How to Examine Painted Antique Furniture
Paint can be original decoration, a historic alteration or a recent finish. See evidence, dating traps and conservation limits.
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Identification Guides
93 published guides on repair, care and the stories behind well-made things.
How to Identify Mahogany in Antique Furniture
Mahogany is a trade name covering several related and look-alike timbers used across centuries. Seek interlocked grain, ribbon stripe on quartered surfaces.
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How to Approach International Silver Marks
Silver marking systems differ between countries, cities and periods; some use assay symbols, fineness numbers, maker marks and date letters.
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How to Identify Pine and Deal in Antique Furniture
Pine and deal were used for visible country furniture and as secondary woods behind expensive veneers.
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Casters on Antique Furniture Explained
Casters range from small brass wheels to ceramic and later industrial fittings, supporting movement and altering height.
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How to Identify Rosewood and Similar Dark Timbers
Rosewoods are dense, often strongly figured timbers from several Dalbergia species, widely used as veneer and solid decorative components.
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How to Read Ceramic Factory Marks Carefully
Factory marks can identify a maker, range or registration, but many changed over time and were copied or revived.
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How to Examine Upholstery Tacks and Tack Holes
Tacks and their holes can preserve a sequence of upholstery campaigns around chair and sofa rails. Map hole lines before removing anything. Earlier spacing.
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Old Nails, Screws and Pins as Dating Evidence
Fasteners record manufacturing methods and repairs, but most furniture contains hardware from more than one date.
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How to Detect Old Repairs in Porcelain
Porcelain repairs range from metal staples and rivets to fills, overpainting and modern resin joins.
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How to Identify Oak in Antique Furniture
Oak commonly shows prominent pores and, on quarter-sawn surfaces, pale medullary rays that cross the grain.
Read guideAntique Furniture Feet: A Recognition Guide
Bracket, bun, ball, cabriole, claw-and-ball, spade and turned feet contribute to style and function.
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