Should This Be Refinished?

Should  This Be Refinished?

How many times have you picked up and old piece of  furniture at a flea market, second hand shop or garage sale, brought it home and said "now what"? If you don't know the history of the piece, your next step can be questionable. Usually, the biggest thing you may face, is whether or not to refinish it. This can be more important than you think. You might have bought the cabinet you always wanted, been looking for for years, except for the colour. You wanted blue, not mustard. But, there is always a coat of fresh paint, and a good distressed faux finish, right? WRONG!!! If you made your purchase out of a local department store, or had it custom made, obviously it is not an antique, and that new finish you want to put on will work out fine. But, if age is questionable, find out as much about the piece as you can. If it is an antique, and that "horrible" colour is the origional finish, by repainting, your not improving the piece. You could actually be decreasing it's value.

So, how do you find out about this piece. First, look for any markings. Some furniture makers had their own marks that they put on each piece. (I have an ID stencil that I use to lable my bronze stencil work.) Should you find one, photograph or draw it out and visit the library or internet and see what you can find. Second, look at the colour of the piece. While this isn't  a positive id on the age of a piece, early pieces were usually painted in blue, red, green, mustard, or some were decoratively painted. If this finish looks brand spanking new, then you have one of two options. The piece is new or it is an old piece with a new finish.

After you have done your own research, if you are comfortable with the fact that it is an old piece with origional paint, then don't touch it and make peace with the finish that it carries.If you still are unsure, then have a professional person look at it. An antiques dealer, furniture restorer(not just a refinisher, as they may not always be up on antiques), or even a museum. If you do not have such a person near you, then try the internet, or  the phone book.Ask if you can send pictures out to them. They may ask you to photograph specific areas of the piece which could help them in identification. Any of this might cost you a small fee,but it could very well be worth it. There is nothing

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