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Tips for Buying Antique Furniture
March 9, 2022 01:18:59am
Antique furniture can be a highly worthwhile investment. You may already have several pieces of fine furniture that have been in the family for ages, but when you want to buy a piece of antique furniture for you home, what do you look for? Our tips can help you recognize high quality antique furniture to buy.
- Check the construction. Examine the joints of every antique chair, table, or other handmade piece. When considering a chest, dresser, or antique desk, pull out the drawers and examine how the piece was constructed. For example, dovetail joinery typically indicates high quality, well-made furniture that will be worth your investment.
- Look for labels. Look over the antique furniture you are considering and check for labels, stamps, or signatures that can help shine light on the history and quality of the item. Vintage handmade furniture is occasionally stamped with the name of the city it was made in, or the year of construction, both of which can increase the value of the furniture in certain cases.
- Assess damage. Check the antique furniture for damage and determine whether repairs will be possible, and if so, whether they could be costly and worthwhile to you. For example, if you particularly love the upholstery on a particular antique sofa or chaise but notice a tear in the fabric, this may be able to be mended. Extensive fading, however, cannot be mended, and you’ll need to hire a high quality furniture upholstery service and plan to have the item reupholstered. Scratches, water marks, finish wear, dents and dings, caning damage, and many other issues can generally be repaired by a good professional furniture restoration service, so don’t be deterred if the antique furniture you want has sustained damage. Just assess the damage in order to plan for the appropriate repair.
- Plan the location. Have a plan for where you’ll incorporate the antique rocker, chest, trunk, or other item in your home. Avoid the temptation to acquire more and more antique furniture without ample space to arrange it. High quality handmade antique furniture pieces are treasures of history that deserve to be refinished or repaired by professional antique refinishing companies and then arranged in your home with care and consideration.
- Find a good professional antique restoration company. We strongly advise that when planning to purchase antique furniture, you locate a professional furniture restoration shop in your area. Each piece of antique furniture has its own story but also almost always comes with a few scratches, tears, dents, or missing hardware that will need to be mended and restored with great care by highly rated professional furniture refinishers.
When you acquire antique furniture, you’re sharing in its history. Good local furniture restorers will help you enjoy your antique dresser, table, hutch, or other item by helping to keep it in good shape. There are many good local furniture repair shops, but Jax Furniture Refinishing & Upholstering is the best furniture restoration service Jacksonville FL homeowners rely on for their heirloom furniture and favorite antique furniture. We’ve provided truly outstanding service to the Jacksonville area, including Riverside Avondale, San Marco, Ortega, Southside, and along the Beaches, and we’d love to provide our services to you too.
