| Before you decide to take that
old, scruffy piece of furniture that once graced your grandparent's
living room and restore it to the beautiful item you nostalgically
remember, learning the difference between restoring and
refinishing may help you better understand the mechanics
of reviving old or antique furniture. A major discrepancy
between the two methods is that refinishing requires much
less time than restoring. When furniture has been refinished,
this indicates that someone has stripped the paint, varnish
or other type of finish off the furniture by sanding or
using some other technique to eliminate the original overlay.
After this is completed, a new finish is applied and the
item is ready for display.
Restoration, however, involves additional work in order
to return the furniture to its original state. In addition
to refinishing, restoring a chair, table or desk means repairing
broken or loose legs; filling in cracks and splits in wood;
replacing worn-out fabric with new material and any other
adjustments necessary to enhance its condition. Before taking
the time to restore something, you should do some preliminary
research concerning the piece you want to basically want
to reconstruct to find out if you should perform this restoration
yourself. Valuable antiques should only be restored by a
professional because improper furniture restoration could
cause it to depreciate in value.
How Much is it Worth?
Determine this by examining the item for labels, manufacturer's
logos, dates or signatures and researching the information
on the internet. If you are still not sure or cannot find
anything to help you find out its worth, take the item to
a professional antique dealer for an appraisal. Be aware
that by removing a finish or even fixing something on certain
antiques could actually lessen the value of the item. So
before you do anything, find out what kind of piece it is
and what you can do to it without reducing its value on
the market.
Beginning the Restoration
Once you have established the furniture's identity and value,
you can start the restoration process by taking a sponge,
some warm water, a bottle of vegetable-based oil soap and
thoroughly washing the piece to eliminate any dirt and grime
that may interfere with the application of the new finish.
Don't neglect all the nooks and crannies, either; use an
old toothbrush or a toothpick to access those fine lines
where dust easily accumulates.
After cleaning the item, prepare to fix or totally replace
any parts that are damaged or beyond repair. This is where
a little detective work comes in handy, especially since
you want to restore the piece as close to its original condition
as possible. Check websites that sell antiques and antique
replacement pieces for any item you may need to fully restore
the furniture. If you have any doubts about being able to
correctly perform the repair, take the item to a professional
and have someone who is experienced with antique restoration
do the job for you. Remember that the value of an antique
depends on many things and one of the most important is
how it has been modified. Incorrectly replacing a leg or
even a screw could possible reduce the value by hundreds
of dollars.
The Refinishing Process
Refinishing a piece of furniture, whether it is a small
end table or large dining room table requires patience and
a little stamina, since you usually need to employ some
type of stripping substance on the antique. Rubbing, sanding
and scraping entails the initial refinishing process before
you can apply the new finish. Choosing the right kind of
stain or paint is vital to successfully restoring the piece
as well. Using stain may not be applicable to some woods,
in which case selecting a compatible kind of paint would
be necessary. However, be aware that if you paint a valuable
antique, it might not be so valuable once you have covered
it in paint. This is why it is imperative to find out all
you can about the piece you plan on restoring before you
restore it.
Completing the arduous process of restoring an old piece
of furniture is a gratifying and exciting, something you
can be proud of for years to come. By knowing what you can
and cannot do to an antique will make the end result that
much more pleasurable.
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