Restoring antique furniture just makes sense. Newer pieces are overly expensive and are usually of lesser quality. Why settle for Ikea when you can have the real thing?
Some people consider antiques to be "old furniture". Granted, there is some junk out there, but for the most part, antiques are made of much better materials than you can find in modern pieces. Unless you've got very deep pockets.
Why not Refinish Rather than Buy New Furniture?
Seems like a no-brainer to me. If you've got a great hand-me-down dining table or bed, why not indulge in a little antique refinishing as a weekend project?
You do have to take some precautions if you want to preserve the antique status, but basically, refinishing is refinishing. I like using citrus-based strippers. They smell great, are non-toxic, and won't set you back too bad financially.
I've even seen it take off a vinyl tile mastic that other chemicals couldn't even make a dent in.
So What Makes an Antique an Antique?
Age, basically. According to the TV show Antiques Roadshow, "Generally speaking, an object of considerable age valued for its aesthetic or historical significance. In the antiques trade, the term refers to objects more than 100 years old."
So there you have it. Most likely, it's older than you are. Have a little respect.
Hide Glue is the Thing
Carpenters and cabinet makers of old didn't have access to all the engineered glues of today. So to preserve your piece's antique status you must use hide glue, if it was assembled that way. PETA won't like it.
Like the name implies, it's made from animal hides. You'll have to order the powder and mix it. By hand. The old fashioned way.
