks!

I brought my almost-100-year-old oak kitchen table to Lamar for repair and refinish. The table top had a split where the boards were coming unglued and was getting worse. The table (and chairs) is a family heirloom. Lamar said no problem and when I picked it up, it looked like new!

Lamar has been very helpful with my electrical recliner breakdown issue. Though my residence is outside his service area, he took the time to give me a detailed walkthrough of the steps I'd need to do to resolve my problem. That was over and beyond his 'call of duty', as there was no monetary payment involved. Given his passion and dedication to his work, I'd recommend him without any reservation for furniture repair.

Lamar did great work on a child's chair from 1960s. A family air loom I'm happy my daughter gets to use it now! Good wood work sir and thank you .

I brought Lamar a 30 year old Scandinavian chair that was no longer available new and had broken under heavy load. The chair was utterly irreplaceable without spending $5K on a used set of 6. When I came to pick up the chair, I could no longer tell where it had broken. The chair looks perfect. Thank you Lamar!

Lamar is a true professional on his craft. Our 90 year old dining room chairs are like new again! Also his rates are reasonable. You can't go wrong.

We recently brought to Lamar an antique oak coffee table which was sun faded, had some water ring stains on top, and the legs and base components were loose. Lamar and his associate were able to repair and refinish it in a short period of time. When we went to pick it up we were amazed at the beautiful results! They brought back the richness of the oak grain and it is perfect. We couldn't be happier with the outcome. You can tell how experienced they are by the level of their craftsmanship. He's an honest businessman who charges a very reasonable rate for his work. Thank you Lamar!

Great service - super friendly, communication was clear and easy, and we're very happy with the repairs on our coffee table. Planning to use their service again in the future.

The Chairman did a fabulous, invisible restoration on a family heirloom chair that had been cat-chewed on one arm and various other places. That cat had really gone to town on that arm and Lamar and his partner filled it in, matched the stain and made the damage completely go away, and the price was very reasonable. I recommend him and will use him again at any need.

Quality craftsmanship, friendly service. Can handle a wide variety of furniture repair needs.

Nice, honest man who came over and quickly fixed our recliner. He had great mannerism and was very professional. He trouble shooter the issue and had the parts on hand to get it working again. I would highly recommend the chair man.

Brought a 40 year old rocking chair family heirloom to Lamar to fix the squeaking, fix a chip and refinish. Good as new for another 40 years!

Lamar and his partner did an awesome job fixing up the dresser/drawers I got on Craigslist. He's extremely honest and professional and willing to work with your budget. He meticulously shopped around for all the different veneer inlays that were chipped off and put it together seamlessly. Really great job!

Lamar did a wonderful job repairing an accent chair that broke at a very delicate spot. Great work for a great price, I definitely recommend him!

My chair had a broken leg so I contacted Lamar. It's best to text him and response can be spotty but he will respond. I brought my chair to his shop in Dublin and my chair was fixed in a little over a week. The work was flawless and I was very pleased with the results. The cost of the job was about what other places charged so that's why I chose this location and I couldn't be happier.

He's fantastic!!! He's saved 2 Hepplewhite chairs, rebuilt the broken back of one dining, repaired 2 shaky dining room chairs to another set and currently has two small end tables. I absolutely recommend as he's very fair, very professional and a nice guy to work with. Later this week when I pick up those tables, I'm taking a nightstand. He'll do a great job because he loves his work and takes pride in it.

Lamar is very good at his Craft. He is also very kind and a pleasure to work with. Thx for all the help Lamar!

We recently had my mother's 60+ years old dining room chairs redone and we are very happy with the results. The chairs were very scratched up and unstable that required to be taken apart and glued. These are chairs that are important for me to remember my mother and I feel confident in recommending The ChairMan!

Lamar came to our home and fixed our 26-year-old china hutch today. He did a wonderful job reinforcing the legs and reattaching the back panel that came loose. I think it is stronger now than when we got it! Thank you!

I live in Monterey County but the Chairman who splits time between Dublin and Aptos is one of the last true furniture craftsman. He restored a desk chair on which I had leaned back one too many times in the process splitting one of the legs. I loved this chair. Fortunately for me, the Chairman renovated the chair to like-new. He is worth the drive and charges very fair prices. He turned my chair around much quicker than I expected. Bonus; he is a nice man too?

Lamar is an awesome craftsman! We brought him a pile of teak that used to be a mid-century modern chair, and he gave its life back! We honestly had no hope for this one, but he did it. :) We also brought two other ones that were slightly wiggly, and those are now solid. Thank you Lamar!

Excellent job replacing the broken woven seat chair. It perfectly matched the back of the chair.

Returned to Lamar (after previously having a piano leg fixed) to have our dining bench and tv stand fixed both done so well. Definitely would not hesitate to return if we need him again in the future!

Lamar fixed a defective chair I got from Macy's. He is a real craftsman and problem solver. Will definitely call him back with wood furniture repair needs in the future.

Had broken spindles on a 100 yr old rocker. Rocker is now on it's 4th generation of owning it. He was able to take off arms spread out the 6 salvageable spindles. He matched the original stain cleaned up the rocker & matching chair. He told us the proper way to keep the chair and rocker looking good for many more generations. Could not be more pleased than to have my mom's once broken rocker looking as close as possible to what it did when new spindles can't be made anymore.

He did a very good jog on my outer door chairs which needed to be painted (powder coat) and restrung. No complaints.

On time, reasonably priced & excellent craftsmanship. Lamar made a weathered 10 year old cedar hammock stand look like new!!

I emailed and submitted online forms multiple times, and did not receive any responses, hence the 1-star rating. First, the email on the web site is incorrect, so it takes a couple tries and internet domain intuition to not received an email bounce back. Second, the online form they use is problematic as the form has issues accepting pictures as attachments. Even without the picture, I submitted two forms and did not get any callback or email response.

Excellent work with reasonable pricing. He kept in contact when he would showed up. No complaints. Thanks again!

Lamar is an incredible craftsmen! I highly recommend him for wood repair and restoration. He is kind, highly skilled, and excellent at communication. He saved this chair! Thank you, Lamar!

Lamar is awesome. I had some water stains on our coffee and end tables that we could not remove and we tried literally everything. Lamar got it cleaned up and it looked as good as new and the price was really reasonable. I highly recommend him.

I have a very large credenza that was recently moved. The doors would not close. I found Lamar on Yelp and he came out a few days ago. After looking at the problem, he made sure the unit was level, used a few wood tools to get the doors to close properly, but had no luck. Lamar even shaved a door (in a location that is not visible to the eye), but it still didn't work. Before Lamar left he said I might try inserting two schimes about 1/8 inch, one front, and one back under the left side of the unit. He thought it might help to restore the proper angle. I did and it worked like magic! I am so happy with the advice Lamar gave me. Lamar was professional, took off his shoes when entering my home, wore a mask and was considerate to my barking little dog. He only charged me a nominal amount and said if the schimes didn't work he would come back, take off the doors to plane them. If I have ANY other problems with my wood furniture, hands down, I'm calling Lamar. Thank you Lamar!!!

Many thanks to Lamar for his quality work, his clear communication, his honesty and kindness. Lamar repaired 2 antique Larkin chairs for me, one of which was unusable due to a broken metal back support. He problem solved a solution that proved both practical and elegant. I am so impressed with his work that he has also repaired my glider rocker and re-caned my vanity chair. I highly recommend him to anyone in need of a small furniture repair or restoration.

Highly recommend him! Took him my beloved, departed Grandmother's antique settee with a leg that was was snapped off by careless movers!! I was heartbroken when it happened and so elated to pick it up after it was repaired. You cannot even tell it was broken! Excellent workmanship and a very affordable fee. Thank - you Mr. ChairMan!

I forgot to leave a review but Lamar was amazing to work with. He helped us repair the back of a loveseat. He was very nice and professional. He did his best to help us and got the job done. Would recommend!!!

Very professional and excellent service. I called Lamar on his cellphone and left a message to check if he can fix door of a chest and arm of a horn chair I have. He was on holiday so I was unable to talk but I left voicemail explaining the work I needed on 2 pieces of furniture. He returned my call as soon as he was back from his holiday and asked me to send photos of the broken furniture. He reviewed them and called me back to give me an estimate of how much it might cost me. He also gave me 2 quotes and options of him coming down to my place and fixing it or I could drop the furniture at his place which could cost me less. As the chest and chair both were bigger and bulkier I asked him if he could come by and fix it at my place. He agreed and we finalized the date and time and he arrived on time as per schedule. He thoroughly examined the furniture and explained to me what might have happened and how it can be fixed. Before starting the work he also informed me how much it will cost to make sure if I was ok with it. We agreed and he fixed the chest in an hour and it's like it was never broken (check out the photos of before and after). For chair he needed more equipments and parts to fix so he asked to take the chair with him at his studio. Overall a great experience, very convenient, very professional and reasonable. I would highly recommend Lamar for any furniture repair work.

My antique rocking chair (heirloom) was in need of some repair and TLC and "The Chairman" delivered! The difference was even more noticeable when comparing my before-and-after pictures, truly great work!

Lamar is an impeccable craftsman! He repaired two chairs that we thought were destined for the trash heap! My teenagers romped on our lovely Italian farmhouse chairs and cracked all for leg joints, severed one scrolled arm right at the scroll....I was so upset! I looked for replacements but couldn't find them. I found Lamar online and his reviews are stellar! I sent him pictures of the damage and he said he could restore them. Less than three weeks later he emailed that the chairs were ready. Not only did Lamar expertly repair the breakage...he took the time to repair some pretty deep groves carved into an arm that looked awful. When I picked up my chairs today they were BETTER than brand new!!! You could feel the sturdiness and he even took the care and time to clean them! Lamar is a true craftsman and his artistry is rare to find! Repairing the chairs was much cheaper alternative than replacing each chair. Thank you Lamar.he should be called The Chair Whisperer! Thank you Lamar SO MUCH!

I do not often leave Five-star reviews, but Lamar earned it. I contacted him by phone, left a message, received a return call promptly, offering to come to Oakland to repair my recliner which would not fully retract. There was a slight delay of about a week or so so he could accumulate several area jobs, which seemed very sensible and workable for me. He set a time, showed up promptly and worked for an hour and a half to try to make it perfect. In the end, it wasn't quite perfect but actually workable enough to save the chair for my occasional recliner use. I considered the improvement he was able to make as the difference between a usable chair and a chair I would have to get rid of. Overall, he responded promptly by phone, was able to schedule a visit soon, was on time, and obviously wanted to do a great job in his repair. If you have a chair worth repair, give Lamar a call! Absolutely NO complaints with his response, skill and the entire business experience.

Although he was unable to come to my home, he offered to walk me thru the repair process. He also gave me very valuable information about my repair. First class Mr. Spaulding