Photos by Brandon Sullivan On-site in his mobile workshop, Dennis Baker adds a crackle finish to a drawer.

When furniture restorer Dennis Baker is asked what his wife says of his collection of literally thousands of tools, he laughingly remarks: “The same thing she says about my hot rod. ‘What do you need that for?’” In fact, without his tools, the craftsman would feel lost. “I wouldn’t be able to fix things, and that is what I like to do—take broken things and give them new life,” he explains.
 
Baker has always enjoyed working with his hands and recalls studying restoration at his grandfather’s antiques shop at the age of 16. “I learned from my grandpa to do the job right,” he says. After working for years with the shop’s finishers, he was employed by a fire- and water-damage restoration firm. As a side gig, Baker offered repairs and miscellaneous handyman assistance to a loyal customer base. Earlier this year, the 35-year-old decided to turn this pastime into a full-time job and established his own business, My Grain Restoration.
 
In terms of scope, the company’s name indicates only the tip of the iceberg. In addition to working magic with wood, Baker says he fixes broken porcelain figurines, mends tears on paintings, refurbishes metal stoves, builds mantels and more. As long as tools are involved, it seems no task is too big or too small for this expert.

Top: Here, the furniture restorer uses a pocket knife to repair an inlay on an antique armchair. Middle: Baker places warped wood in a soaking bath to make it more pliable. Bottom: A new piece of wood was added to a vintage table so that it can be converted to a kitchen island.

Mostly, though, the Black Canyon City, Ariz., resident tackles custom alterations, repairs, refinishing and touchups of antique wood furnishings. “I like challenges,” he relates, noting that he prefers attempting complicated alterations to refinishing kitchen cabinetry and front doors, as those types of projects have become “repetitive.” However, one of Baker’s cabinetry jobs was anything but ordinary—it was when he got a call about a dead skunk trapped in the wall behind the shelving in a multimillion-dollar house. The craftsman ripped apart the cabinets to get the stinky animal out and then repaired the resulting damage. A less bizarre—yet more demanding—assignment involved installing swivel lifts with two 52-inch plasma screen TVs into an antique armoire.
 
When it comes to inspiration, Baker says customers provide input, but his gut instinct also comes into play. “The piece usually tells me what it wants,” he comments. His clients include homeowners and antique furniture showrooms, as well as builders and interior designers. “He’s very, very good at restoration,” offers interior designer Teresa DeLellis. She has called on Baker for numerous tasks, from finishing of furniture to repair of crystal, vases, metal pieces and antique pottery. “He really can work in all the mediums,” she adds. Alexandra Crowe of Showcase at the Peak, an antiques shop, has used his services for almost 10 years, and says he is the go-to guy for restoration of damaged wares that arrive at the store from overseas.

Because he spends most of his time in the field completing on-site repairs all over Arizona, Baker prefers to have his prized collection of tools close at hand. Proving that he’s a man’s man, he went ahead and traded in his tool belt for something with more capacity. With a grin on his face and eyes lit up, the artisan reveals: “My toolbox is a 22-foot trailer.” 












A NEW TWIST
Dennis Baker makes alterations to a variety of antiques and other pieces. Here are his suggestions for repurposing them:
• Turn an armoire into a wet bar or an entertainment center.
• Install a mechanical lift into a sideboard to raise a TV.
• Raise or lower a table or desk to achieve a desired height. For example, transform a dining room table into a coffee table.
• Convert an antique piece, such as a console or dresser, into a vanity for a sink.
• Alter antique doors to make a rustic entry gate.
• Use an old door as a headboard or tabletop.