If you happen to be looking for a wonderful investment in the beauty of your home, you should seriously consider antique furniture. This sort of investment, however, doesn’t come inexpensively. As a result, you should take great precautions to properly care for your antique furniture. In addition to the beauty and tradition that is part and parcel of owning antique furniture the wonderful memories that this furniture can evoke as well as the educational value of it make it an even greater investment.

To properly care for your antique furniture you will need to do more than the occasional dusting with a can of Pledge. You must also protect your furniture from the damage that can be caused by environmental effects as well as the climate and amount of activity that it will be subjected to. Kids and antiques are not necessarily great mates.

You may be surprised to discover that ultra violet rays are one of the most damaging things to which you can expose your wood or fabric antique furniture. For this reason it is a good idea to make sure you store your antique furniture far away from windows that allow direct sunlight into the room. Not only will these rays cause bleaching and cracking of the wood they will also cause fabrics to fade over time. Buying heavy-duty drapes can help reduce exposure of this beautiful furniture to harmful ultraviolet rays as well as treating it with furniture oil or wood polish that is specifically designed to protect wood from ultra violet damage.

By keeping the rooms in which you store your antique furniture at a fairly consistent temperature and avoiding excessive or extreme highs or lows you can also extend the life and beauty of your furniture. Extreme temperatures can cause the furniture to rapidly expand and contract resulting in cracked wood. You should also work to avoid exposing your antique furniture to humidity. Humidity creates an environment that is favorable for bacteria to grow in fabric and mold to grow on wood, neither of which are attractive situations for your antique furniture.

By learning the proper care for your antique furniture you can extend its life another century or so and enjoy years of use and beauty from your furniture. There are plenty of online sources from which you can learn a great deal about caring for your furniture be sure to check them out and find out how you can get the maximum enjoyment from your antique furniture.

If you happen to own or are looking to own antique furniture as an investment then it would be prudent to learn how to refinish antique furniture in general. This is simply protecting your investment because you never know what may happen. Damage and degradation actually result in items of antique furniture being scrapped every year. The only way to protect it is to refinish antique furniture as and when needed!

The steps you need to take to refinish antique furniture are easy to learn and easy to follow, so here is your first class. Refinish antique furniture for Newbies!

1. Ensure that you have all of the necessary materials to refinish antique furniture on hand or at least know where to lay your hands on it quickly. There is nothing that devalues antique furniture more than doing a botch job on a piece that can be spotted by experts at 10 meters away. You will need tools and supplies to achieve the correct finish.

2. Make sure that all tools you need to refinish antique furniture are well maintained and in tip top condition because using rough tools will usually make damage worse and scratch the surface beyond repair.

3. Practice patience. There is nothing worse than rushing any job that needs to be done properly so take your time and learn how to effectively refinish antique furniture before commencing a job. If you do not know what you are doing then the likelihood is that you will devalue your investment and probably damage the piece beyond repair.

4. Do your homework and research the piece fully. To refinish antique furniture, you need the skills and tools but you also need to have a working knowledge of what each piece looks like and how to take the best possible care of it whilst you are working on it. If you refinish antique furniture properly then the likelihood is that you will not lose any of the original value because it will blend in nicely with the piece’s original work.

5. If you think that you cannot refinish antique furniture to the standard needed to maintain its value then do not even attempt it! There are hundreds of experts out there just waiting to get their hands on your antiques. They can refinish antique furniture with their eyes closed and can do a professional and invisible job. Paying them is a small drop in the ocean as to what you would eventually be able to get from the piece.

6. If you do employ someone to refinish antique furniture for you then make sure that you agree a price up front. Get two or three quotes to check out prices and get the best possible deal. Always make sure that the individual you choose to do the work has a solid reputation and happy clients because you do not want to pay someone to ruin your furniture for you instead of refinishing it effectively.

You should enjoy your antique furniture as well as looking after it for future generations or as an investment. If your do need to refinish antique furniture then make the best choice possible because who know what it may cost you if you don’t!

Just like any other material, antique furniture pieces may deteriorate over time. When such happens, the owner is faced with the question of whether he should refinish or restore the antique piece. In choosing which process should be undertaken, it is vital for the antique owner to have a complete understanding of the difference between the two.

What is the difference between Antique Restoration and Antique Refinishing?

As the name implies, Antique Restoration process refers to the step by step procedures to “restore” the antique piece. Basically, the process ensures that the antique object will not lose its value or worth. Antique restoration may refer to light cleaning, antique refinishing, or conservation.

Antique refinishing is a method of antique restoration. In this restoration technique, the restorer usually prioritizes the upholding of the functionalities of the antique furniture.

For example, if the antique furniture is a table, the restorer would have to make sure that the legs of the table are in good shape and condition to hold some weight on the flat surface where food can be displayed. As such, aside from light cleaning or the process of removing dirt and stain from the item, reassembling and repainting should also be considered. However, the restorer should make sure that regardless of whatever he does, the antique furniture should be able to retain, if not totally increase its value.

The factors that should be considered

In deciding whether an antique piece should undergo refinishing, the restorer or the owner of the piece should consider the following factors:

The peculiarity of the furniture’s design: Consider if the furniture piece has a unique design from the old or medieval years. If the furniture looks like a classic example of art from another century or decade, it would be preferable to do some light cleaning only to ultimately conserve the furniture piece instead of altering it and diminish its value.

The craftsman or the manufacturer of the furniture: There are some cases when the value of the furniture is based on who crafted such. Thus, the furniture is considered valuable and notable regardless of its age and functionality. In such cases, light cleaning is recommended as refinishing will ultimately make the item an ordinary furniture piece.

The basis of value: There are some instances where the restorer would have to choose what to prioritize- the age or the functionality of the antique furniture piece. In the case of tables, chairs, beds, closets, doors, and other huge furniture pieces that are not ideal for mere display, it is best and more practical to focus on the preservation of the antique’s functionality. However, in the case of display items such as paintings, jars, lamps, and other small antique objects which can be displayed and used solely as a decorative art, some light cleaning or conservation will be the best way to go.

The cost of the restoration process: Budget is a prime consideration when restoring antique furniture pieces. The restorer would have to note that there are some furniture pieces that would need highly expensive materials in order to restore or refinish them. As such, in cases where antique furniture will be used only for home purposes, the more cost-effective restoration process should be considered.