The Cheater Guide to Making Old Furniture Look Good Again

Antique dealers know what they are dealing with before they start cleaning an item. If you are unsure how valuable something is then research it thoroughly before making any attempts to clean it. You could be devaluing a precious object it you clean it improperly or you could do damage to it that would decrease its value.

You would be horrified at how many people store treasures out in their barns and garages thinking that they will be safe there. Fluctuating temperatures are bad for any indoor items and barns and garages are dirty places. Those people might have thought this item is a lost cause and drop it off at your local thrift store. If you are wondering if it is worth your while to buy it then you might be surprised how easy it is to fix it up.

Check to see if there is a lot of loose dirt or dust on the furniture.
A vacuum cleaner is your best friend. Hold the nozzle of the vacuum an inch or two away from the surface but don't let the nozzle suction on to the surface as you can cause scrapes, gauges and damage. Make sure what ever you are cleaning is secure and won't be knocked over. Once you have vacuumed it the first time take a soft broad clean painters brush and brush loose any dirt or dust while vacuuming again. If the object has a lots of detailed work and crevasses like a  carved piece of wood then use a Vacuum Micro Attachments that fit on the end of your regular vacuum. While these little attachments were designed to clean computer keyboards and other electronics they  works amazingly well in cleaning out creases, seams and fiddly little places.     

After you have removed any loose dirt and dust you can wipe the surface with a soft cloth that has been  dampen with warm water. You don't want to grind any dirt back into the surface of what you are cleaning so rinse your cloth often. You don't want to saturate the surface with water as it can soak the dirt deeper into the surface. You might have to use a cotton swab to get into the corners.

If you have a piece of furniture that has a  finish that is not flaking off but still looks terrible then don't think that it has to be stripped and refinished. Antique dealers love using furniture restorers which are like elixirs for the wood. These work by wiping them on the wood, letting them penetrate and then wiping them off. These elixirs can remove water stains, cover scrapes and scratches and give the wood a deep glowing finish.Many of these products have a turpentine base to them that gives them an distinctive, but not unpleasant scent and you might recognize it from antique stores that you have been in.  What ever product that you buy read the instructions carefully as they can differ from product to product.

If there are  guages in the wood you still might not have to refinish it but use a furniture pencil  instead. You would have to match the type and finish of the wood. While these are not full proof, the scratch might still stay visible if looked at closely,  they are great for fast fixes on minor problems. Antique dealers will also use these in places that veneer has chipped off on the sides of furniture.

If you have cleaned the furniture and realize that the finish is too damaged to be saved then painting it is a great solution. White and cream colored paint always gives a bright clean cottage look to almost any piece but historical colors can make a simple piece of furniture look colonial or federal. Black will make it look sophisticated and wild colors will give it a retro vibe. If you have decided to paint then you must use an excellent primer for a good base. You don't have to paint the whole piece of furniture, if you like the finish but the top is damaged then just paint the top.

Adding bits of hardware can hid problems and make a piece look more expensive than it is. This is a favourite trick of antique dealers and if you ever are buying furniture from an antique store you should ask if all the hardware is authentic to the piece.  If the edges of a table or desk are damaged you can hide this by adding brass corners and on larger pieces trunk corners . If the piece has lost some handles or pulls then replace them. Hardware stores have some great reproductions of antique pulls and handles or you can totally update your piece by placing  modern hardware on it. You can also find hardware at thrift stores. Not all the handles on a cabinet or chest of drawers have to be the same. You can have the top one very ornate and the rest plainer.

If you are worried about a musty odor from inside drawers try crumpling up newspaper and  then change it daily with fresh newspaper discarding the old for a week.  If it is a stronger smells then a few cups of odor removing cat litter left for a three or four days will work.

If you are buying an upholstered piece make sure that the fabric hasn't worn through. Many hall chairs and dining chairs can easily have their seats popped out and recovered and antique dealers do this all the time. If the seat is attached to the chair then you can remove the cording that hides where the fabric is stapled to the seat and pull another fabric over top and staple in place then hid with a new cording glued on with fabric glue. This is a temporary measure until you have the time and funds to do a proper re-upholstery job.

If the fabric is in good condition but dirty then vacuum very well and clean it with a foam upholstery cleaner. Follow the instructions of the cleaner and test on a small area first as  sometimes cleaners can change the color of fabric (if the choice is cleaning it and having a slight color change or not cleaning it and having a dirty piece of furniture around then maybe you should just embrace the change of a new color). If it is not dirty then a good vacuuming and then brushing it hard will bring up the nap so it will look fresher. If there is a loose seat cushion see if one side is in better condition than the other. If you do clean it you might find that the cording around the finished edges looks worn and dated and this is easy to replace. Large fabric stores sell cording in many different sizes and colors. If you see settees and sofas in antique stores filled with pillows it's not just done for decorative effect, large pillows will hide a multitude of problems.

With some careful cleaning and adding some decorative elements you can change an eye sore into a standout.