Learning the Basics of Antique Furniture Restoration

There are several really good reasons why you might be tempted to consider mastering the basics of antique furniture restoration. On one level, saving a lovely but damaged antique from being thrown into the junk pile definitely as its own reward. If you value the craftsmanship in old furniture, it would be an act of love to learn how to properly bring these cast-offs back to life. Your home could become a show place of your careful work, and beautiful antiques will always be treasures to enjoy and then pass down to your children. It also seems like a responsible opportunity to positively impact our environment when we recycle what can be salvaged instead of throwing it away in favor of buying something else made from another tree. Finally, if you master the basics, you can actually create a niche for your skills: repairing other peoples’ finds and reselling your own can become a profitable hobby or business.

Of all the tools you will will need to successfully restore antique furniture, probably the most important one is patience. Depending on the condition of the piece, several steps may be required, especially if you need to strip and refinish your project. In addition, you will want good furniture cleaner, sandpaper of different grits, #0000 steel wool, putty knives, screw drivers, small hammers and rubber mallets, soft toothbrushes, tooth picks or small wooden dowels and pencil sharpeners, wood glue, wood putty, protective clothing, chemical strippers, stains, soft rags, and possibly wooden clamps. But before you go out and buy all these items, you will really want to thoroughly examine your furniture project for age and authenticity.

Since restoring antique furniture successfully may require so much time and effort, the first step is to see if you really have a valuable antique to work with. You can check its value by looking for telling marks or labels. Checking the screw threads for even spacing is another way to estimate the age of a piece because the older screws were less uniform. A trip to the library or a furniture restoration shop might also be worth your time. If the piece is not terribly old, but was done by a known master craftsman, it still has significant value and will be worth saving. At this point you may have to decide whether you want to try to restore it yourself or trust the professionals.

On the other hand, maybe this is not a valuable piece of furniture by antique standards, but you love it anyway. Start with a very good cleaning to remove years of wax and polish buildup. Scrub it with a good vegetable based oil soap and sponge and let dry thoroughly. Remove the hardware so you clean the wood behind them as well and give the hinges or pulls a thorough polishing too. Are there any broken parts that need replacing? You may need to have them custom designed if you cannot find matching parts at the home building supply store.

Once any repairs are done, the next issue is the question of refinishing or restoring. Basically if the finish is intact, leave it alone. If it is worn thin, cover it with another layer of stain to even it out and protect it. If the finish is really poor, your next decision will be to take all the necessary steps to refinish it or simply to paint over the piece. Whatever you decide, learning the basics and restoring furniture can be a worthwhile and enjoyable past time, save you money, and be environmentally responsible. You can’t do much better than that.