Commission Brief and Approval Sheet
Make sure maker and client are picturing the same object before work starts, and have a record of who approved what if the finished piece is questioned.
SD-05 1 page
Studio crafts and making · SD-09
Furniture Restoration Record
A free printable furniture restoration sheet — the piece and its condition on arrival, the work agreed, every treatment by product name, and the handback.
Download Free · no sign-up
One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Leave a record of exactly what was done to a piece and what was put on it, for the owner, for the next restorer and for your own defence if it is questioned.
Who it is for
Furniture restorers, upholsterers, French polishers, antique dealers who restore stock, and hobbyists working on family pieces.
How to use it
- Describe the piece and photograph it before anything is touched.
- Record the condition area by area, then what was done to each and with what.
- Log every treatment and repair as it is done, naming the product used.
- Note the final finish and the care advice given at handback.
- Keep the sheet with the photos — it is the piece's history now.
What is on the sheet
One page, top to bottom:
Printed under the title: One piece of furniture through the workshop — what it was and what state it arrived in, what the owner agreed to, every treatment applied, and what went back out of the door.
Write down what is under the surface. No products, solvents or finishes are named here, and no view is taken on how far to restore a piece — that is between you, the owner and the object. What matters is that everything applied is written down by name, for whoever works on it next.
Write-on lines: Piece · Owner / client · Date received · Maker, period or style (if known) · Marks, labels, stamps · Dimensions · Timber / material · Work agreed with owner · Agreed price · Due · Photos on arrival
Condition found and work done — one line per area: what was found, what was done
Table, 7 rows: Area · Condition found · Treatment or repair · Product / material used · Date · Hours · By
Return to owner
Write-on lines: Final finish applied · Photos on completion · Care advice given · Returned on / signed
Questions
Why does the sheet not suggest products or methods?
Because how far to restore a piece, and with what, is a judgement about the object and the owner's wishes, not something a form can decide. What the sheet insists on is that whatever was used is written down by name.
What if the owner wants less done than the piece needs?
Record the condition you found and the work actually agreed on the same line, so it is clear later what was left untouched and why.
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