Advice please: Grandmother's Victorian china cabinet damaged in move!

When I first met hubby, he was working for a major moving company, and eventually was the warehouse manager.

He says your piece probably weighs in the neighborhood of 250 -300 pounds complete with shelves.

However, and this is BIG however. Tell them 500 pounds. He says based on what you are saying and asking, your coverage may be based on weight. So they are going to pay you by the pound, which may not cover the cost of the glass.

Hopefully, you took out extra insurance and the fact that they want the cost of repair and value of the item, is a good sign.

He also says to find a reputable antique repairer and get a written estimate for the repair.

 

I forgot to say that, hubby was guesstimating weight based on a 5 foot high by 40 inch width cabinet.

 

I agree, acrylic (a.k.a. Plexiglass) shatters easily, is difficult to cut and discolors quickly, if you want to replace the glass with a plastic polycarbonate (a.k.a. Lexan) would be the preferred and only choice IMO, cuts easily, will not shatter, is tough, and will not discolor easily, bends easily, difficult to tell the difference from real glass without touch, but it is expensive, but a less expensive alternative.

 

I would think the expensive part of the process will be the labor. I would talk to you local museums and high-end antique dealers and find out who they use for repairs. You want someone who knows what they are doing, I have seen too much badly repaired antique funiture... properly repaired, it will last much longer than you or I will.