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Anything that takes away the patina of a piece of antique furniture will reduce its value. Of course it depends on the quality of the piece age etc. If it has little value and you like it I think I would restore it.
I rarely refinish antiques. To date, the only furniture I've refinished were items painted over their original finish or ruined by improper storage, to return them to their correct appearance. Mostly common and cheap pressed oak chairs and an old table. I may need to do some touching up on a Victrola with a damaged leg, when I can get a matching piece of wood spliced onto the damaged section.
I've repainted metal kerosene lanterns that were seriously rusty. I've got an old driving lamp now that's got pinholes on some of the tin (luckily not in the oil tank though). I'll patch up those holes and repaint it to make it look presentable. I've accumulated, mostly for free, several old pieces of door hardware, such as rimlocks, thumblatches, hinges, etc. Some have so many layers of paint on them they are non-functional without stripping them. What doesn't get used whenever I build my cabin/house will be sold off. I suspect that's a rare case where stripping old paint has increased the value.
Let's use my grandmother's kitchen table as an example. It dates to the 1930s. It is hardwood, very well made and aesthetically pleasing to the eye - charming, really. Seats four, with two drop leaves. It was originally painted and then she painted it again in about the 1950s.
It's not yet an antique - it's just "vintage." The original paint has long been covered. The hardwood grain (I can see it from the underside) is nothing special. The paint is not chipped - it's just not a great color. It doesn't look shabby chic - it just looks drab.
Should I paint it? I mean, it's not an antique. It's not particularly valuable. But hey, ONE DAY it WILL be an antique - a very well made, attractive table - other than that 1950s paint job.
Now - next scenario:
Late 1800s pine wardrobe from Europe in excellent shape. Bought it over in Germany for about $400. They are a dime a dozen over there, just like 1930s wardrobes are over here. I had it appraised - it appraised for $400. The original paint - if it ever was painted, and it probably was - is long gone and the pine is bare. These German wardrobes from that era were MEANT to be painted in a folk art style. Should I paint it?
Next scenario:
1970s French Provincial girl's bedroom set bought at a garage sale. Set is very well made. Original paint is dulled and yellowed. Daughter wants to liven it up and make it fun and funky. Should we do it?
See - that 1970s set is not an antique, not by a long shot. But NOTHING starts off as an antique! Most people would say "Paint it!" But isn't this tomorrow's antique? Why would it be OK to paint something now, but not 60 years from now?
Now - I know better than to repaint or refinish something that's rare or valuable. But I think there's a gray area - and I think that sometimes it's PERFECTLY fine to paint or refinish something old. For instance, the 1880s pine wardrobe. It's worth $400 as is. So - if I paint it and it "drops" in "value" to $150, but looks terrific in my house - who cares? What harm has been done?
I think none.
1880s wardrobe that's OK to refinish (this is now in my daughter's house - I think she did a nice job on it!):
1880s wardrobe that's NOT OK to refinish!
Last edited by KathrynAragon; 12-25-2012 at 04:47 AM..
I really wish that those who are voting would include comments as to why they chose the option they did.
A question that comes to my mind is this:
Say you refinish an antique - one like the pine armoire above - that was originally valued at about $400. Say it's now worth, oh, who knows - $150. So what? Is that inherently "wrong?" How so? I mean, it was never a valuable or rare piece, so why would it be "wrong" to paint it?
And would it be wrong to repaint or refinish something that had ALREADY been repainted or refinished? Like for instance, the vintage solid hardwood kitchen table I was discussing - already been repainted once. What's a girl to do with that?
Anything that takes away the patina of a piece of antique furniture will reduce its value. Of course it depends on the quality of the piece age etc. If it has little value and you like it I think I would restore it.
I agree with this. You hit the nail on the head when you discussed "patina."
Some antiques simply don't HAVE much patina. They may be very damaged, or they may have already been painted or refinished or stripped down somewhere along the way. Or they simply may not be particularly valuable, though they are pleasing to the eye and even a good quality piece. In those cases, I personally think it's completely acceptable - and may even ADD to the value of the piece - to refinish or repaint the piece.
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