Polisher & Restorer
Sahid Khan
Twenty years with Dovetail and 30+ years in furniture polishing and restoration. A craftsman's craftsman.
Request Sahid →
Onehunga · Auckland · since 1989
Issue No. 035 — May 2026
Workshop open · Mon–Fri
N° 01 / Cover
Furniture, restored to its second life.
Since 1989 our Onehunga workshop has been Auckland's most extensive furniture restoration practice — polishing, upholstery, leather, antiques, marine. Quiet, expert work, handled in-house by a team that has been here for decades.
35+
Years on the bench
08
Disciplines mastered
100%
Auckland insurer approved
10yr
Low-waste workshop
Figure 01 / Workshop floor
"Always reliable, always available, never a job too small or too big."
— Matteo · The Jervois Steakhouse
Auckland insurance approved
·
Relocation partners
·
Pickup & delivery NZ-wide
·
EU spray-equipment certified
·
10 years low-waste
·
Onehunga workshop · since 1989
·
Auckland insurance approved
·
Relocation partners
·
Pickup & delivery NZ-wide
·
EU spray-equipment certified
·
10 years low-waste
·
Onehunga workshop · since 1989
·
001 · The approach
We are a workshop, not a showroom.
Furniture repair has been our business since 1989. Three and a half decades later, the workshop has expanded, but the priorities haven't: workmanship, transparency, and a quiet preference for restoring a piece rather than replacing it.
We're approved repairers for every major Auckland insurance company and relocation firm, and we cover the full region — North Shore, South Auckland, Eastern Suburbs, Pukekohe, Franklin, West Auckland, Rodney — plus pickup & delivery across both islands and the occasional international job.
Our spray gear is EU-standard, high-velocity low-pressure. Our recycling and waste-handling has been measured and improved over a decade. The result is a workshop that does most things, does them under one roof, and does them with people who've been at the same bench for twenty or thirty years.
Quality service since 1989.
01
In business since 1989
35+ years of furniture restoration in Auckland.
02
Insurance approved
Approved repairer for every major Auckland insurance company.
03
Relocation approved
Approved repairer for Auckland relocation companies; handles transport-damage claims.
04
EU-standard spray gear
High-velocity low-pressure equipment, compliant with EU emissions standards.
05
Low-waste workshop
A decade of measured low-waste disposal and maximised recycling.
06
Auckland-wide & beyond
Pickup & delivery across the region, both islands and international by arrangement.
002 · Services
Eight crafts,
one bench.
Open any line below. Every discipline is handled in-house at our Onehunga workshop — no outsourcing, no middlemen.
Stripping and re-polishing of timber furniture, including French Polish, veneer restoration, mid-century pieces and full colour matching. We spray with high-velocity low-pressure, EU-standard equipment and partner with NZ's leading paint and varnish suppliers.
- ·Stripping and re-polishing
- ·French Polish
- ·Veneer restoration
- ·Custom colour matching
- ·White haze and ring removal
- ·Flood and fire damage restoration
- ·Wall unit and bookcase repolishing
- ·Mid-century furniture restoration
Full re-upholstery and fabric services for residential, commercial and hospitality clients. In-house workshop with major fabric-house partnerships. Custom squabs made to measure.
- ·Re-upholstery
- ·Custom squabs
- ·Chair and lounge suite recovering
- ·Midcentury chair recovering
- ·Chaise longue re-upholstery (incl. House of Hackney)
- ·Corporate upholstery
- ·Commercial and hospitality furniture
Specialist upholstery for marine, yacht and super yacht interiors — materials, fixings and finishes built for salt air and long ocean miles.
- ·Marine upholstery
- ·Yacht upholstery
- ·Super yacht upholstery
Comprehensive leather work covering every common type, using industry-standard cleaning agents and professional leather paints — repairing, re-dyeing, conditioning and reupholstering.
- ·Pigmented leather repair and restoration
- ·Aniline leather repair and restoration
- ·Nubuck leather repair and restoration
- ·Suede leather repair and restoration
- ·Veg-tan leather repair
- ·Aniline leather re-dye
- ·Leather cleaning and conditioning
- ·Leather reupholstery
Recaning and full restoration of rattan, cane and riempie furniture — hand-woven repairs to chairs, footstools and wicker pieces.
- ·Cane chair recaning
- ·Wicker and rattan repair
- ·Riempie footstool restoration
Specialist work on antiques and unusual pieces — preserving and, where appropriate, increasing the value of objects that deserve a careful hand.
- ·Antique furniture restoration
- ·Marble repairs
- ·Veneer restoration
- ·Gilding work
- ·Art restoration
- ·Glass, ceramics and porcelain repair
- ·China and porcelain restoration
- ·Bespoke jewellery box finishing
- ·Split kava bowl repair
Approved repairer for all major Auckland insurance companies and relocation companies. We document and handle transport-damage claims end to end.
- ·Insurance damage claims
- ·Relocation and transport damage
- ·Flood and fire damage
Painting and restoration of outdoor deck furniture and exterior timber — finishes specified for NZ weather.
- ·Outdoor deck furniture repainting
- ·Outdoor table exterior painting
003 · Selected work
The bench
has receipts.
Four selected projects from recent months. Each piece passed through the hands of a craftsman who has been at this for twenty, thirty, or thirty-plus years. Pickup and delivery handled in-house.
004 · Hands on the bench
A hundred years
of craft, combined.
The team behind the workshop — most have been here for twenty years or longer. Quiet, patient hands; the kind of experience you only get from staying at the same bench for a working lifetime.
Polisher & Restorer
Mark Mighorst
20+ years of polishing experience. Specialist in custom colour matching — the eye that gets the new finish to disappear into the old one.
Request Mark →
Master Upholsterer
Romeo Guzman
30+ years of upholstery — chairs, suites, chaise longues and the bespoke commissions hospitality clients send our way.
Request Romeo →
Assessment & Management
Avi & Adam Koifman
Founder (Avi) and workshop manager (Adam). The people you talk to about your piece — assessment, scope and shepherding the work through the workshop.
Request an assessment →005 · Voices from Auckland
What people send
in writing.
We use Dovetail Restorations, always reliable, always available, never a job too small or too big.Matteo · Restaurant Manager, The Jervois Steakhouse
Dovetail have handled the wood restoration and furniture repairs across our hospitality business for five years.Paula Sigley · The Nourish Group
This team restored my rimu dining suite that we have had for over 24 years. Nothing was too much trouble and the workmanship was outstanding.Audrey · Private client
Thank you for the care and attention that you and your team gave to my toilette mirror. It is absolutely amazing.Vivienne · Private client
I had my mahogany lounge suite and coffee table revitalised by the Dovetail team — very satisfied with the result.Alister · Private client
I was surprised at how well it came up considering the state it was in. I like that some of the original dings are still there — showing its age.Carol · Private client
We had our table and chairs stripped and restained after 16 years. They picked it up, communicated with us the whole time, and did a beautiful job.Raewyn · Private client
Craftsmanship at its best! Prompt service, very helpful and obliging people to deal with. Highly recommended. Thank you Tom and Avi!Kim · Private client
006 · What it costs
Quoted by the
piece, not the hour.
Every restoration is unique, so every quote is too — but here is how the work breaks down. Free assessments. Insurance and relocation claims handled directly.
Tier 01
Assessment & small repairs
Free
workshop assessment
For minor work — ring removal, scratch and chip repair, leather conditioning — we typically quote a fixed price after a quick assessment.
- ·White haze & ring removal
- ·Leather cleaning & conditioning
- ·Minor scratch & chip repair
Most common
Tier 02
Restoration & re-upholstery
Quoted
per piece
The bulk of our work — strip-and-repolish, full re-upholstery, leather re-dyes, recaning. Quoted by piece after the workshop sees it. Pickup & delivery available.
- ·Stripping, polishing & French polish
- ·Full re-upholstery & custom squabs
- ·Aniline / pigmented leather re-dye
- ·Cane, rattan & riempie
Tier 03
Specialist & insurance work
Direct
claim / scope
Antique, marine, gilding, art and porcelain — plus insurance, relocation and transport-damage claims. We handle the documentation directly with insurers.
- ·Antique & gilded furniture
- ·Marine, yacht & super yacht
- ·Art, porcelain & ceramics
- ·Insurance, relocation & transport
Note · We don't publish per-hour rates because the work doesn't behave that way. A quote covers the materials, the bench time and the pickup & delivery, with no surprises at the end.
007 · Visit the workshop
7 Selwyn St,
Onehunga.
Drop a piece by during workshop hours, or have us pick it up. Auckland-wide pickup & delivery; both islands and international by arrangement.
Workshop
Onehunga Workshop
Dovetail Restorations Ltd7 Selwyn St, Onehunga
Auckland 1061
New Zealand Get directions →
Speak with the team
Phone, email, or stop by.
-
Phone09 636 6100
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Emailinfodovetailrestorations.co.nz
-
HoursMon – Fri · Workshop hours
Workshop · Map
7 Selwyn St, Onehunga
Open in Google Maps →
Service area
We pick up & deliver across the North Shore, South Auckland, Eastern Suburbs, Pukekohe, Franklin, West Auckland and Rodney — plus the rest of the North and South Island and international jobs by arrangement.