How To Date Old Furniture
It can include anything from a valuable antique to a vintage piece of mid 20th century modern furniture.
How to date old furniture. On wednesday i showed you my latest furniture transformation thanks so much to all of you that left the nicest comments on that post. After 1700 mahogany and walnut were very popular. Hand cut dovetails can date an older american piece to before 1890 although hobbyists and specialty makers still use them.
The wear and tear of a piece of furniture also helps to tell its age. Old furniture can be acquired at flea markets garage sales online and through dealers. The finish on the wood can also date the piece.
A nail may not be a noticeable. Lacquer and varnish were not developed until the mid 1800s. Take note of the shape of the screws used to hold the furniture together.
When i m trying to identify the age of a particular piece of furniture i always start with the drawers. I knew you d all love our new dresser as much as we do and your sweet comments totally made my day. For example oak was primarily used in furniture made prior to 1700.
If the piece is very old it may be oil wax or milk paint. A legitimate antique is one hundred years old or older. Moving into the 1800s maple and cherry showed up in fine furniture manufacture quite often.
And of course there are always exceptions to dating furniture that one must consider like if a piece was damaged and parts had to be remade etc. Hand dovetails are slightly irregular and the pins are thin and tapered. It should have a bit of scarring to show for its time.