Wood Refinishing in the Central West End
Pre-1900 architecture, pocket doors, original millwork, and 100+ years of finish that needs to come off. Sue Wheeler has been working here for her entire 36-year career.
The Central West End is one of St. Louis's oldest and most architecturally intact neighborhoods. Most of the homes here were built between 1880 and 1920 — a period when builders used old-growth oak, chestnut, walnut, and fir as a matter of course. That wood is denser, tighter-grained, and harder than anything available new today.
It also has 100 to 140 years of finish on it. Some of those layers are lead paint. Some are shellac. Some are decades of wax and dirt over a finish that should have been stripped a generation ago. That's what we do.
Sue Wheeler has been working in the Central West End for her entire career. She knows the pocket doors hidden in the walls of these houses, the back staircases that servants once used, the butler's pantry built-ins that survived three kitchen renovations. She's seen most of it.
What We Do Most Often in the Central West End
CWE homes are full-service architectural woodwork jobs. Rarely is it just one door or one piece. More often it's a staircase that needs the treads, spindles, newel post, and railing done together — or a set of pocket doors on every floor, or a dining room with a built-in hutch and picture rail and wainscoting that all need to match.
Pocket door refinishing
CWE row houses and single-family homes were built with pocket doors as a standard feature. Most are original fir or oak, still in good condition under failed finish. We remove, hand-strip, refinish in our shop, and reinstall. The hardware stays intact.
Staircase refinishing
The grand staircases in CWE homes are statement pieces. Treads, risers, turned spindles, carved newel posts, continuous railings. All of it done by hand — dipping would destroy the glue joints in the spindles and raise the grain across the treads.
Built-ins and millwork
Dining room hutches, library bookcases, butler's pantry built-ins, picture rails, wainscoting, crown molding. These pieces came with the house. They can't be matched with new materials — not in species, not in density, not in profile. We restore them.
Every job begins with a free estimate. Sue assesses the wood in person, identifies what's under the current finish, notes any repairs or EPA-required lead abatement, and gives you a direct answer on what it will take.
Historic District & EPA Requirements
The Central West End is a Certified Local Historic District. Homes here qualify for historic preservation review, and Sue's hand-strip method is compliant with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
If you own a home in the Central West End and are planning a significant restoration, call before you start. The timing of when work is completed matters for which tax year the credit applies.
EPA note: The vast majority of homes in the Central West End predate 1978 — most predate 1940. EPA RRP regulations require a Certified Lead Removal for any refinishing work that disturbs lead paint. Sue Wheeler is EPA Certified. Her process includes proper containment, HEPA vacuuming, and documentation — protecting your family and keeping your project compliant.
From a Central West End Client
"We bought a 1905 house on Westminster and the staircase was in rough shape — painted over, spindles chipping, the newel post completely matte. Sue stripped everything by hand, matched the stain to the original fir floors, and refinished the entire staircase. It looks like it did when the house was new."
— Homeowner, Westminster Place, Central West End
Get a Free Estimate for Your Central West End Home
Sue Wheeler answers every call personally: (314) 367-6054
She's been refinishing woodwork in the Central West End for over 36 years. She knows these houses. She'll tell you what's under the current finish, what it's worth saving, and what it will cost to do it right.
Request a Free Estimate →EPA Certified Lead Removal. Est. 1989. St. Louis Magazine — "Perfect Finish."
Ready to talk about your wood?
Free estimates. No obligation. Sue answers every call personally.