About Sixaxe
Furniture restoration and polishing, based on Palatine Road in Manchester. We work Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:30.
How it started
Sixaxe opened its doors in 2020, in a small workshop just off Palatine Road. The idea came from a simple observation: a lot of solid, well-made furniture in Manchester homes was being thrown out simply because a veneer had lifted, a leg had loosened, or a finish had gone dull with age. There was no shortage of flat-pack replacements, but very few local places offering to actually repair what people already owned.
The first two years were spent mostly on dining tables and wardrobes brought in by neighbours and word of mouth. By 2022 the workshop had grown into a proper team, and the range of work had widened to include upholstery frames, antique cabinets, and French polishing on pieces that had been in families for generations.
What we're trying to do
Our aim is straightforward: keep good furniture in use rather than in landfill. That means being honest about what can be fixed and what can't, rather than taking on every job just to fill the order book. A piece with structural rot in the frame usually isn't worth saving; a wobbly joint or a worn-through finish almost always is.
Long term, we want Sixaxe to be the workshop people in South Manchester think of first when something wooden breaks, scratches, or just stops looking right - not because we're the only option, but because the work holds up and the pricing is clear from the first quote.
What guides the work
- Straight answersWe tell you what a repair will involve and what it will cost before any work starts. If a job isn't worth doing, we say so.
- Matching the originalStains, waxes and polishes are chosen to match the existing finish as closely as possible, not to impose a house style on every piece.
- Working within three areasWe currently cover three districts around Manchester, which keeps travel times short and lets us schedule collections and deliveries reliably.
- Repeat trust142 of our clients have come back for a second piece. We take that as a better measure of the work than anything we could write here.
How a typical job runs
1. You get in touch
Send details and, if possible, a photo of the piece. We reply within about 2 hours during working hours with an initial view on whether it's repairable.
2. Assessment
For most jobs we need to see the piece in person, either at the workshop or on site, to check joints, veneer condition and the type of existing finish before quoting a fixed price.
3. Restoration work
Depending on the job, this covers structural repair, stripping old finish, staining, and hand-applied polish or lacquer. Timelines are agreed upfront and confirmed once work begins.
4. Collection or delivery
Finished pieces are checked over, then returned to you at an agreed time. We also point out anything worth keeping an eye on going forward, such as sun exposure or humidity.
Six years, six services
Since 2020 the business has settled around six core services: structural repair, French polishing, stripping and refinishing, upholstery frame repair, antique restoration, and colour matching for damaged sections. Each one draws on the same small set of hand tools and traditional techniques rather than mass-production methods, which is part of why turnaround times are longer than a furniture shop's repair counter - but the result tends to last considerably longer too.
If you're wondering whether something in your home is worth restoring, the easiest way to find out is to ask. You can read more about how quotes work on our FAQ page or get in touch directly.
Have a piece that needs attention?
Tell us about it and we'll get back to you within about 2 hours during working hours.
Contact Sixaxe