Owning a piece or pieces of antique furniture is something the value of which is difficult to quantify, but once you have one in your home, you're bound to want more. One of the most alluring characteristics of antique furniture is the deep, rich colour of the wood, and it is crucial, as an owner of an antique, that you maintain the look of your treasured furniture. There are a number of ways that one can care for wood, some better than others, but most important in the maintenance of good wood is to care for it with consistency...
If you are in the market for quality antique furniture then visit www.finderskeepers.co.za
Good Finish – Vital For Antiques
By: Sarika Kabra
Antique furniture lends grace to your home furnishings. The regal outlook of the antiques makes them the most sought after furniture in the town. A good finish on the antique furniture is what makes it the preferred choice. Read on the kinds of finishing available and the best option for your antique furniture.
The antique Amish made furniture can never be "antique" in the real sense of the term. Time may make it old but as an old wine, Amish furniture betters with age. Good antique furniture that is coated with lasting finish will make for a better looking and durable article.
Antiques show your sense of appreciating the traditional values and if blended with modern makeover, it shows a person’s balanced approach to lifestyle. More than a style statement, a home with antique furniture reflects a balanced mindset of its residents.
Normally, antique furniture does not require much maintenance due to its unique architecture and content. Made with solid wood, and if handled with due care, the antiques will only demand periodic touching up so as to maintain their grace and elegance. To beautify and protect the wood, the antique furniture was, historically, finished with labor intensive but durable processes. A good finish on solid wooden furniture would last for a considerably longer duration of time making the antique furniture maintenance-friendly and long lasting.
The basic steps involved in finishing are the first coat, the build coat and the top coat. All these steps, and necessarily in this order, are common to all furniture finishing. The first coat seals and evens out differences in porosity and density. The build or body coats are the part of a finish that provide moisture resistance, durability and longevity to the coating. The top coat gives the desired aesthetic sheen, but the total look and character of the finish comes from the work put into the Base & Build coats.
Wax finish on wood is the most simple and effective mode of prolonging the life of your old furniture. A simple wax finishing gives the wood a soft and satiny look. This is the most preferred mode of finishing the wooden furniture. A major advantage of wax finish is its easy restorability. And the disadvantage is that it can stain easily, even by water.
Oil finishing is also a popular process and has been in use since time immemorial. Oil finishing is easy to apply with simple brushes. The oil seeps into the wood to give it a nice sheen. You may have to use lots of coats to get the desired sheen but its simple application makes oil one of the preferred finishing tools.
Another useful finishing mode is the traditional lacquer finish. Lacquer finish has all the qualities of a preferred finishing technique but sometimes, hazardous chemicals and solvents are used in the classical lacquer. This makes lacquer finishing a little unpopular these days. The modern artisans have developed water and alcohol based lacquer to provide safe and smooth finish to your favorite antique furniture.
Varnish finishing is rarely used on the antique furniture these days due to special skills required to attain perfection.
Plenty of options are available for the right finish for your precious antique furniture. The factors that must be taken into consideration before opting for either are the cost, durability and grace. Consult the experts in this regard since every antique furniture piece requires individual attention and no generalizations can be made as to what is the best finishing option for antique furniture. Antique Amish handcrafted furniture always remains in demand. Modern furniture is good, but it is the antique furniture that commands the greatest respect. And if you have antique furniture at home, nothing compares!
By Sarika Kabra
Published: 12/20/2006
Available at: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/good-finish-antiques.html
Whichever method you choose, ensure that you make a schedule to care for your antique wood and keep it looking like the day that it was made. The rewards of consistent care far outweigh the effort that it entails, which is not significant to begin with.
