How to tell if wooden furniture is worth finishing

When you find a wooden piece of furniture that needs a little love, it's really tempting to just shell out the money and bring it home as your next pet project. But wait, says woodworking expert Teri Masaschi, author of Foolproof Wood Finishing:For Those Who Love to Build and Hate to Finish . There are a few things to consider first before you decide to go back to finishing.

Is the piece painted?

"Be careful with things that are painted," says Masaschi. "There's usually a reason for that." Paint can hide a multitude of sins, including burns, missing veneers, and water stains.

"You're much better off buying something that has old, dirty varnish that just needs to be stripped," she says. "It's clear, you can see through what's underneath, and removing the old finish is really easy - it usually comes with products you can buy at the hardware store."

Is the construction of high quality?

Look for indications that the piece was made before 1950, maybe even 1960. "That's when particleboard and laminate surfaces and cut corners came in," says Masaschi. In general, even pre-1960 mass-produced furniture is sturdier and better made than today's cheap furniture:your find doesn't have to have antique value to be a great vintage piece that will give you many years of service. .

Still, you should be careful with really old pieces, mostly those made before 1850, as painting them yourself can damage their value. If you have any questions about the value of your piece, consult an expert before you begin.

Learn what details to look for when evaluating the age and quality of your piece.

Does the piece need to be re-glued?

The next thing to do is give the piece what Masaschi calls "the rickety test." Put your hands on it, move it back and forth and test the drawers, if there are any, to see how much rocking is going on. If the part isn't sturdy, you'll likely have to take it apart and re-clamp it, and not everyone has the knack for that, or the workspace, for that matter.

If you need an expert to re-glue your part, expect to pay based on the complexity of the part. "It takes time to separate the part and completely remove the old glue and start over," says Masaschi. "Re-gluing a three-drawer chest could easily cost $350-$400."

What will the wood look like when you're done?

When a piece has been neglected for decades, it's hard to say what it will look like once it's finished.

Although the following photo is not the same chest, it could be:it is a completely restored manufactured oak chest of drawers from 1910.

To get an idea of ​​how your finished piece will look, find a sheltered spot where the original wood is showing, such as the back of a solid wood drawer front, under the top surface of a dresser, or the top of a dresser. back of A sheet on a loose-leaf table. Make sure you like the look of the grain and understand what color it will come out with old wood which often ends up much darker than freshly milled wood.

These are the characteristics of several common types of wood in antique furniture:

Cherry It is a very soft wood with a smooth grain that can be stained in a variety of colors. "But if it's 100 years old and you've stripped it down, it's going to be very dark," Masaschi says.

Editorial Fox Chapel

"Nut it has a more vivid grain than cherry or maple," says Masaschi, "but it's one of the few types of wood that actually lightens over the years." The rich, natural brown color limits the range of tones that can achieve with stains..

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walnut wood

"Aged mahogany , there's no way around it, it's going to be very reddish," Masaschi says. "You can go reddish red or reddish brown, but you'll never get anything more than that."

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Oldest pine the pieces were painted immediately, so it's rare that you find one that you want to remove and paint. But if it does, expect a honey brown color that is darker than new pine.

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Maple Pieces made from the 1890s through the 1920s are often a beautiful bird's eye or tiger maple, and will have a deep yellow hue if you finish it. Often stained orange, plain maple from the 1960s can be removed and modernized with a light brown stain.

Editorial Fox Chapel

Oak :the wooden staple of Victorian furniture. "Old furniture is often made of quartersawn oak with striking splashes," says Masaschi. "If you finish it, you'll get that beautiful old grain of tiger oak that has a golden color to it."

How complicated is the finish?

Make sure you are prepared for the level of involvement that will be involved in restoring the piece to its former glory. Here are some signs that your project may require additional steps or advanced techniques:

• Presents highly carved or applied filigree. “Usually it takes a long time to get the old finish out of all the nooks and crannies, and your finish will be very difficult as well,” says Teri.
  
• Different parts of the part need different applications. For example, a chair with ornate sides or slats may need a delicate touch on the ornate parts, but multiple layers of polyurethane on the arms to make them durable.
  
• It has slats or spindles together. “To remove it and finish it again, you almost have to use a gun,” Teri says.
  
• It is made of random tables, not all from the same tree. "That's one of the nasty surprises you sometimes get after you get naked," says Teri. "You'll have to like it the way it is or you'll spend a lot of time trying to dye it to make it look more uniform. It's a pretty involved finishing process."

Conclusion:If you are not sure what you have, consult a competent professional for advice. And just because a piece has potential, don't feel compelled to bite off more than you can chew. "I always tell my students, be prepared to walk away," says Masaschi.

"Buy the part for what it is instead of what you think it can do, you can get lost in the fantasy of what it used to be."