When contemplating restoring old or worn furniture, it's always smart to do little research on the piece before doing any restorative work. Removing anantique's finish could lessen or void its value, so don't do anything to the piece of furniture till you are sure about its suggested value.Thoroughly examining the piece will help determine its value and ultimately whether or not you should hire professional to restore it. There are several things you can do yourself to find more about the piece of furniture. First inspect the piece carefully looking for small marks or labels that may indicate when and where it was made. If possible check the screws threads and underside of the furniture. Be sure to take photos for your records. Your local library is another great resource for determining the age of the furniture piece.

They should have plenty of books that may help identify styles of furniture and link it to a certain period. If you discover that the piece may hold some collectible value, consult a local furniture expert. Restoring an antique yourself can be tedious and overwhelming for those who have little experience. There is a difference between refinishing and restoring. Refinishinggenerally means stripping off the top layer of varnish, sanding and applying a new one, Restoring can involve refinishing, but it can also require a lot of additional work. This includes broken legs, replacing hardware, repairing cracks, replacing trim pieces and fabrics with originals and/ormanufactured replicas. Anything that's required to get the piece of furniture as close to the original condition as possible is called restoration.Often, it's more than just a facelift it has to do with making the item usable again and possibly even adding value.

Reupholstering fine furniture is equally as important as refinishing wooden pieces. The key is to find fabric design close to the time period specific to that chair. Antique books, museums and other historical resources can provide more insight to styles of the pieces. Often furniture can be relics or family heirlooms so it's even more important to preserve itsintegrity. Hotels and private clubscommonly have furniture restored byprofessionals. People with years of expertise on home projects unfortunately might not have the same availability of resources as trade professionals, be it training, equipment, technical skills or time for that matter to spend on the furniture piece. Should one have any doubts about restoring a collectible piece of furniture, it's recommended to avoid the devaluation risk, and simply finda furniture specialist.