Conservation and restoration of wooden furniture
Furniture that is very dated or is an antique can be conserved or restored so that future generations may also enjoy them for cultural, educational and personal benefit.
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works declares that stripping and refinishing furniture is no longer standard practice.
The conservator prevents works of art from disappearing or loses its purpose whilst analyzing the complex stage of its material history and the cause of alteration.
The same chair can be "restored" and looking as it did when new, with replacement fabric copied from the original weave and colors, and upholstered according to the known design of that particular piece of furniture; this would represent the other kind of authenticity.
[8] When a conservator-restorer is working on upholstered furniture it is important for them to consider innovative approaches to reversibility, the maximum preservation of information, and the use of chemically stable materials.
Treatments can produce objects that appear indistinguishable from furniture upholstered in traditional ways, but the actual means of attachment does not include any nails or staples that pierce wood.
[10] The Victoria and Albert Museum has a case study on their website that describes the conservation treatment that was carried out on Marie Antoinette's chair in preparation for its display in the new Europe galleries due to open in 2015.
Unfortunately, cellulose nitrate discolors and becomes brittle as it ages, so over time, the coating on furniture can turn yellow and opaque.
The early date and rarity of this original coating makes it important to retain the varnish on furniture despite these problems.
In a case study of an armoire with this condition from the 1930s from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts: "Conservators used a more stable synthetic resin, a type of acrylic copolymer dissolved in a solvent, to consolidate weakened areas of the original varnish without significantly changing the glossiness of its finish or its color.
To provide a consistent overall finish, they tinted a portion of that solution the same color as the aged cellulose nitrate to fill some of the more jarring losses.
Dry rot: Decay of seasoned timber caused by fungi that consume the cellulose of wood, leaving a soft skeleton that is readily reduced to powder.
[15] To prevent cracks and veneer cleavage, avoid placing furniture near radiators, heat vents or other areas where temperature and relative humidity (RH) fluctuate widely.
A stable relative humidity is particularly important to furniture since rapid changes cause different parts of the object to expand and contract at different rates and to different degrees.
A common furniture pest is the powderpost beetle, less than a quarter-inch long, which lays its eggs in small crevices.
As they mature to adults, they bore out of the wood leaving an "exit" or "flight" hole and fly off to lay their eggs, completing the cycle.
Water splashed from repeated floor washing, or spilt from flower displays damages bare or polished surfaces, most commonly leaving white marks.
