When in search of antiques you should make sure that you are buying an antique for the real value. Normally, it is difficult to tell whether something is simply old, made from the available cheap wood, or perhaps if the wood is worth the buying fee. If the sort of wood used in the furniture were less than 100 years, it would not be considered antique. Always find out the exact time it was made and identify the manufacturers of such furniture. Do not be fooled into buying inexpensive wood, which has merely been stained in order to appear more expensive.
Study the various types of manufacturers and types of antique wood before shopping at the stores. Find out the type of wood you would like to have, such as burl walnut, mahogany, circassia walnut, rosewood and fire side walnut. In addition, look at the pictures of this furniture from varied length of time for instance, the 16th century – the 18th century.
Try and find out if it’s veneered. Wood turns veneered when the expensive wood is glued over the more valuable wood. Find out if it’s veneered by closely looking at the edges of the given wood to make it actually seamless. If the wood is not seamless, it most likely is veneered. This is very simple to determine most in the 17th century wood since veneering was often uneven and hand-cut.
Look for aging signs such as cracks or shrinkage. Cheap newer wood will probably not have wear and tear. Additionally, look for any chipping in the finish polishing. Feel the wood to find out if it has been refinished or touched up. Antique wood can go down in value if it has been refinished with paint or new wood.
Identify such wood by the period simply by having pictures of the different time periods and by researching. For instance, there are some furniture from the 1558 – 1625 that concentrated on presence and height while others were often left unfinished.
You can also find out if these woods are antique depending with their prices. Use the guide for antique pricing to aid you in determining if the wood is a rip-off or a bargain or rip-off. Antique sellers most likely use the same sort of pricing guide thus this is beneficial as well in determining if these woods are indeed antique.
Summary
Like with other things, shopping for antiques requires attention to detail and work. Being able to distinguish between different types, and the capability to decide if the furniture really is antique will be extremely useful.]]>