- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
BY SUE SPEICHERT
Times Correspondent | Thursday, March 16, 2006 | (No comments posted.)
If you do a Google search on the Internet or pick up a magazine with an article on buying antiques, you're bound to find the basics of what to look for.
They'll tell you to watch for signs that the piece is old (based on the hardware, or the nails, or the woodworking details). They'll remind you that older pieces may not be structurally sound, or may have been damaged somewhere earlier in life. These all are good points, ones worth learning and remembering. Besides these principles, though, I have my own set of guidelines, ones that I've developed from my own experience -- the hard way.
There's a good reason it's painted
I had it in my head that I wanted an antique medicine cabinet. My husband pointed out that someone else's toothbrush had once been in there, and that the previous owner had touched it repeatedly, especially when ill with a cold or the flu. I held steadfast but didn't want to spend a lot of cash.
One day in an antique mall, I found what I thought was the perfect medicine cabinet at what I thought was the perfect price. It was painted white.
"I can use some paint remover to bring it back to its original glory," I thought.
I imagined removing the ugly paint to discover wonderful, glowing oak underneath.
I brought my treasure home and set up a spot in the garage to start my project. It took only a bit of paint remover and even less elbow grease to discover why the cabinet had been painted. The paint hid an ugly truth: The cabinet was made of different types of wood. It had a pine door, a cherry top plate, and pine sides.
It still is in pieces in the garage. I have to re-glue it this spring. Then I have to decide what color to paint it.
Did I learn from this first lesson? Of course not. I later bought a painted antique kitchen pantry cabinet that was promised to be oak. It probably is. It was also broken severely at one corner, and was clamped back together with a cheap piece of metal. The coat of paint hid the metal, which I didn't notice until I got home. Which leads us to the next point.
There's a good reason it's so cheap
They say if something is too good to be true, it probably is. So it is with antique furniture. I know we all dream that we'll go to the flea market and find an old chair that we'll take to the "Antiques Roadshow" so the Keno brothers can tell us it's a Chippendale worth a fortune. From experience, I can say it's probably just someone's rickety old chair that the state has now been able to collect sales tax on for the second or third time.
I've learned the hard way to be particularly inquisitive when something is really inexpensive. I'll recommend using a penlight to look in all the nooks and crannies. I know this the hard way, having bought an Eastlake dresser with a beautiful veneer and an even more beautiful large mirror still attached to the dresser.
When we tipped up the dresser to lay it down on a blanket in the back of the truck to bring it home, we discovered that the underside showed considerable damage from termites and wood rot. A bargain antique is no bargain when it can destroy every piece of wood in your house.
Especially with auctions on eBay, I will send the seller questions to ask how they came to have the piece, what they know about it, and why they are selling it. I ask if it has any repairs, cracks, breaks, or problems that don't appear in the listing. I ask for additional photos. And most of all, I always make sure to ask for the size and weight of the piece. Which leads to the next point.
Measure twice and buy once
I once bought a set of kitchen cabinets that I was convinced were a fantastic deal. They were. Unfortunately, they were completely out of proportion for the kitchen and wouldn't fit, no matter how we tried to make them work.
The moral is simple: Measure before you buy.
Now we even chalk out the dimensions on the floor to see if a piece of furniture will fit. Know the measurements of your doorways, too. Who wants to buy a lovely Victorian carved sofa and then find out it won't fit through the front door? Even if it will fit in the door, it might not fit into the interior design of your home, bringing us to the next point.
Be true to yourself
It's easy for me to get carried away and buy things on a whim or the spur of the moment. The problem is, I get it home and discover it won't look right anywhere. I've decided that if I see something I like, I'll take a photo and put it up on the refrigerator or the bathroom mirror. If I want to put it in the living room, I'll tape it to the wall for a day or two, to think how it will look where I want to put it.
Most of all, I try to be honest with myself on how much restoration I can do myself. Some minor issues, such as a missing handle, may be easy enough to repair. Structural damage can be serious, though, and I have to weigh how much I want the piece compared to how much it will cost to bring it back to full beauty.
I once bought a high boy dresser that needed lots of TLC, thinking I could do it myself over time. When I had the piece home, though, I realized it was beyond my ability. I paid dearly to have it repaired professionally, probably more than I would have paid had I simply bought one in good condition.
This experience caused me considerable chagrin and took a big chunk out of my budget. This was definitely not fun, which is not what buying antiques is all about. The point of buying antiques, after all, is to enjoy having them in our homes. It's also the fun of looking for them along the way, which brings to mind the next point.
Cherish your antique friends as much as you do your antiques
It's not my fault that I buy antiques. I have two dear friends to blame. Dale and Marilee Popovich have been antiquers for years.
It's from them that I've learned the differences in furniture from different periods and different parts of the country. They've taught me to look for dovetailing, wooden nails, and the telltale signs of repair. It's always better to go exploring with friends when it comes to antiques. They're another set of eyes to look over the piece and give you that impartial opinion when you least want to hear it but need it most.
What I've learned above all from my two antiquing cohorts is that good friends are just as irreplaceable as the most expensive piece of antique furniture.
Over time, with our wrinkles, creaks, and wobbles, our kinship and friendship develops a distinct, strong, warm glow, one that withstands the tests of time. And this, as we all know, is the finest antique of all.
Back to story No comments posted.
- It wasn't clear, concise or focused on the topic in the story.
- It was a personal attack, vulgar, explicit or degrading, used actual or implied profanity or contained potentially libelous statements.
- It accused someone of being guilty of a crime.
- It promoted violence or illegal acts.
- It contained telephone numbers or street addresses, or e-mail addresses and links to Web sites other than nwi.com or government agencies.
In no way do these comments represent the views of The Times or Lee Enterprises.
Passionate views, pointed criticism and critical thinking are welcome. Name-calling, crude and profane language and personal abuse are not welcome.
Reader comments will not be edited - they will be approved or declined. They may be used in the print edition of the newspaper.
If you feel a posted comment has violated these guidelines, please email our New Media team the commenter's name, the comment and a link to the article.
For more information please read our Terms of Service.