Furniture Finishing and Conservation Workshop Overview:

The keyword for refinishing antique furniture is don't. You can remove old finishes and put on new ones but no matter how dark and ugly the old finish is, it is extremely valuable to the antique item. The original finish is part of the history of the piece and can't be removed without losing the most visible proof of its age.

Many parts of an antique can be reproduced by experts who professionally repair them for collectors and museums. The repair and restoration of defects such as, broken legs, damaged carvings, and missing pulls, or finials are often difficult to detect, even by other experts. These kinds of repairs do not seriously devalue an important piece and in some cases, if the piece was badly damaged, the value is greatly improved, but the finish, Ah the finish, now that's another story. Think about it this way. The finish on the piece bears the marks of generations of owners who have cared for it. If you scrape away the finish, the history is gone. Like it or not, much of the value of any antique is in its rarity, quality, condition, and original finish.

Of course, this discussion applies only to genuine antiques that are potentially valuable. If you have a chest that is say, thirty years old and the finish is so badly worn that the piece is worth very little anyway, then you might just as well go ahead and put a new finish on it, but before you invest the money and the time, look it over very carefully. You may discover that the problem is really a matter of removing thirty years worth of dirt and wax. No matter how much the look of the piece has changed over time, its appearance can be improved greatly by means other than removing the old finish. Stay tuned to The Antique Advertiser for more on the subject of cleaning old finishes and in the meanwhile read the following piece which was written when "gasoline torches" were "state of the art".

Date: January 15-17, 2009
Learning Experiences:

• Learn and use refinishing techniques
• Understand the conservation, care, and maintenance of antique furniture
• Learn repair techniques and proper repair methods
• Understand different refinishing materials and how to use them
• Prepare your own finish samples and understand how to apply them

Please bring a small to medium piece of furniture to refinish and repair throughout the course. We will also work on a refinishing project as a class.

For information call (435) 283-7572

or fax (435) 283-6913 or Register Online