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I would sometimes get a customer that "didn't want to destroy the value" of some vintage piece of furniture by refinishing.  I was always tempted to say that I should ask what the value was and I would refinish it for half of the "value" she thought it would be.

 

 

Reprint— Finishing & Restoration (formerly Professional Refinishing Magazine), June 2002

Is refinishing bad?

In our trade magazine "Finishing & Restoration" (formerly Professional Refinishing), the wisdom of restoring/refinishing antique and older furniture was discussed/debated at some length. Some opinions mirrored the public's general perception that restoration and refinishing are to be avoided. The misperception was fueled largely by a general misunderstanding that resulted from various airings of the television show "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS. It got to the point where many people believed it was unwise to restore/refinish almost any piece of furniture!

The editor of the magazine, Bob Flexner, contacted the shows' producers and explained the impact the misunderstanding was having on the public's perception concerning restoring/refinishing older and antique furniture. Peter B. Cook, executive producer of the television program, wrote a response that was published in the June 2002 issue of the magazine. Here are some excerpts from the article (underline added for emphasis);

"A while ago, we at Antiques Roadshow received a letter from Professional Refinishing editor Bob Flexner, pointing out that our apparent obsession (my word, not his) with 'original finish' has had the effect of misleading the public about what repairing and refinishing actually do to the value of furniture - most furniture, that is.

We're now in our sixth season of Antiques Roadshow on PBS... This means, of course, that there's a real premium on the accuracy, dependability and usefulness of the information we provide. ... I'd hate to think that we've created a subset of American furniture owners living in dread of a fatal financial misstep (though Antiques Roadshow is, after all, a show about value, including market value). ... Still, if I'm reading things correctly, it sounds as if Roadshow furniture experts are saying, by and large, 'leaving things alone is good, refinishing is bad.'

Understandably, our Americana experts on the Roadshow live for wonderful old pieces of furniture that have somehow survived in terrific condition - pieces not used too hard, left out in strong light for long periods of time or forced to survive a flooded cellar. Most old furniture, of course, doesn't come close to meeting those standards. On the contrary, most furniture has been well used (even abused), scratched, broken, and often repaired many times. How could such furniture not be improved by a good job of refinishing or restoring? ... A secretary, made by Christian Shively in about 1820, was brought to the Indianapolis tapings this year. It had been stripped and refinished by the owner to remove paint that had been applied many decades earlier. Appraiser John Hays endorsed the need for refinishing and complimented the quality of the work.

... So where does that leave us? Let the record show that Antiques Roadshow generally agrees with this notion: Well-conceived and well-executed refinishing and restoration usually enhances the value of just about any piece of old furniture. Exceptions are those rare (often museum-quality) pieces that have somehow survived in great 'original' condition. If we say or imply to the contrary, we should be called on it."

"Well-conceived and well-executed refinishing and restoration usually enhances the value..."

Interesting. I was always told "never refinish".

I'm willing to bet that a VERY high percentage of "antique" furniture has been touched up or refinished at some point. It is a rare piece that survives 100+ years without someone, somewhere, or at sometime altering the original piece. This could mean; painting, stripping and refinishing, changing hardware...whatever.

 

How can you devalue a piece by refinishing if it has already been "destroyed"? You can't do any more damage at that point.

 

There are very few 17th and 18th century "museum quality" pieces that have survived the ravages of time unscathed. Which is why they command such high prices. Certainly, if they have and the original finish is intact it should be left. Even rare pieces in a "poor" finish state could fall into this category.

 

For the average, common piece, "what difference does it make"?

 

I have a three drawer dresser, that is made out of Chestnut. I have had it since I was a little kid and went with me when I flew the nest. There is nothing special about it other then it was a typical mass produced piece of furniture from 1903. I ended up tearing it apart, repairing all of the loose and broken joints and refinishing the worn and scarred finish. I was going to throw the old, black iron escutcheons away until, on a whim, I decided to try and buff them out. Low and behold they were brass plated. They hadn't been cleaned or polished in decades. Those BLACK escutcheons turned out to be beautiful brass ones underneath. I polished them out and then sealed them with spray lacquer. Three decades later they are still untarnished and the dresser is my daily user.

 

Did I screw up and destroy my "valuable antique" by doing all of this? Absolutely not!

 

It was a $100 piece of furniture before and it probably appreciated very little over the decades...refinished or not. Am I disappointed that I may have destroyed the value? No. I've gotten five decades of use out of it.

 

Let's get real folks! How many of us own that rare, 18th century, museum quality, secretary made by some famous Connecticut maker worth $300,000? Unless it is a rare piece...refinish away.