Antique furniture has mass appeal because of the variety of pieces that exist in the market place. It can be found in second-hand and charity stores, antique specialty shops, and antique stores. Great pieces can even be found online. Many people also enjoy passing furniture down in a family to keep well-loved pieces in a family.

Easy Antique Furniture Restoration

While antique furniture is appealing and much sought after, it can also have a down side. As the years pass, furniture is used and normal wear and tear on a piece can often diminish the beauty and appeal of the furniture. Various things can take place as a piece is used through the years. A finish can become scratched from use and hardware can often become lost as drawers and doors are opened and closed for years and years. People who love antiques also love to accomplish what is often called a "sympathetic restoration". This term simply means that they want to make any restoration gentle and not destroy the integrity or authenticity of the antique.

Typically an antique is not completely refinished if the authenticity is to be kept as it was. Instead, a gentle cleaning with a non-abrasive cleaner will be used to remove grime and dirt and the natural age marks will be left as they are. For example, if a drawer has rubbed a spot on the front of a chest as it was used through the years and most people will simply consider this natural and leave it. However, if the piece is deeply scratched and unattractive, a light matching stain might be used to blend the scratch into the shade of the piece of wood. Furniture oil and a soft cloth can often be used to bring back a natural sheen to an antique piece. Complete refinishing is not normally considered the best choice.

Easy Antique Furniture Restoration

Missing hardware can often be acquired for a hardware restoration source that will specialize in replications of original hardware. If this is not possible, replacements need to match the original size as much as possible to fit into the original holes for pulls and knobs. Plugged holes often show up as a huge distraction on an antique piece.

Easy Antique Furniture Restoration

The primary key to preserving and respecting older furniture is to keep it in a climate controlled environment. Various temperature changes can cause wood to swell and contract. When this takes place, joints can tighten or loosen up and become ill fitting. An environment that prevents this from happening is much easier on older furniture.

It is also helpful to gently clean all antiques with a soft cotton cloth, while rubbing with the grain of the wood. This keeps the natural grain of the wood from experiencing scratching as dust and grime is removed. Moving with the grain of the wood keeps any small scratches flowing with the wood grain instead of against it.

Gentle restoration is a very good way to keep antiques a part of the world for generations to come.