There is nothing better than a lovely piece of antique wood. Older pieces of furniture have a glow and warmth to them that newer furniture doesn’t have. This glow and warmth is known as a “Patina” and takes several years to build up and develop; for some types of wood, it could take centuries. Even when the wood’s surface gets scuffed or marked, that does not matter as it adds to the charm and character of the piece. Your antique outdoor garden furniture has to withstand extremes of cold and Heat. It can be suffered from mold and rotting due to lower maintenance. However, without proper care and treatment, such woods can get damaged easily, often beyond repair. So, if you are lucky to own a unique piece of antique wood furniture, it is vital that you take the best care of it. Here are some tips on furniture restoration and care to get you started.
Wax the Piece of Furniture Often
Remember the gorgeous patina we just mentioned? Well, for it to be preserved, it needs some maintenance to build it up and keep it looking good. You can achieve this by waxing your antique wood furniture often. Natural beeswax is the best option for this as it protects the wood’s surface, nourishes it deep inside, and brings out the colour of the wood’s grain. Beeswax, unlike modern spray polishes, provides unmatched protection. It is worth noting that new polishes can damage the wood with continued use. Waxing your antique wooden furniture is quite simple – smear a small amount of beeswax on a soft piece of clean lint-free cloth and rub it on the wood following the grain until the surface gleams. On dried out wood, the wax will get soaked up pretty fast. When that happens, continue applying the wax until the gleam sticks around. Make it a point to polish antique wooden furniture once every few months. Dust in between to encourage the development of hard wax skin – this will help protect the wood’s surface.
Mind Where You Position Your Antique
Antique wooden furniture owners consider these pieces of furniture as display objects and not things to be hidden in a corner or dark room where people cannot see them. However, it is essential that you carefully consider where you position your antique piece of furniture. Just because that vintage rocking chair looks good sitting by the window does not mean that that is the best place for you to place it. Continued exposure to direct sunlight might bleach the chair’s wood, giving it an uneven colour. Exposure to heat could even cause the veneer to lift off or the wood to crack. Also, avoid placing antique pieces of furniture near central heating as it is known to dry wood out – which means it’ll need to be waxed often to protect it. There are lots of environmental factors that can affect antique furniture. It is, therefore, essential that you take the time to think about where you position your vintage furniture. But of all things, avoid keeping your antiques in direct sunlight. Ensure that the rooms they are in are well-ventilated and have relatively stable humidity and temperature levels.
Moving and Handling
Moving can be chaotic and is a time when a lot of furniture gets damaged or broken. Transporting things in crowded vans and squeezing them through narrow hallways and doorways are all synonymous to the moving process. But that shouldn’t be the case for antique wooden furniture. These are pieces of furniture that need to be treated with respect and care, and should be move as little and as gently as possible. If moving a piece of antique furniture is necessary, make sure that you have two people moving it to avoid chipping and dragging. Never tilt antique chairs back on their legs as that could damage their joints. Instead, use furniture glides or castors to protect their base. When moving things like dressers and cabinets, always lift them from the lowest part of their frames and remember to remove drawers before moving the unit. While all this might seem obvious, rough handling is one of the main reasons why antique pieces of furniture get damaged.
Sometimes, despite everything we might do to protect antique wooden furniture, they get damaged. But that does not mean that your damaged piece of antique furniture is lost forever. Professional antique furniture restorers can help repair broken vintage furniture. Experienced restorers can match a furniture’s unique style, often making it hard to tell where the repair was done. However, this takes skill, experience, and time. That is why it is best that you leave this to a professional. For more tips on how to care for your vintage piece of furniture or to know more about restoring antique furniture or for more information, contact a trusted antique wooden furniture expert today.