Recognizing Original Furniture Finish

How to recognize antique furniture?

Refinished pieces often look new, without normal wear signs such as stains, scratches, or dents; if there are scratches or dents, they have been finished over and are in the wood rather than the finish. Sanding marks can also show up on a refinished piece. Coarse sandpaper may have left scratches, or a power sander may have scarred the surface with small vibrator marks or orbital sander markings. Traces of old finish can also be left in corners, crevices, and carvings, usually appearing darker than the new furniture finish.

Look for runs in the finish, usually indicating it's not original. Inspect backs, undersides, and inside furniture for telltale signs of refinishing; many refinishers don't clean up these areas well, and you'll be able to find traces of old finish or residue left by the stripping process and light-colored streaks where solvent ran across the area, removing color. Also look under hardware for signs of an older, darker furniture finish.

There are good indications of a fine old furniture finish that you can look for, as well. If the finish looks rich and mellow, with normal age and wear signs, it could be old. Some old finishes are also cracked, crazed, or "alligatored", a term used to describe a finish surface resembling alligator hide. Old finishes may be sun bleached in one or more areas from exposure to sunlight through a window. If an older finish has been waxed or oiled regularly, it can appear dark, dirty, and dingy because of dirt and dust accumulation. You can usually remedy this with a good cleaning, which will return the piece to its original color.

 

Penetrating Finishes

You can usually identify oil finishes by their appearance. Because they are a penetrating finish, rather than a film-building finish, oil finishes give wood a natural look with very little if any finish film on the wood surface. Look across the wood, allowing the light to reflect off the surface; if the wood grain appears open, reflecting the light, and the sheen is dull rather than glossy, it may very well be an oil finish.

Film Finishes

To check for a film finish; shellac, lacquer, or varnish, use the solvent test. Using mineral spirits on a rag, clean a spot in an inconspicuous area. Then apply denatured alcohol on a white cotton rag to the same inconspicuous spot, let the alcohol soak in for a few minutes, and rub the spot with the rag. If the finish begins to dissolve and the white rag picks up brown stains, you probably have a shellac finish. If not, go to the next solvent, lacquer thinner, and repeat the process to see whether the finish dissolves; if so, the finish is lacquer. If the finish still doesn't dissolve, or if it crinkles and lifts, you can assume it's some type of varnish. Most varnishes are vulnerable to methylene chloride-type paint and varnish removers.

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