Antiques and Restoration
What makes an object an antique?
What do you think of when you hear these terms?
- Antique
- Retro
- Vintage
Definitions
- Antique: 100 years old or more
- The term originally only referred to goods made before 1830, prior to mass production in the US
- Vintage: 50 years or more
- Retro: Refers to anything that imitates an older style, the item does not have to genuinely be from said time period.
How can you find information about antiques?
Just Answer
- Ask questions directly to antique dealers, lawyers, doctors, veterinarians, and other experts.
- $1 - $5 one week trial price, after which there is a $50 monthly fee.
- Cancel your membership after one week in order to avoid the larger fee.
- They can give you information on the cost, style, origin, and time period of your antiques.
Common Styles
- Rococo
- Victorian
- Arts & Crafts Movement / Mission
- Art Nouveau
- Art Deco
- Mid-century Modern
Antique Care
Storage, Cleaning, Restoration & Repair
Storage
Items in Use
- Keep antiques away from windows. Rotate items incrementally over time to reduce irregular sun fading. Curtains can help.
- Grandfather clocks are often the most sun-damaged antique.
- Cover surfaces with cloth to reduce scratches.
Items in Storage
- Cover with a sheet and keep items away from the window.
- Check on stored antiques at least once a year to monitor for termites and water damage.
- Stored wooden furniture still needs to be waxed once a year.
Cleaning
Metal
- Silver: Polish
- Gold: Polish
- Brass/ Bronze/ Copper: Consider polishing, but probably leave the patina
- Iron: Wash with warm water, scrub with kerosene, polish with steel wool (+rust remover), rinse thoroughly, dry with a cloth.
- Steel: Prevent rust. Clean with vinegar and lime solution. Consider painting, powder coating, or re-surfacing steel that is seriously deteriorating,
Cleaning Your Antiques
- Cleaning should be minimal. Cleaning too much will get rid of the patina and reduce the antique’s value.
- Patina: Thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze and similar metals, or certain stones, and wooden furniture, or any similar acquired change of a surface through age and exposure.
- Lightly wiping down surfaces with water, a rag, and a small amount of soap is the safest way to clean antiques. Other methods: vinegar, denatured alcohol
Cleaning Your Antiques
- Always do individual research on items before cleaning to see what is recommended.
- Try the least strong cleaning method first. If not satisfied, try a more intensive method. i.e: Water -> Vinegar
- Avoid commercial cleaning products, even plant based ones, unless explicitely recomended. Every day cleaners are not meant for antiques.
Dusting Your Antiques
- Dust with a soft wet rag.
- Wiping a surface with a dry rag will create micro-scratches.
- Some antique experts prefer to dust with feathers, but this method is contentious. Critics of this method worry that quills scratch wood.
Waxing Wooden Furniture
- Wood Furniture needs to be waxed 1 - 2 times per year. More than that can cause damage to your wooden furniture.
- Pure beeswax is preferable. A good commercially available wax is Howard Feed-N-Wax
Restoration vs Repair
Restoration is preferable to refinishing
Refinishing
- Chemicals for stripping wood can be harmful and refinishing will often reduce the value of antiques. People still choose to refinish if pieces are extremely damaged or if they have a strong aesthetic preference.
- Types of finishing: Wood Stain, Polyurethane, Lacquer, Shellac, Tung
