Looking for opinions on re-staining antique furniture

[Al G]

I've done a few small pieces myself which turned out fairly nice. I used a dark red mahogany stain.
I've also seen on the Road Show, never refinish old furniture because it depreciates the value, but in my case it didn't matter. I just didn't like the condition of it. I surely would 'not' take it apart.

[silibran]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Oak can look nice with a somewhat dark stain, especially if it is quarter sawn oak that shows a strong contrast / radial pattern.

I would not recommend "chocolate brown" and if the existing finish is "reddish" it may take so much stain to get a true chocolate tone that all traces of the natural wood grain are blotted out...

Even if you don't want to sell it may be worth at least researching the make of the furniture -- pieces from firms like Stickely could be quite valuable and then you could buy something that is more to your taste. If you have a dresser like this maybe you could sell it and but a new house: THE STICKLEY MUSEUM

If the material is not oak but something like mahogany or cherry it would be foolish to slather brown stain on it -- even inexpensive art noveau style bedroom would look terrible with a too modern "chocolate" stain. -- Antique Mahogany Art Noveau French Style Twin Beds Vintage Bedroom Furniture | eBay

Don't do anything until you know what you have. You can find pics of antique furniture online. Search with a descripton: art nouveau oak furniture, for instance. I am not sure if Art Nouveau pieces were made of oak though.

I found similar pieces to my old settee by looking through pics I found by searching on google. It helped me know that I had an Empire Revival settee, probably manufactured around the turn of the last century. It isn't terribly valuable either, I found out.

However, if you do have something really nice, you don't want to do anything to it that would harm its value. So, you can research this yourself, or have it appraised. Then whatever you do will be informed by knowing if it is has value.

If you choose to refinish it, then you will need to strip it. The newer strippers are gentler and easier to use than they used to be. Stripping and restaining several pieces is quite a project, so know what you want to do ahead of time.

My old dining table was given to us in pieces. It had a reddish stain on it, and was oak. I located an exact replica of it in a reprint of a Sears Roebuck Catalog. DH refinished it long ago, and it did service for us until the early aughts, when I replaced it. It now graces the home of one of my kids. That old furniture can be quite sturdy. But it isn't necessarily intrinsically valuable.

[gentlearts]

Most people overvalue old furniture, so in most cases it is not very valuable, except for sentimental value.

If I were you, I would try using Old English Scratch Cover first, in an inconspicuous place, to see how it looks. The stuff will positively renew dark old furniture (be careful because the stuff will stain anything it touches). Your set might not need an expensive refinish after all.