It is important to me to disclose this to you. The content of this blog is a source of income and therefore may be used to promote products, services, or other businesses. Products provided to me by my advertising partners for my review are given to me free of charge with no cost to myself.
This does not ensure a positive review of the product in any way. I appreciate my readers, and always make it my goal to deliver quality, honest material on this blog through each post. Have you noticed this site is faster?!
Would you like to join our list and get an email when I write a new DIY post? Copyright Sharing is great! Please feel free to share this blog with your friends, as well as on Facebook and Pinterest and Flipboard and Houzz and YouTube the more the merrier!
I appreciate you stopping by. But please remember that all photos, images, text and content are owned by SimpleDecoratingTips. So anything you share, please be sure it always links back to my original post it came from. Please do not remove watermarks, crop or edit anything without written permission from me first. Graphics Fairy Graphics Fairy. Wherever you look, it's a sure bet that you won't find a genuine antique from or What you may find is a genuine reproduction, and these can be extremely valuable.
There are several ways you can spot an antique. The first giveaway is the joinery; machine-cut furniture wasn't made until about If the piece has drawers, remove a drawer and look closely where the front and back of the drawer are fastened to the sides of the drawer. If a joint was dovetailed by hand, it has only a few dovetails, and they aren't exactly even; if it has closely spaced, precisely cut dovetails, it was machine-cut.
Handmade dovetails almost always indicate a piece made before Look carefully at the bottom, sides, and back of the drawer; if the wood shows nicks or cuts, it was probably cut with a plane, a spokeshave, or a drawknife. Straight saw marks also indicate an old piece. If the wood shows circular or arc-shaped marks, it was cut by a circular saw, not in use until about Exact symmetry is another sign that the piece was machine-made.
On handmade furniture, rungs, slats, spindles, rockers, and other small-diameter components are not uniform. Examine these parts carefully; slight differences in size or shape are not always easy to spot.
A real antique is not perfectly cut; a reproduction with the same components is, because it was cut by machine. The finish on the wood can also date the piece. Until Victorian times, shellac was the only clear surface finish; lacquer and varnish were not developed until the mids. The finish on a piece made before is usually shellac; if the piece is very old, it may be oil, wax, or milk paint.
Fine old pieces are often French-polished, a variation of the shellac finish. A lacquer or varnish finish is a sure sign of later manufacture. Testing a finish isn't always possible in a dealer's showroom, but if you can manage it, identify the finish before you buy. Test the piece in an inconspicuous spot with denatured alcohol; if finish dissolves, it's shellac.
If the piece is painted, test it with ammonia; very old pieces may be finished with milk paint, which can be removed only with ammonia. If the piece of furniture is very dirty or encrusted with wax, clean it first with a mixture of denatured alcohol, white vinegar, and kerosene, in equal parts. The wood itself is the final clue. Very early furniture -- before -- is mostly oak, but from on, mahogany and walnut were widely used. In America, pine has always been used because it's easy to find and easy to work; better furniture may be made with maple, oak, walnut, cherry, or mahogany.
But because the same woods have always been favored for furniture, workmanship and finish are probably a better indicator of age than the wood itself. Let's look at the differences between basic English and American furniture styles in the next section.
Most old wooden furniture you will encounter, most likely, will be either traditional English or American Colonial styles. Let's review the special characteristics of both popular types. Description: Graceful curves, curved cabriole leg, with no rungs or stretchers; minimal decoration, very simple; scallop-shell mount.
Description: Elaboration of Queen Anne; ornate carvings, either delicate or bold; many themes, including rococo, English, Chinese, Greek classic; intricate chair backs. Description: Straight, slender lines; heavy Greek classic influence; fluted columns; delicate low-relief carvings, especially draped garlands.
Desscription: Based on Adam; straight tapered legs; shield- oval-, or heart-shaped chair backs; less decoration; delicate carvings. Description: Similar to Hepplewhite and other Georgian styles; straighter, more upright lines; Greek classic influence; lyre -shaped chair backs; inlays and thick veneers. Description: heavy, massive, substantial; dark finish; clumsy dessign; ornate carvings and decorations; marble tops used. The following criteria will help you determine if your old furniture is an American-made antique.
Description: Hybrid of English styles; square lines; solid construction; heavy decoration and carving. Description: Imported wood; interpretations of Queen Anne and Georgian styles; formal. Windsor chair. Description: Interpretations of Georgian styles; Duncan Phyfe variations of Sheraton style; some French influence; heavier versions of English styles. Boston rocker, Hitchcock chair. With any piece of furniture, the practicality of refinishing eventually comes down to one question: is it worth saving?
Moving into the s, maple and cherry showed up in fine furniture manufacture quite often. Many Victorian furniture manufacturers used mahogany and rosewood through the late s. Then, around , oak became popular again. The type of wood used is not an exact indicator of age, but when you tie in the other factors like style and construction technique, you start to get a better idea of the date of the piece.
Original upholstery materials like silk, wool, or cotton were spun and woven into a variety of damasks, satins, and brocades with many different patterns. A wide variety of materials and fabric designs were favored for upholstery during different periods. Schwartz is an upholstery guide that can help you decipher the styles that align with furniture periods. Closely review the screws. Screws were not made completely by machine until So if you find a furniture item using screws that have completely rounded shafts, pointed ends, and perfectly finished heads with matching cuts much like a screw you would purchase today , the piece likely dates to the midth century or later.
Screws made from about through the mids were partially machine-made giving the threading a more even appearance. But the heads were still finished with hacksaws to add the groove to fit a screwdriver, so no two are exactly alike.
The first screws were crafted during the s by blacksmiths using square nail stock that was heated and pounded until it was somewhat round. The tips were blunt and each one was unique.
If you find these hand-finished screws in furniture, investigate other aspects of the pieces to see if they appear to match the screws in age. One similarly-dated element is brass hardware. Early 18th-century hardware was cast from molten brass using molds made of sand. This hardware often has inclusions or marks left behind by grains of sand or odd colors from impurities.
The backs of the hardware were often left with these pockmarks, while the outward-facing surfaces were polished. Early 19th-century brass also has a rough texture, finish, and threading. From the s up until the Eastlake period during the s, brass hardware fell out of favor in furniture manufacture and was sparsely used. If you have a piece with brass, it's most likely pres or a revival piece from the late s on. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
Use precise geolocation data.
0コメント