Serdar Bayur is the proprietor of Serdar's Oriental Rugs, Art, China, and Porcelain Restoration, located at 905 Roswell Street in Marietta. His establishment repairs and cleans oriental rugs by hand, repairs porcelain, stained glass and Tiffany lamps, bronzes and antique picture frame repair and restorations.

Serdar originally came from Turkey in 1998 where he was a chemical engineer. He started restoring china first, then glass, and stained glass. He is now doing bronze restoration. He has letters of recommendation from companies and individuals in 7 states. He has 7 employees that he has trained extensively. Serdar does his own quality control.

He told us that there are 3 good sources to use to buy antiques. The first being antique shows, the second being flea markets, and the third being antique dealers. You can also find good antiques at thrift stores and flea markets if you have a good eye. I personally like thrift stores and estate sales that end in an absolute auction. If you doubt your abilities, this club is a great place to pick the brains of our "experts". There are many members who are dealers and love to share their knowledge and experiences. Our monthly programs as well as "brags and what-is-its" are excellent examples of learning about more collections and examples of what is collectible.

Serdar gave us tips on how to restore china. First you clean the pieces using hot water and soap. You can also use acetone to clean pieces. Masking tape is essential in fixing all pieces. Reconstruct using masking tape on both sides. Then untape the top, glue it on one side only with industrial glue or Crazy Glue and retape. Let dry overnight on a totally flat table then remove the masking tape. Trim any excess glue with a single edge razor blade. Serdar told us that industrial glue and Crazy Glue are the same formula. I take his word for this since he is a chemical engineer.

He advises to use a razor blade and Crazy Glue to fill in pottery cracks. He uses modeling clay to fill in the missing pieces of pottery, china, or porcelain. You can use colored epoxy for a more professional finish. Dealers need restorations to be 100% for resale. You can use dishes or vases that have been restored. If you want to use the item after restoration, be sure to tell the restorer before hand, so you don't poison anyone by accident. It makes a difference in what is used during the restoration whether the item can be used for food or not.

Serdar and his employees can totally restore a piece of furniture using only one original piece of wood, restoring with other types of wood.