They say on the Antique Road Show that you should not strip or clean the finish on your antiques

Last Updated on Thursday, 14 August 2008 03:53 Written by Administrator Wednesday, 07 July 2004 04:54

My first comment is regarding repair, restoration, preservation or conservation specialists who attempt to offer you any appraisal of your item.  This advice from a professional view is a conflict of interest and is at best, borderline unethical.  Questions of value should always be left up to qualified antique appraisal professionals who have the resources and experience to provide a bone fide appraisal.

The best way to deal with this issue is to start with a few questions. What is the value of the item in its current condition? (Its current condition has a strong influence on resale value.)  Is it an antique of highly collectible value?  How certain are you that the existing finish is the original finish?  How old is the item?  Has the original finish been painted or antiqued over?  These are some of the issues to be considered when contemplating whether or not to remove or "clean" a finish. 

There certainly are circumstances in which you do not want to ever remove or even alter the original finish.  In my practice, I see numerous items that fall into this category every year. My advice to the client is that we should not strip or clean the original finish--we should only do repair or conservation work as indicated, but not refinishing.  It is also worth noting that an item needs to be 100 years or older to technically be considered an antique. Some collectible items (pieces less than 100 years old) are especially hot in the collectible arena and stripping the original finish should be avoided.  This would include some mission, arts and crafts style and art deco era items.

In summary, each piece needs to be analyzed individually.

Upholstery Repair Questions and Answers

Last Updated on Friday, 17 October 2008 06:17 Written by Administrator Wednesday, 12 May 2004 04:54

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Upholstery Repair Questions and Answers

Q.  How do I take care of my upholstered furniture?

A.  So you just bought a new piece of upholstery or recently had a piece of furniture reupholstered. Now how to take care of it to keep that new look. My first suggestion is to have the fabric treated with a stain repellent. There are some very effective products available on the market today. Be sure to order a fabric protection that is warranted against staining. Stains and deep soiling threaten the life and look of your new fabrics. It happens in every home. An active family and pets all contribute to the problem of ugly stains on carefully selected carpets and upholstery textiles. In a moment of time, the work of many hours of selecting just the correct combination of color and texture, not to mention the cost in time and material may be ruined by a simple spill. An effective fabric treatment program is a very small investment compared to the trouble and expense of a repair or replacement. With out an effective stain repellent, all it takes is a single spill to spoil your investment. I also recommend regular vacuuming of your upholstery to prevent dust, pollution and other environmental contaminates from building up. This will also dramatically increase the amount of time you can go between cleanings.

What Do You Recommend To Clean My Upholstered Furniture?

Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 February 2010 16:23 Written by Daniel R. Whitney Wednesday, 12 May 2004 04:54

What Do You Recommend to Clean my Upholstered Furniture?

You should follow the manufacturers' recommendations for spot cleaning. I only recommend professional dry cleaning for upholstered furniture. A dry cleaning process is the safest method and is the least likely to cause damage to the fabric fibers. There are a variety of companies who offer a dry cleaning process to clean your carpets and upholstery. Basically they use CO2 instead of H2O in the cleaning solution. The rest of the cleaning is an extraction process.

What Constitutes a Quality Piece of Upholstered Furniture?

Last Updated on Friday, 17 October 2008 06:19 Written by Administrator Monday, 12 April 2004 04:54

What Constitutes a Quality Piece of Furniture?

The first consideration in determining the quality of a piece of upholstery is the frame.  The frame can be thought of as the "bones" that you frequently can't see unless you strip the layers of fabric and batting away.  Superior frames begin with solid hardwood construction.  Double doweled and reinforced at the stress points are the time tested standards for the very best construction techniques.  There are many other techniques used for building frames, but too many to review here.  If your furniture was built using engineered lumber, which includes particle board and plywood frames, or if it is fastened using screws or large staples, your frame may not be of the finest quality.