Collecting Antique Furniture Requires Certain Knowledge
The popular collections of antiques typically include fully functional furniture made from specific periods of time. Since most antique furniture was produced before the use of power tools and mass production, they are considered stronger and more valuable than many of the pieces made today. Collecting antique furniture usually requires some knowledge about age, how many pieces remain usable today, its condition and use, along with some of the unique features built into a piece of furniture.
It is not so much how old a piece of antique furniture is that makes it valuable, rather its condition and appearance. A 200-year-old table for example, may be beyond repair with water damage or missing a leg or two that cannot be restored, turning that old hunk of wood into firewood. However, there are some basic construction tips that can help people determine the quality of the piece as well as the period in which it was made.
Beyond age and functionality, the piece of antique furniture should still be serviceable, meaning if there is an antique chair, meeting the requirements in all aspects, a person should still be able to sit on it without fear of it breaking. Since nails and other metal fasteners were rarely used on most furniture, the means with which the different pieces are held together can be an indication of its age.
Antique Furniture Restoration Is An Art Form
With many pieces of antique furniture requiring some sort of repairs, it takes a qualified person to restore accurately the piece to near original condition. The amount of wood that has to be replaced will affect the quality and the values of the piece. Typically, collectors look at about 20 to 25-percent as a limit of replacement wood in a piece of antique furniture before they begin to lose interest in the piece.
Most antique furniture was made of mahogany, oak, pine, walnut and rosewood and the type of wood used will affect its value among collectors, and restoring antique furniture requires the same species of wood to be used as in the original construction. Persons with the ability to replicate a table leg with the same species of wood and have the same grain pattern show as in the other legs, can be hard to find.
Today, many factories pump out replicas of antique furniture using laminates to recreate the pattern and grain of some of the most popular woods used in antique furniture. However, with these pieces it is easy to spot the difference between the original construction and today's mass-produced items.
