Preserving the Finish (and Value) of Antique Furniture

Yesterday, when we were checking out the Antiques Roadshow site for our post on requesting tickets, we saw a good article on taking care of antique pieces. According to the expert interviewed for the piece, "the finish in a piece of wood furniture either adds to its value or takes it away", so you want to be careful to preserve the quality...

...of the pieces you own.

Tips and things to know from apparaiser Karen Keane:

Faded is Fine for Painted Wood - Collectors of antique furniture want their pieces to remain as close as possible to how they were originally, which often included a coat of paint. Over time, paint oxidizes. This fades the paint and gives it a mellow look. Even if the paint dries to the point that it begins to crack, it's better left alone. A little bit of craquelure is absolutely acceptable and gives you a feeling of comfort that it's original. Resist the temptation to "freshen" up a finish with lacquer over original paint - it is not a look that painted furniture collectors like to see.

Avoid Oils on Stained Wood - Oil is very bad for wood. It soaks into open grain and oxidizes and can turn the wood black. The one addition to stained wood is acceptable is wax. Wax creates a protective surface on the piece and is easy to remove, a feature that all furniture conservators appreciate. Solid waxes, such as paste wax, butcher's wax or even French polish are recommended because these all contain bees' wax.

Check out the entire article right here at the Antiques Roadshow site for more info from Karen Keane on finishes and value.

Photos: Antiques Roadshow

Comments (16)

How refreshing to see an AT post that doesn't advise painting anything and everything glossy white. Kudos.

Oh, and a note that ties into an earlier post about antique/vintage metal medical cabinets: If you hope to someday sell your piece to a collector, don't sandblast it and paint it yourself -- have it professionally restored or just leave it as is and pass off the rust as patina. I've been watching one gorgeous old cabinet sit unsold on eBay for a year now because the owner tried to "restore" it himself using 21st century stripping and paint. Alas! Alas and woe.

"I've been watching one gorgeous old cabinet sit unsold on eBay for a year now because the owner tried to "restore" it himself using 21st century stripping and paint. Alas! Alas and woe."

You're so right - I've seen vintage furniture with great bones on eBay that I refuse to bid on because the owner tried to do some "decorative painting" that ended up coming out a tragic mess.

No oil? Really? I bought 2 Wegner wishbone chairs on craigslist and the wood is knicked up and very dry. What should I be using to protect these? Paste wax? Nothing?

Really? I had heard linseed oil is pretty mild and good for conditioning furniture.

I used Danish and Linseed oils over old finishes all the time. They did not develop any oxidation problems. I think with each piece you have to look at the original finish of each particular piece. If the original is an oil finish (ie. most danish teak pieces) going with a linseed or danish oil is fine even good for the wood. In most cases of Mid Century pieces oil is fine.

But antiques on the other hand are different. Wood that has 100 years of patina on it will behave a bit differently. Especially in the case of painted furniture when the oil can actually damage the original paint. Or in heavily lacquered pieces where large amounts of oil can settle in the cracks (thus making oxidation an issue). When a wood oxidizes it goes darker. This may be fine on ebonized pieces but if it were a light wood like maple it will be a problem.

Thank you for not suggesting antiques be painted white to look like the $59 Ikea special of the month. I am so weary of seeing bad glossy white paint jobs ruining nice old furniture.

We at the American Institute for Conservation suggest people reading our brochure on Caring for Your Furniture. You can access this guide and others on caring for various types of items by going going to the link below:

http://aic.stanford.edu/library/online/brochures/index.html

Just curious why the chair in the picture has a hole in the seat. Is it an antique toilet chair?

thanks@retrostyleguy81 for that useful Link!

Matt - often the Wishbone chairs were produced with a soap finish. It requires upkeep, but it is very easy, and can be used perpetually.

Go to Carl Hansen and Sons, to their 'caring for materials' page for upkeep on Soap finishes.

Why I think that IS a potty chair!

I hate when people try to "antique" a piece of new furniture They srtip it, paint it, strip it again, and then perform some masochistic ritual on it involving chains to get that "perfectly aged" look.
Gag me with a spoon.

aww man! I hate typos.
S-T-R-I-P.

It's called a RIM chair, people.

I just say Norm Abrams distressing a brand new piece of furniture. It looked like fun to do.