Do I need a license to be a antique restoration specialist?

Requirements vary by state. Most states require some form of business license. Some trades require specific certifications or permits. Biz Wiz ($19.99) researches your specific state's requirements and builds them into your plan.

How much do antique restoration specialists make?

The median income for antique restoration specialists is $55,000/year. Top earners in busy markets make significantly more. Your income depends on pricing, volume, and keeping overhead low — which is why owning your tools instead of renting them matters.

How to Start a Antique restoration specialist Business in 2026

Q: How much does it cost to start a antique restoration specialist business?

Startup costs for a antique restoration specialist business typically range from $500 to $5,000 depending on equipment and licensing. The biggest ongoing cost is software subscriptions ($100-200/month). Nexa eliminates that with a $279 one-time purchase.

Quick Answer: Starting a antique restoration specialist business costs $500-5,000 in startup costs. You need proper licensing for your state, the right equipment (hide glue pot and veneer hammer and more), and business tools (invoicing, scheduling, CRM). The median antique restoration specialist earns $55,000/year. Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds a personalized plan with your state's exact requirements. Nexa ($279 once or $99×3) replaces all the software subscriptions.

Bottom Line

Starting a antique restoration specialist business takes $500-5,000 in startup costs, proper licensing for your state, and business tools (invoicing, scheduling, CRM, bookkeeping). The median antique restoration specialist earns $55,000/year. Most new antique restoration specialists make the mistake of renting $100-200/month in software subscriptions from day one — that is $1,200-2,400/year before you have a single client. Nexa is $279 once for all of it. Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds you a personalized plan with your state's exact licensing requirements, pricing research for your area, and a 90-day action checklist.

The Steps

Figure Out the Legal Stuff

Every state is different. You may need a business license, trade-specific license, insurance, or permits. Don't skip this — getting caught without proper licensing can cost more than the license itself. Check your state's requirements →

Set Your Pricing

Research what antique restoration specialists charge in your area. Don't underprice to "get started" — you'll burn out. Price for profit from day one. Most antique restoration specialists charge based on job size, complexity, or hourly rate.

Get Your Equipment

You need: hide glue pot and veneer hammer, shellac and French-polishing pads, hand planes and cabinet scrapers, period-correct hardware and reproduction veneer stock, steam box and clamps, fine chisels and marquetry knife. Buy quality — you'll use these every day. This is a real investment, not a subscription you're renting. Own your tools from the start.

Set Up Your Business Tools

You need invoicing, scheduling, client tracking, and bookkeeping. Most antique restoration specialists pay $100-200/month renting these from 3-4 different companies. Or you can get Nexa — all of it for $279 once. You own it. See what the subscriptions really cost →

Find Your First 5 Clients

Start with people you know. Post on Nextdoor. Join local Facebook groups. Tell everyone what you do. Your first 5 clients become your first 5 reviews — and reviews are everything in this business.

Build Your Rhythm

Set a weekly schedule: when you work, when you do admin, when you market. Track your hours. Send invoices same day. Review your finances monthly. The antique restoration specialists who build a rhythm survive. The ones who wing it don't.

A Day in the Life of a Antique restoration specialist

Antique restoration is the opposite of fast trades — the first decision on any piece is how little to do. A client brings in a Victorian chest or a Federal card table, and before any tool comes out you're deciding whether this is a museum-grade conservation where you preserve every bit of original surface, or a working restoration where the owner wants to use it. Strip the wrong finish and you can wipe out a century of patina and a chunk of the value in an afternoon, so the reversible methods are the rule: hide glue, not modern adhesives, because the next restorer in fifty years has to be able to undo your work. A lifting veneer gets relaid with the heated veneer hammer and hide glue; a missing chunk gets patched with period-correct stock you may have to hunt down from a specialist or saw from a salvaged piece, grain and figure matched. Finish work is French polishing — building shellac in countless thin pads over days, never to be hurried, feeding patience into a surface that finally glows the way no spray gun can. Loose joints come apart, the old glue is cleaned, and they're re-fit with the same techniques the original maker used. The hardest conversations are about money and worth: people watch the TV shows and assume Grandma's dresser is a treasure, and a real restoration often costs more than the piece is worth, which you have to say plainly before you start.

Sound familiar? That's what happens when your tools don't talk to each other. Nexa connects everything — log a job, invoice from it, track the payment, update your books. One app. $279 once.

The Real Problems Antique Restoration Specialists Deal With

Balancing 'restore' against 'preserve' — over-restoring strips the original patina and destroys an antique's value
Sourcing period-correct veneer, hardware, and finishes for pieces a century or more old that nobody stocks anymore
Customers who think a piece is worth a fortune and won't accept that a proper restoration costs more than the item
Slow, irreversible hand processes — French polish and hide-glue work that can't be rushed without ruining the piece

Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds a plan around YOUR specific problems — not generic business advice.

Finally Start Your Antique restoration specialist Business

$19.99

Everything you need to go from idea to open:

✓Antique restoration specialist-specific business plan

✓Startup checklist (licenses, insurance)

✓90-day back office access

✓Tool budget calculator

✓Weekly guidance emails

✓Upgrade path when ready

Get Your Antique restoration specialist Business Plan

✓ 30-day money-back guarantee

"I spent $19.99 on Biz Wiz and got a plan that told me exactly what licenses I needed, what to charge, and what to do first. I launched the next week."

— Small business owner, Biz Wiz customer

The Hidden Cost Nobody Mentions

Everyone talks about equipment costs. Nobody talks about the software tax.

Most antique restoration specialists end up paying $100-200/month for business software — invoicing, scheduling, bookkeeping, client management. That's $1,200-2,400/year. Over 5 years with price increases: $8,000-15,000. For tools you don't even own.

Nexa: $279. Once. Invoicing, scheduling, CRM, task management, and full QuickBooks-style accounting. You own it like you own your hide glue pot and veneer hammer.

FAQ

How much does it cost to start a antique restoration specialist business?

Depends on equipment and licensing. Typically $500-5,000 to start. The biggest ongoing cost is software subscriptions ($100-200/month) — which Nexa eliminates with a $279 one-time purchase.

Do I need a license?

Varies by state. Biz Wiz ($19.99) researches your specific state's requirements and includes them in your personalized plan.

How do I find clients?

Start local: Nextdoor, Facebook groups, word of mouth. Get 5 clients, get 5 reviews. Reviews compound. Your plan from Biz Wiz includes a marketing strategy tuned to your area.

Can I do this part-time?

Yes. Many antique restoration specialists start on weekends or evenings. The key is setting a rhythm you can sustain while keeping a day job.

How to Start a Antique restoration specialist Business