Congressional Furniture Restoration

Here at CORT, we appreciate all the ways furniture improves our lives. This blog focuses on the various services and modern products we offer to make your life easier during transitions. We provide exceptional rental and clearance furniture, plus a wealth of related services to business owners, relocated employees and home sellers, to name a few.

Furniture is what makes any housing scenario, even the most temporary, feel like home. We want to show our appreciation by sharing interesting news coverage in our furniture rental blog. This week, our story focuses on some truly revered pieces of historic American furniture.

Lawrence, Wisconsin furniture restoration specialist William Robillard is currently working with a crew to restore government furniture in the U.S. House of Representatives. The goal of this two-month project to keep these pieces of American history looking top-notch through the years. He recently spent a day working on the desk of House Speaker John Boehner. “The margin for error is approaching zero,” Robillard told The Post-Crescent, a Wisconsin newspaper. “There’s an expectation that the work you are doing is of the highest level.”

The team is working busily in the lower level of the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. The tasks include repairing long scratches in various furniture peices, and re-creating moldings or missing elements. In some cases, bookcases and desks need more thorough refurbishing. Robillard is making use of the skills he hones daily in his Lawrence workshop. Here at the furniture rental blog, we appreciate his passion and interest in furniture.

“Restorers take historical work and bring it back,” he said. “It’s part history, part chemistry, part woodworking and part art.” Robillard landed this stint at the House through connections, educational sessions and interactions with key industry professionals. It’s a unique opportunity to learn new techniques and work with beautifully crafted furniture that has historical impact. Check back next week for more stories on the furniture rental blog.