Howard's Second Generation
Wood restoration experts since 1975
A Bit About Us
Today owned and managed by Umar Ahmed, Howard’s was originally founded in JuIy 1951, by Oakville born Charles Franklin Howard. He established a cabinetmaking and refinishing business on Pine Avenue called Howard’s for Finer Woodworkers. Two years later, he moved to newly built quarters on Shepherd Avenue in order to accommodate the ever growing clientele and demand for fine furniture refinishing.
In the tradition of his father, Richard Howard re-established the family business in custom restoration and repair, under the name of Howard’s Second Generation.
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On Sept 2, 1975, Howard’s Second Generation initiated its operations at 620 Fourth Line. A year later, the No Dip furniture stripping outlet was incorporated with the repair and restoration operation to offer a complete furniture service to the Oakville area.
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In 2016, Umar Ahmed left his career on Bay st and apprenticed with Rick Howard to learn the trade. At the end of that year, Rick retired and Umar took over. Umar continued his apprenticeship with Lee Gazley, who’d been with Rick for 33 years, and continued learning the trade until Lee retired in July 2017.
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In July 2017, a fire destroyed most of the shop. After a long, futile battle with insurance, Umar restarted the business out of his garage in 2018. Staying true to the principles that Rick and Lee taught him, the shop grew, and he moved into the current space at 1244 Speers Rd.
Antique Restoration
Our expert staff can restore any piece, and will take care to go over each piece inch by inch restoring your antiques back to their original glory.
Furniture Refinishing & Repair
Have a tired, and dated piece that needs an update? We can give your old furniture new life. Our staff can go over styles and finishes, repairs, and swatches with you to help you find the look that you're going for.
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Upcycle Your Furniture
We use Annie Sloan Paints to give your pieces that shabby chic, distressed or rustic look. We can even use Benjamin Moore Advanced Paint to give them a more clean, modern look.
Pedestal desk with extensive veneer missing and damaged. Water damage on top, ink stains, and loose pieces.
Stripped down and cleaned thoroughly. Missing veneer replaced. Loose veneer fixed. Pulls polished. Loose pieces glued and clamped back together. Entire piece thoroughly sanded and re-stained in a walnut stain and sealed with a urethane for protection.
Pecan table with water marks and scratches
Scratches and water marks removed, sanded flat, stained a dark espresso and sealed with a urethane.
Oak washtable with scratches, warped boards, water marks, black rings, and extensive water damage.
Scratches, water marks, and black rings have been removed through stripping. Boards have been flattened and fit together tightly. Handles have been polished. All of it re-stained in a cherry-oak and sealed with urethane.
Outdoor bench with sun damage and loose nails.
Thoroughly cleaned and sanded flat, then sprayed with a British Racing Green paint and sealed with a urethane.
Bare red mahogany door.
Sanded and stained in a custom grey. Then sealed with an exterior grade urethane.
Faded small pedestal desk with some water marks on top.
Stripped down to re-glue veneer. Sanded and stained in a dark metallic ebony and sealed with a hand rubbed oil finish.
Muskoka chair with faded colors and sun damage.
Cleaned, sanded, and sprayed in a firetruck red. Sealed with a urethane for protection.
Singer sewing cabinet from the '20s with broken doors and handles, water damage at the back and bottom, and rings on top.
Handles and doors have been repaired. Moldy wood on base removed and replaced. Sanded flat and smooth and refinished in its original oak stain. Protected with a urethane. Metal components polished and cleaned.
Faded oak table top with water damage.
Stripped, sanded flat, and water marks removed. Stained in a dull white wash and sealed with a urethane for protection.
Small chest of drawers that had been left in garage and was loose, had tight drawers, and gotten dull.
Stripped down and sanded and cleaned. Drawers sanded to ensure they moved correctly. Sprayed in a cottage white paint.
“I have had many pieces restored by Howard’s and they have all been exceptional. Even after their recent fire, their quality was not comprised.
Recently I had an old scratched French provincial desk done with lots of fine detail on the drawers. It was done really tastefully with a bit of a modern twist. Excellent. Also an old corner China cabinet was revitalized to a beautiful deep indigo. Quality work, and done in a timely manner. I would highly recommend Howard’s" - Jane R
"My mother in law had a coffee table that was over 30 years old and in rough shape. We took it Howard's and him and the apprentice worked on it and it came back beautiful like the first day it was bought. My mother in law was amazed to see the table come back to life in the rich cherry mahogany color it was made in. The work was outstanding and really worth waiting for!" - JP
"We contacted Rick to get an estimate of stripping the old white finish off of my old wood baby dresser (1968) and update it to a more modern look and match our son's current bedroom furniture.
We gave Rick one of the drawers to see how easy it would be to remove the current finish, and then Rick even suggested that we cold do the staining ourselves. However, the price from Rick was excellent and we asked them to do the whole project (strip, sand, and stain to match).
The final product is amazing. It's hard to believe the transformation from old to new. Our son loves his "new" dresser, and we love the fact that it was "Daddy's" before. Thanks Rick!" - D&P
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We Want to Hear From You
When you're in need of a dependable Restoration Service, don’t hesitate. Contact Howard's Second Generation today.