There is something about Spring that spurs home improvement and general refreshing of the home. Inevitably there are always pieces put aside during your cleanup that face the prospect of being discarded without thought. Before you are ready to chuck it out, consider checking it in with us. It may be less expensive to keep and restore pieces versus replacing them; particularly the sentimental ones.
How do you decide when to refinish something versus replacing it?
Not all furniture is made the same and that can make a big difference when it comes to stripping & refinishing. After 1960 furniture was built increasingly with particleboard and laminate surfaces as opposed to the more solid, hand-crafted pieces. Particleboard, certain types of veneered furniture and even plywood can’t be stripped easily and have to be done by hand, if at all. These types of materials will take more time as they can’t be dipped in our chemical tanks used for stripping. More often than not, it is less expensive to replace these pieces than to restore them.
Regarding antique furniture, the biggest mistake you can make is having repairs or refinishing undertaken by someone unfamiliar with traditional restoration methods. The market value of your piece can be significantly decreased if alterations are made without consideration to its historical value.
