Furniture including antiques requires a certain amount of maintenance and care. The proper care of furniture can increase the life of the furniture indefinitely. This publication focuses on the care of furniture and the correct methods of touch up and finish restoration to damage that invariably occurs to the exposed surfaces of the furniture. Repairs to furniture are covered in another of Technical Leaflet series.
Repairs should be done to the furniture prior to any finish or touch up work. Missing parts need to be replaced with replacement parts that exactly match the original. The wood used should be of the same species as the original and fabrication in the exact style and shape as the original. Liquid hide glue should be used to repair any loose joints of antique furniture and carpenters glue used only on any breaks in the wood itself. Any glue should be removed from exposed surfaces to allow the finish and or stain to soak in evenly. Pigmented shellac can be used to cover up any glue that can not be easily removed. Check the list of Furniture Care Tips at the end of this publication.
The next step in the furniture restoration guide is Filling, which has already been published on our website.
