MAN ENJOYS CHALLENGE OF RESTORATION

Whenever somebody walks through his front door carrying a tattered piece of furniture, Gary Bunting knows he's about to hear a story. The stories are usually about the same, but each one is an explanation of why that particular item has sentimental value and the owner wants it restored.

"You can almost see it when they come through the door; if something is all beat up you can almost tell a story is coming," said Bunting. "~`Can you save it?' is often the question."

When he inquires why the person wants to save the item, he hears a story about why it is special.

For 18 years, Bunting has operated the "Knock on Wood" shop at 435 North Main in Cape Girardeau, where he specializes in stripping, refinishing, and repairing furniture.

Most of the items he restores are antiques, and many are things that have been sitting around in barns or basements for years, only to be discovered by a family member.

"There are memories involved in grandmas rocking chair, the chair they rocked their children in, or the kitchen table they did their homework on," observed Bunting. "There is a lot involved, and there is something different all the time."

In the case of family heirlooms, cost is normally not a consideration; the owner simply wants the item to look as close to the way it once did as possible.

And, even if there is no sentimental value, refinishing an antique piece of furniture is a good investment because the value goes up.

Although most people are usually quite happy with his work, Bunting admits he is used to being scrutinized very closely.

He tries to explain to customers what can and cannot be done with an item before he starts. Bunting also tries to use authentic parts where possible and the same kind of wood that was used originally.

"There are very few people disappointed," said Bunting. "If something is beyond repair I don't waste my time or their money. Sometimes they want to do it any way because it is sentimental.

"Generally, they get it back better than they found it. I point out the repairs that were made and the parts that were ordered and replaced," Bunting explained. "I try to use as many old parts as I can; generally they are surprised that it turns out as good as it does for what they bring in here."

During his 18 years in business, Bunting has restored a wide variety of items, with great historic as well as sentimental value.

Once he restored a rocking chair that had sat on the front porch of a house in Cape County. The family had a photograph of Harry Truman sitting in the rocking chair during the 1950s.

Probably the most valuable piece he restored was a commemorative secretary desk that was built just after the Revolutionary War. The desk contained 13 panes of glass and doors, and only a small number of the desks were made.

Bunting said he had no idea how many such desks still existed, but noted, "it was priceless." This particular desk had been brought from Virginia in a covered wagon and had been in a farm house in Kentucky for 100 years.

"When I took those hinges off the doors, I realized they had not been taken off in 200 years," recalled Bunting.

As he took the desk apart, Bunting found a medallion commemorating a congressman serving in 1824.

"I enjoyed doing that project, but I was glad to see that go," said Bunting, who worked on the piece for nine months.

Another time, he was asked to restore an antique wooden leg.

Not all of Bunting's work is on antiques. Recently, he started selling unfinished furniture to help customers in matching sets of furniture they purchased years ago.

Bunting also feels that people are getting tired of formicas, plastics, and particle board and looking more to have wooden furniture restored. "I'm in the furniture recycling business," he noted. "Rather than ditching it, it gets recycled down here. Many times they can see it is a lot less expensive to get a piece restored than to buy a new piece."

Asked why his profession is restoring furniture, Bunting is quick with his reply. "I have a love of history and a love of working with wood; seeing something that could be thrown away made functional again means a lot to me."

Bunting first became involved in restoration after he got out of school and found that he could not afford new furniture. He bought some older items and made them look like new.

His work is often tedious, and Bunting points out he is careful in deciding what kind of parts and stains to use in order to make sure the finished product will be top quality.

Upon completion of some projects, he likes to let it sit around for a week just to see if there is anything else to do.

"I really like the challenge of this work; to see something that you wouldn't think could be restored and to take it from start to finish and make it functional again," said Bunting. "For everything that comes through that door I have to figure out how to make it work and decide what did they use back then. It is challenging.

"I don't think of myself as having a lot of patience, but I guess I really do."

Part of his success in restoration is having the right equipment to get the job done, and learning from previous jobs. "If something is not done right, it can lose its value or become worthless," said Bunting. "You really have to know what you are doing."

Even though his job is full of challenges, Bunting has a special sense of satisfaction that makes it all worthwhile when customers come in and show approval for what he has done with a piece of furniture that has sentimental value.

"I enjoy listening to the people and hearing all the stories," said Bunting. "I know my customers and have a lot of one-to one with people. I do what I do because I love what I do, and take a lot of pride in it."