The terms you agree to when you use the Cast Iron Restoration website. They are written to be readable, not to trip you up: this site is here to inform you and to help you request a free quote.

Welcome to the Cast Iron Restoration website at castironrestoration.com. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of this website and the information and forms it provides. By accessing or using the site, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the site. We have kept these Terms as plain as we can, because we would rather you actually read them.

What this website is

This website provides information about vintage cast iron cookware restoration for homeowners across the United States, from a bench in southern Vermont, and a way to request a free, no-obligation quote or to contact us with questions. The content here, including descriptions of services, general guidance, and pricing explanations, is provided for general informational purposes. It is not a binding offer, a professional recommendation for your specific property, or a guarantee of any particular result. Every situation is different, which is why a real, firm recommendation and price come only after we assess your specific needs.

Quotes, estimates, and agreements

Requesting a quote through this site does not create a contract, and neither does our response to that request. Any ranges or general figures on this site are illustrative, not a quoted price. A binding price and scope of work exist only in a written quote we provide after assessing your property, and work proceeds only once you and we agree to it in writing. We reserve the right to decline any request, and to correct errors in pricing or information. Nothing on this site should be relied upon as a promise that a specific service, price, availability, rebate, or tax credit will apply to you; eligibility for any discount, program, or availability in particular depends on your circumstances and on factors we do not control.

Using the site properly

You agree to use this site only for lawful purposes and in a way that does not harm the site or interfere with anyone else's use of it. You agree not to attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the site or its systems, not to submit false or misleading information through our forms, not to use the site to transmit spam or malicious code, and not to scrape, copy, or reuse our content except as ordinary personal reference. Our contact and quote forms are for genuine inquiries from prospective and current customers.

Intellectual property

The content on this site, including text, layout, graphics, and logos, is owned by Cast Iron Restoration or used with permission, and is protected by intellectual property laws. You may view and print pages for your own personal, non-commercial use in evaluating our services. You may not otherwise copy, republish, or use our content for commercial purposes without our written permission. Any third-party names or trademarks referenced on the site belong to their respective owners and are used only for description.

Third-party links and brands

This site may link to third-party websites, such as review platforms or mapping services, for your convenience. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content, policies, or practices. A link is not an endorsement, and your use of any third-party site is governed by that site's own terms. References to any third-party names do not imply they endorse or are affiliated with us unless we say so explicitly.

Disclaimers

The website and its content are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, to the fullest extent permitted by law. While we work to keep the information here accurate and current, we do not warrant that it is complete, error-free, or continuously available, and we may change or update it at any time without notice. General guidance on the site is not a substitute for a professional assessment of your specific home. This disclaimer applies to the website only; the workmanship warranty on services we actually perform for you is a separate matter, set out in your written agreement with us.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Cast Iron Restoration will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or related to your use of, or inability to use, this website or the information on it. This limitation concerns the website itself and your reliance on its general content; it does not limit any rights or remedies you may have under a signed service agreement for work we perform, or any liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

Reviews and submissions

If you submit a review, testimonial, comment, or other content to us or about us, you confirm it is your own honest opinion and does not violate anyone else's rights. You grant us permission to display genuine reviews you provide, along with the first name and general location you share, in connection with our business. We do not fabricate reviews, and we do not post fake testimonials; anything shown as a customer review reflects a real customer. If you would like a review you gave us removed, contact us and we will honor the request.

Electronic communications

When you use this site or send us information through it, you consent to receive communications from us electronically, such as email replies or appointment confirmations, and you agree that these electronic communications satisfy any legal requirement that a communication be in writing. This does not obligate you to receive marketing messages, which are covered separately.

Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to hold Cast Iron Restoration harmless from claims arising out of your misuse of this website or your violation of these Terms. This provision concerns misuse of the website and is separate from, and does not affect, the ordinary consumer protections and obligations that apply to any actual service work we perform for you under a signed agreement.

Scheduling, access and cancellations

Work is scheduled in windows rather than to the minute, because jobs before yours occasionally take longer than expected and weather moves outdoor work. If we are going to miss a window we will tell you as soon as we know rather than leaving you waiting. We ask that you give us safe access to the area being worked on, that pets are kept inside while we are on site, and that anything fragile is moved clear beforehand. If we cannot safely reach the work when we arrive, we may have to reschedule. If you need to cancel or move an appointment, let us know as early as you reasonably can so the slot can go to someone else.

Photographs of completed work

We photograph work in progress and on completion as a normal part of doing the job properly. Those photographs are our record of the condition we found and the work we carried out, and they are what we send you if there is ever a question about it. We may also use photographs of completed work as examples of what we do. If you would prefer we did not, tell us and we will not - there is no need to explain why, and it will not affect the work or the price. We do not publish photographs that identify a property by address, and we do not photograph inside a home beyond what the work itself requires.

Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Vermont, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules, and any dispute relating to the website will be handled in the appropriate courts of that state. If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remain in effect.

General provisions

These Terms, together with any written agreement you sign for services and our Privacy Policy, are the entire agreement between you and us regarding your use of this website, and they supersede any prior understandings on that subject. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it. You may not assign your rights under these Terms without our consent, while we may assign ours in connection with a transfer of our business. Section headings are for convenience only. If any part of these Terms is held invalid, the remaining parts stay in full force. We are also not responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, such as severe weather or other acts of nature.

Availability of the site and services

We work to keep this website available and accurate, but we do not guarantee it will be uninterrupted or error-free, and we may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of it at any time, including for maintenance or updates. Similarly, the services we describe are subject to our availability, scheduling, and service area; describing a service here is not a promise that it can be provided at a particular time or place. During busy seasons, response and scheduling times may be longer, and we will always be honest with you about realistic timing rather than promising what we cannot deliver.

Feedback

If you send us suggestions or feedback about the website or our services, we appreciate it and may use it to improve what we do, without any obligation to you for that use. You are, of course, never required to provide feedback, and doing so does not affect the service you receive.

Accessibility

We are committed to keeping this website usable for everyone, including people with disabilities. If any part of the site is difficult for you to use, our Accessibility Statement explains what we do and how to reach us for help, and we will gladly provide information or arrange service another way.

Changes to these Terms

We may revise these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated version here, and your continued use of the site means you accept the changes. We encourage you to check this page when you visit. Material changes will be reflected in the version posted on this page, so the current Terms are always the ones you can read right here.

Contact us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please reach us by email at mike@castironrestoration.com or through our contact page. You may also want to read our Privacy Policy and our Accessibility Statement. When you are ready to move forward, the honest first step is always a free, no-obligation quote. We would genuinely rather answer a question now than have you agree to something you are unsure about, so please do ask.

Quotes, estimates, and what changes when the piece arrives

Every quote we give before we have your piece in hand is an estimate. We work from photographs, and we are honest about what photographs can and cannot show. Surface rust, previous seasoning, light pitting, and obvious cracks all come through reasonably well in a good set of images. What photographs cannot reliably show includes deep pitting hidden under heavy scale, prior repairs that were painted or seasoned over, hairline cracks running through a handle or a heat ring, warping that only becomes apparent on a flat surface, and structural weakness in metal that looks solid until it is stripped. Because of this, the number we give you before shipping is our best reading of the work involved, not a fixed price.

If we open the package and the piece matches what the photographs showed, we proceed on the quoted terms. If stripping or cleaning reveals a condition that changes the scope of work, or that changes whether the work should be done at all, we stop and contact you before going further. You will never receive a bill for work we decided on without telling you. You decide how to proceed once you have the updated information, and we will tell you plainly what your options are, including the option of having the piece returned to you as-is. See our pricing page for a breakdown of how work is typically scoped, and use our quote request form to start the conversation.

Packing, shipping in, and carrier damage

You are responsible for packing your piece and for the cost and logistics of shipping it to us. Cast iron is heavy, brittle at the edges, and does not forgive a poor pack. A skillet dropped inside a box with a single layer of bubble wrap will arrive broken, and there is nothing we can do about a piece that arrives in fragments. We put together a packing and shipping guide that describes specifically how to wrap, box, and cushion cast iron for transit. Please read it before you pack. It is not long, and it will save you the cost of a ruined piece.

If your piece arrives damaged in a way that appears to be a transit event, we will photograph it, document the condition, and let you know immediately. From that point, any claim is between you and the carrier. We are glad to provide photographs, written descriptions, or any documentation that helps your case, but we are not the shipper and we cannot file or pursue the claim on your behalf. Once we have confirmed the piece arrived safely, we take full responsibility for its care while it is here.

Return shipping, once work is complete, is quoted separately and billed at actual cost. We pack outbound pieces carefully and document the pack before sealing the box.

Work we decline, and why declining is not a failure

We reserve the right to decline any piece we judge to be unsafe to restore or not worth restoring given its condition. The most common example is a cracked piece intended for cooking use. A crack in cast iron is not a cosmetic flaw. A pan with a crack in the cooking surface or body should not go on a stove or into an oven. Heat cycles expand metal, and a cracked pan can fail without warning. We will not restore a cracked piece for cooking use, and we will tell you clearly if we see a crack that rules out that use. Some cracked pieces have a life as display objects or wall decor, and we are happy to discuss that separately.

Beyond cracks, we may also decline a piece that has been repaired previously in a way that makes further work unpredictable, or a piece that is so far gone that the restoration cost would be significantly more than the piece is worth in any condition. If we decline work, we will tell you why. It is not a judgment on you for sending it. Old cast iron sometimes turns out to be past the point where restoration makes sense, and the honest thing is to say so rather than to take your money and return something disappointing.

Flattening and warp correction

We do not offer flattening or warp correction at this time. If a piece rocks on a flat surface when it arrives, it will rock on a flat surface when it leaves. We will note any warp we observe and include it in our condition report, but we will not attempt to correct it. This applies to lids and skillets alike.

What restoration does and does not guarantee

Restoration is a physical process carried out on objects that are often a century old or more. We take every reasonable care with every piece, and our methods are deliberate and tested. All the same, old iron sometimes holds surprises that only appear once the old seasoning and rust are removed. Pitting can be deeper than it looked. A casting flaw that was sealed under decades of baked-on grease becomes visible only once the surface is clean. In some cases, a piece that appeared to be a solid candidate for cooking restoration turns out to have a surface condition that we would describe honestly but that falls short of what either of us hoped for.

When that happens, we will tell you what we found and show you photographs. We will not charge you for a result we are not comfortable with, and we will talk through your options. What we cannot do is guarantee an outcome on a piece whose full condition was unknown at the start. We will always be straight with you about what we are seeing. You can read more about our process on the services page and in our restoration guides.

Identification, dating, and the limits of opinion

We offer identification and dating as an informed opinion, not as formal authentication or appraisal. When we look at a piece and tell you we believe it is a particular maker, pattern, and era, we are drawing on experience and reference material, not on a credential that makes our opinion legally binding or insurable. We are often right. We are not always right, and the record of cast iron collecting includes pieces that fooled people far more experienced than us.

If you need an appraisal for insurance, estate, or sale purposes, you need someone with a formal appraisal credential, not a restoration shop. Our identification service, our dating guide, and our value guide are meant to inform and assist collectors, not to serve as documentation for financial or legal purposes. We will always distinguish between what we know and what we think.

Pieces we buy and sell

When we sell a piece, we describe it as accurately as we can. Flaws are named, not hidden. If a skillet has a small chip on the pour spout, the listing says so. If a piece has been restored and we know its history, we say so. If the maker is uncertain, we say uncertain rather than guessing at a name that adds value. We apply the same standard to our own restorations as to raw pieces: you should know what you are buying before you buy it.

If you are selling to us, we will tell you what we think a piece is worth to us and why. We buy to use or to resell, and our offer reflects that. We do not offer appraisal values. You can start a conversation on the sell a piece page, and you can browse what we currently have available in the shop.

Payment

Payment is due when the work is complete and before the piece ships back to you. We will send you a final invoice that itemizes the work done and the return shipping cost. We do not require payment upfront, though for larger jobs we may ask for a deposit after the piece has arrived and been assessed. If the final cost differs from the estimate, we will have already talked with you about it before that point - nothing on the final invoice should be a surprise.

Unclaimed pieces

If a piece is ready to return and we cannot reach you, or if you choose not to pay and not to arrange return shipping, we will hold the piece for sixty days from the date we first notify you that work is complete. During that time we will make reasonable attempts to contact you. After sixty days, an unclaimed piece may be considered abandoned and may be sold or otherwise disposed of to recover costs. We would rather not do that, and it has rarely come up, but it is fair to say it plainly so there is no confusion later. If you are having trouble with timing or payment, contact us. We would rather work something out than let a piece sit.

If you have questions about any of these terms before you send a piece, the FAQ covers a number of common situations, and you are always welcome to reach out through the contact page before committing to anything.