Commercial • Public Works • Historic Preservation
Olek Inc. provides commercial furniture restoration, architectural wood repair and historic millwork preservation for courthouses, churches, universities, museums, transportation facilities and landmark properties. Since 1950, Olek has combined traditional joinery, material matching and careful documentation with the project controls required for active public and institutional spaces.
Restoration For Active & Historic Places
Olek works with architects, conservators, facility managers, general contractors, construction managers, owner’s representatives and preservation teams to restore furniture and architectural wood elements without erasing the age, character or historic evidence that makes them significant. Scope can range from a single conference table or pew to building-wide millwork and public-works preservation packages.
Olek restored conference-room and lobby furnishings for the United Nations General Assembly environment, where finish consistency, discreet execution and dependable coordination are essential in high-profile institutional interiors.
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Olek has supported National Park Service historic-property work involving restoration of historic wood components at Glenmont Mansion, a project type that demands documentation, material compatibility and preservation-sensitive repair methods.
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Olek’s landmark religious-property work includes restoration of historic wood and wrought-iron exterior doors at Riverside Church, requiring close attention to original construction, durable repair and the visual continuity of the surrounding architecture.
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Historic architectural woodwork and cornice preservation call for repair strategies that retain original fabric, match adjacent profiles and finishes, and leave new work visually integrated with the historic context.
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Repairs are planned to retain sound historic material, original joinery and the surface character that gives an object or interior its age and authenticity.
For preservation projects, Olek can map repair locations and develop shop drawings or repair details for review by architects, conservators and owner’s representatives before work proceeds.
New wood, veneers, carvings and finishes are selected and worked to integrate with adjacent historic material rather than read as a visibly new patch.
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Olek restores wall paneling, wainscot, doors, mantels, moldings, columns and other architectural woodwork using traditional joinery, finish matching, hand carving and profile replication. Repairs are intended to read as part of the original installation—not as obvious patches.
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Structural repair, refinishing and conservation are available for executive desks, boardroom and conference tables, library reading tables, chairs, sofas, reception furnishings and other high-use commercial pieces. Work can be scheduled around active facilities and coordinated for phased interiors.
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Pews, benches and fixed seating can be repaired, rebuilt and refinished while preserving the original design and joinery. Olek’s approach favors proper wood joinery and structural rebuilding rather than quick visible fixes with added nails or screws.
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Judge’s benches, railings, courtroom paneling, built-up moldings, dentils and carved details can be repaired or recreated to match existing historic work. Hand carving allows missing sculptural and ornamental details to be recreated in the visual language of the original work.
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For preservation-sensitive wood repair, Olek favors sound wood-to-wood Dutchman inlays rather than cosmetic epoxy filler patches. Salvaged or carefully matched wood can be fitted into deteriorated areas so the repair becomes structurally integrated, finish-compatible, durable and maintainable as part of the historic assembly.
Why Olek
Historic restoration is not simply refinishing. It requires judgment about what to retain, what to repair, how to document intervention and how to make new material live comfortably beside old. Olek combines preservation craft with the staffing, shop capacity, logistics and project management needed for active commercial and public environments. Projects requiring new replicated components can also draw on Olek’s commercial fabrication capabilities , while upholstery-heavy scopes can be coordinated with commercial reupholstery services .
Craftsmanship since 1950
20,000 sq. ft. New Jersey facility
HUBZone Certified Small Business
Project management, site supervision & nationwide coordination
Public Works & Historic Preservation
Olek works collaboratively with preservation architects, conservators, owner’s representatives, construction managers and general contractors so repair scope can be reviewed before intervention. For qualifying projects, repair mapping and shop drawings can identify individual Dutchman inlays and other repairs for approval . Olek’s published capabilities state that its landmark restoration work follows the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation . The company is a HUBZone Certified Small Business , maintains a 20,000 sq. ft. facility in Orange, New Jersey, and supports government contracts and subcontracting opportunities. Bid, payment and performance bonding may be available for qualifying projects; specific requirements should be confirmed during bid review.
Preservation Materials & Methods
Where deteriorated wood must be replaced, carefully fitted Dutchman inlays create a wood-to-wood repair that can be shaped, finished and maintained as part of the original assembly. For historic preservation work, Olek favors this approach over using epoxy filler as a substitute for sound wood repair.
Olek reports maintaining an extensive legacy veneer inventory—approximately 10,000 sq. ft. accumulated over decades—to help match wide flitches, uncommon figure and species that may be difficult to source through today’s market. Material selection is coordinated to preserve visual continuity and comply with current sourcing restrictions.
Mortise-and-tenon and other period-appropriate joinery, hand carving, molding replication, finish matching and controlled patina work allow repairs and new adjacent millwork to integrate with historic surroundings without looking artificially new.
1950
Established
20,000
Sq. Ft. Facility
25+
Full-Time Craftsmen
U.S.
Project Support
Selected Institutional & Historic Restoration Experience
United Nations — Conference & Lobby Furniture
Institutional furniture
New York, NY
Glenmont Mansion — Historic Wood Components
National Park Service
West Orange, NJ
Riverside Church — Historic Wood Doors & Architectural Elements
Religious landmark
New York, NY
Grand Central Terminal — Gates & Destination Sign Cabinets
Historic metalwork
New York, NY
From Condition Assessment To Closeout
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Olek reviews photographs, drawings, specifications, finish requirements, historic documentation and field conditions with the project team to identify deterioration, constraints and priorities.
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For preservation work, proposed repairs can be documented in shop drawings, repair maps, mockups or finish samples so architects, conservators and owner’s representatives can review the approach before intervention.
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Cabinetmakers, finishers, carvers and restoration craftsmen stabilize, repair, reproduce and refinish the work using project-appropriate joinery, veneers, solid wood, carving and finish systems.
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Olek coordinates pickup, freight, phased site work and installation around facility schedules, then completes punch-list and closeout requirements with dedicated project management and site supervision as needed.
Serving Commercial Projects Beyond The Tri-State Area
Olek’s New Jersey facility supports commercial furniture restoration and architectural wood repair for projects well beyond the New York metropolitan area. Depending on scope, furniture and removable components can be transported to the shop for controlled restoration, while built-in millwork, fixed seating and phased public work can be coordinated on site. Olek can arrange project-specific pickup, freight, delivery, reinstallation and multi-phase scheduling; Olek-truck pickup is available for qualifying work across much of the Eastern U.S., with national logistics coordinated as required.
Yes. Olek works with preservation architects, conservators, general contractors, construction managers and owner’s representatives from project drawings, specifications and field conditions. For preservation scopes, repair mapping, shop drawings, mockups and finish samples can be developed for review before work proceeds.
For preservation-sensitive wood repair, Olek favors properly fitted wood-to-wood Dutchman inlays and other traditional repairs that replace unsound material with compatible wood. This allows the repair to be shaped, joined, finished and maintained as part of the historic assembly rather than treated as a cosmetic surface patch.
Yes. Olek combines finish matching, veneer selection, carving and material sourcing to integrate repairs with surrounding historic work. The company also maintains a long-held inventory of legacy veneers that can help with difficult matches where comparable material is no longer readily available through normal suppliers.
Both approaches are possible depending on size, condition, facility constraints and project requirements. Pieces and components can be transported to Olek’s New Jersey facility, while larger built-in millwork, fixed seating and phased institutional work may require on-site coordination, removal, reinstallation or a combination of shop and field work.
Yes. Olek has experience with government entities, courthouses, transportation facilities, universities, religious institutions, museums and landmark properties. Olek is a HUBZone Certified Small Business and its published capabilities state compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation. Bonding availability for a specific project should be confirmed during bid review.
Send photographs, architectural drawings, specifications, finish schedules, dimensions, project location, your role, project stage, bid or proposal due date and any preservation requirements. Upload smaller files below; for larger drawing sets, include a Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or similar project-file link.
Start A Commercial Restoration Inquiry
Tell us what needs to be preserved, repaired or restored, where the project is located, and where you are in the design or bidding process. Upload photographs, specifications and drawings—or include a project-file link to a larger bid set—so Olek can review the condition, documentation requirements and likely restoration approach.