The popular collections of antiques typically include fully functional furniture made from specific periods of time. Because it didn't rely on mass production and power tools, antique furniture is often more durable and of greater value than most of the stuff made today. Collecting antique furniture usually requires some knowledge about age, how many pieces remain usable today, its condition and use, along with some of the unique features built into a piece of furniture.
The value of antique furniture isn't determined so much by its age, but rather by the appearance and condition of the piece. As an example, a table built 200 years ago might have seen water damage that makes it impossible to repair. It might have lost a couple of legs over time which can't be replaced, making it nothing more than scrap wood. However, there are some basic construction tips that can help people determine the quality of the piece as well as the period in which it was made.
Apart from condition and age, a good piece of antique furniture needs to be usable. This means that if there is an antique chair meeting the requirements in all aspects, a person should still be able to sit on it without fear of it breaking. The way in which the pieces are fastened together is often a clue as to the age of the furniture, because metal fasteners such as nails were seldom used.
Antique Furniture Restoration Is An Art Form
With many pieces of antique furniture requiring some sort of repairs, it takes a qualified person to accurately restore the piece to near original condition. The value and quality are affected by the quantity of wood that needs to be replaced. Usually, a collector will consider no more than 20 percent content of replacement wood when deciding on a piece of antique furniture.
Antique furniture was commonly used woods such as walnut, pine, oak, rosewood and mahogany. The type of wood used will affect its value as an antique. The same kind of wood as the original must be used when undertaking restoration of antique furniture. It's not that easy to find someone who is able to make a replica of a table leg using the same type of wood and duplicating the look of the grain.
These days, antique furniture replicas are churned out by factories; they're made from laminates that copy the grain and pattern of the commonly used woods in antique furniture. However, with these pieces it is easy to spot the difference between the original construction and today's mass-produced items.
