Discovering and Restoring Antique Furniture

The Hunt

• For antique hunters on the prowl, getting up at the crack of dawn on weekends is part of the game. Early birds arriving at estate or yard sales get the antique "worm." Others may take weekend trips to areas full of antique stores in places settled early in the country's history, such as New England or the mid-Atlantic region. Online shoppers may peruse eBay and similar sites, looking for particular pieces or items that strike their fancy.

Preparation

• Learn about antiques and what to look for before heading out. Many antique shoppers, much like antique stores or dealers, specialize in a particular era. Besides reading books and doing online research, visit your local historical society or historic houses open to the public to examine period furniture. Recognize what some items may have been used for originally. For example, in the days before refrigeration a pie safe was used to store pies and other baked edibles and keep them away from flies. Today, these decorative items are used for other types of storage.

Restoration

• It's common to find furniture in need of restoration, but be careful how you go about it. The wrong kind of restoration can greatly decrease a piece's value. Removing the original paint from a centuries-old piece may improve its appearance, but collectors prize unrestored painted furniture. Antique furnishings acquire a patina through the years. That patina is not something you want to accidentally remove during restoration, so do not strip the wood. Be especially careful with any gilded furniture, as gilt is easily damaged. If in doubt about whether restoration will diminish the value of antique furniture, consult a dealer or other antique specialist.

Cleaning Wood Furniture

• Years of grime and dirt are not part of an antique's charm. To clean old wood furniture, use a mild soap and clean a small, out-of-the-way area first to see results before cleaning the entire piece. If the item has white spots, put a little toothpaste on a cotton cloth and buff with the wood grain. Wipe off the toothpaste and use furniture wax on the area. Although some professionals use steel wool or other abrasives to clean dirty furnishings, it is easy to remove the finish with these materials. After cleaning, use a paste wax on the entire piece and buff well.