Abstract: A method for refurbishing or restoring a turbine vane or other airfoil to restore a desired flow area includes the steps of: providing a plate to be used to restore the flow area on the airfoil; cutting the plate into a desired shape; machining a series of tapers into the cut plate so that the cut plate has a single region with a substantially uniform thickness; overlaying a surface of the airfoil with the pre-cut, pre-shaped plate so that the substantially uniform thickness region is positioned over that part of the airfoil where the flow area is to be restored; and attaching the pre-cut, pre-shaped plate to the airfoil. The refurbishment or restoration method further includes heat treating the pre-cut, pre-shaped plate so that the plate softens and conforms to the shape of the airfoil surface.