John Henry Belter, born in 1804, is well known in the furniture and cabinet making industry for being an innovative designer and is famous for his rosewood furniture, and Rococo designs.

This was a new wood used in making furniture that Belter used predominantly. He came from Germany and replaced the famous Duncan Phyfe who had made furniture in New York for almost half a century.

Belter made mostly Louis XV reproductions and his unique style was known as the early Victorian. This style that he developed consisted of using limited rosewood to create bold carvings and concaved chair backs.

From 1884 to about 1865, he created drawing room suites for rich New Yorkers. This was his trademark and each piece distinctly had the finger molded cabriole legs that became famous during that period of time.

There are many pieces of John Henry Belter’s furniture still in circulation today including sofas, a few lady armchairs, some side chairs, an ottoman, an intricate oval table, and a child’s chair. You can easily see a Belter design because of the laminated chair backs that he used.

This was made into a concave shape by using 6 to 8 pieces of thin rosewood layers which were then glued together. He also used various scroll and floral motifs will a rose or shell crest on the back of the chair. The center of the chair was usually upholstered and framed with a carved rosewood border with braiding, scroll or rose bud designs. The backs of all the chairs in Belter’s collection were always done in a plain rosewood panel.

John Henry Belter started his furniture business at 40 Chatham Square when he arrived in America in 1833, but moved a few years later to 327 Broadway and then in 1855 he set up his business in the larger premises of 1222 Third Avenue.

This is where he stayed until his death in 1865. Not only is Belter renowned for his unique style of furniture making, but he even worked closely with piano maker who founded the Steinway Piano Firm to help him create rosewood piano cases that are still used today and are the basic design of a grand piano, with rounded edges to soften the sharp edges of the instrument, and large, heavy cabriole legs to hold the weight of them.

A few years before his death, Belter destroyed all of his designs to ensure that no one could copy them, and this is also one of the reasons that Belter original are so hard to find and that they are very expensive if you do find them. The workers that John Henry Belter used were always from his home country Germany, in the Black Forest region of Alsace-Lorraine, and trained in lace like knife work and deep cut carvings. He considered them to be the best and most skillful carvers and would not use any other workers to carve his furniture.

John Henry Belter was a legend in the cabinetry industry and his furniture fetches huge prices today.  He is one of the innovators and designers that shaped the history of furniture making and is considered by many to be a pioneer. The laminating method that he used was a secret for many, many years, but eventually he did patent it in 1858. He will always be considered as one of the greats and a masterful furniture maker of the early Victorian era.

If you have a beautiful piece of antique furniture, but the furniture is really not showing its best or if some parts are coming off, you have to take steps to restore and repair it.

Restoring and repairing antique furniture through a set of processes helps to bring back the look and appeal of the original piece.

The process of restoring and repairing antique furniture must be done really carefully because in no way should you ruin the antique quality of the piece. So, modern furniture fixing products cannot be used. Let’s take a closer look on how to restore an antique wood chair and also make minor repairs.

1° Light dust cleaning

Begin the process of repairing your antique chair by giving it a light dust cleaning. This gives you a clean work area on which you can work better.

If your chair has any carvings, you would need a toothbrush to get the dirt out of that area. Some people resort to using steel wood pad, but the problem with using it is that it might remove the painted finish that is applied to such types of old furniture. So, the only alternative is to use toothbrush for areas which have carvings and for edges and use a soft cloth to clean the remaining areas.

2° Stripp off its old finish

Now how do you refinish antique chair? First the chair is ready to be stripped off its old finish.

In order to do this you require using a semi-paste stripper. You have to apply it using a paintbrush and you should apply it evenly, but not overdo the thing.

After two or three minutes from application, gently scrape it off the surface and you can see the old finish coming off.

3° Apply lacquer

The next step is to apply lacquer as this helps to neutralize the work of the stripper.

4° Remove old stains

Now comes the part where you have to remove old stains. You need to use oxalic acid for this purpose. Follow the instructions on how to a use it and apply with a paintbrush on all areas where stains have to be removed.  After it has been applied on the surface, it leaves a powdery reside, which should be cleaned off using warm water and a sponge.

Looking into minor repairs

The next aspect is looking into minor repairs. If you find any small joints to be missing or if a leg is wobbly, you need to find replacement parts to get it into proper condition again.

The problem here is that you have to buy the exact replica of the original, otherwise your furniture won’t be an antique piece at all.

So, check out online sites and shops that specialize in offering such parts and finish your minor repair work.

Gluing for fixing

While repairing, you might also find that some parts need gluing for fixing. Do not use any of the modern glue products in the market. These once again replace the antique value of your chair. Go in for hide glue, because this is the kind of glue that was used in the making of these chairs and you have to use the same ones. If you can’t find one in your area, order it online.

In case of major repairing, unless you are experienced in building wood furniture, you cannot do it yourself as the process of fixing such broken pieces is quite complicated.

Therefore, find a professional antique furniture repair shop, to get the job properly done by a professional, otherwise you might land up doing something that reduces the original look of the piece and hence its value.

Look into these points on how to restore antique wood chair and you can be sure of repairing your antique chair so that it get’s back its original look and appeal. Remember since materials used in its making date back to more than a century, using any replacement parts will reduce the value of the piece.

If you are wondering how to find the value of an antique table that is a family heirloom here are a few guidelines. The procedure will require patience and diligent research.

The value of an antique table depends on four factors the condition of the piece, the quality of workmanship, the provenance and the rarity of the piece.

But before you evaluate these four factors you need to determine if the antique table is really old or it has just been given a faux antique look.

An authentic antique will have certain traits that will make it stand out against a new piece of furniture. Antique furniture will not have sharp edges and corners simply due to its age. So just running your hand underneath or on the back of the table will reveal details about its age.

Distinctive curved pattern

Old wooden furniture will always carry distinctive curved pattern made by a circular saw. This is conspicuously seen in furniture manufactured after 1840.

Shape of the screws used

The next sign is the shape of the screws used. For this you will have to remove a screw that will not harm the structure of the table. Since machine made screws are fairly recent antique furniture will usually have screws with uneven spacing between the spirals; as opposed to this new screws will be pointed with regular spacing.

Veneer width

The same holds true for veneer width. New veneer is thin with regular width all over whereas its antique counterpart is considerably thicker. You can check for this at the edges of the table or at a part where the veneer is damaged and chipped.

Plastic or metal taps

Another visible sign is the use of plastic or metal taps attached to the legs of the table. These are usually a sign of a fairly recent make. Most antique tables will have reinforced pedestals and usually a tri- part metal strap or a metal disk will have been used for reinforcement. As opposed to this a new table will generally have a large crimped staple.

If the table has a glass top this may serve as another indication of the age of the table. Antique glass is thinner with irregular width and lacks the clarity and transparency of new glass.

Once you have ascertained that the table is indeed old you can avail the services of a professional appraiser to find the exact value or you could look for the following signs.

Keep Attention

If the furniture has visible cracks, breaks or other signs of wear and tear the value will obviously go down. You also need to pay special attention to the finish a well maintained table should look bright and have no dirt or stain marks.

If your table has a glass top a cracks and scratches will devalue it but the value will be substantially reduced if the original glass top has been replaced.

Ornate hand carved pieces particularly ones with cabriole legs will usually fetch a higher price. The same hold true for feet end that are carved or have brass paws.

If your furniture carries distinctive manufacturer stamps or marks you may be able to find the availability of similar pieces. Needless to say the rarer a table the higher will be its value. You will thoroughly check the table sometimes with a magnifying glass to spot such marks.

Of course the value of an antique table which has been a family heirloom may not just be monetary and may hold an immense amount of emotional and aesthetic appeal for you. As the old adage goes beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, in my opinion so does  value.

Valuing old and antique furniture is something that not everyone knows how to do and normally if you want to sell or buy a piece, you look to the expertise of a dealer or appraiser to give you an accurate valuation.

For those that do want to start learning about antiques and how they are valued, however, here are some tips that you can use when you are at the next antiques fair or visiting your local antique store. You can also learn about valuation techniques to help you discover more about the pieces you have and what they might be worth before you even take it to a shop to sell or to a dealer.

The first thing to look for is if the piece has a stamp of mark of the manufacturer. Usually pieces that have marks will be worth more than ones that don’t. You should carefully scrutinize your piece with a magnifying glass to make sure that you don’t miss any small markings. In the case of painted furniture you can also look for an artist’s signature which will help a great deal in valuing the piece.

Next you must look at the condition of the piece of furniture. Simply finding a price in an antique guide is not enough. If the piece that you have located is not in the same condition as your piece you cannot make a comparison. You will have to do some more research and see how many flaws there are including any cracks, chips, scratches, and excessive wear and tear like water damage, tears, staining, or broken legs, spindles, etc.

The next thing you can check when valuing a piece is if it is common piece or a rare item. If an item of furniture is very rare, then it will be worth a lot more, even if it is not in very good condition. Say, for instance that you have a piece of Majolica pottery but it has a hairline crack in it, it will still be worth quite a lot of money. If you want to find out about how rare certain pieces are you can ask a local dealer or find an expert in the type of furniture you want to value.

You must also remember that when valuing item, just because they are old, does not mean that they are valuable.

Much of this has to do with the demand for an item and you will find that many items classified as antiques are not in high demand, which means that they do not have a high value. Similarly, if many of the same items from the early 1900s, for example, have survived, then they will be too common to hold a lot of value.

A very important factor to consider, when trying to determine the value of a piece of furniture, is to find out if it is real or fake. Many replica items that are carbon copies of original pieces have been created and some are only a few decade or even a few years old. Usually if an item of furniture has been in your family for generations and you know the history behind it, then it is authentic, but many items sold at flea markets and second hand store will need to be authenticated before you buy them. By looking for discrepancies in the markings will be a tell tale sign of a fake.

Another factor to consider is whether a piece has been restored or repaired. If an antique has been professionally restored, this can improve the value, but a poor repair job using some glue and noticeable solders, will negatively affect the value price of your antique piece.

An antique table can add greatly to the ambience of your house but its important for the table to be in mint condition. Regardless of how beautiful the antique table is it can loose its charm under a layer of weathered paint.

So if you want to refinish a piece of antique furniture and restore it with a new layer of paint you don’t have to turn to a professional establishment you can easily do it yourself here is how.

A Step by Step Process

The first thing that you need to do is choose a color. Try to keep it as close to the original color as possible. Next you will need to choose an appropriate finish you may go for a faux antique or cracked finish. Once the preliminaries are dealt with you can start by removing the original layer of paint.

To start, place the table on a drop cloth or on some layers of news paper so that you dont stain the floor. Next you will need some rubber gloves to protect your hands from the chemical removers that you will be using. Use a paint stripper which is easily available in most hardware stores.

Apply a thick layer on the surface of the table giving special attention to the crevices and carved surfaces. You can apply the stripper with a brush. The stripper needs to stay put for at least half an hour or as per manufacturer instructions.

When the paint stripper starts working the original surface will begin to bubble visibly. This indicates that the surface is now loose enough to be scraped you can use a blade scraper or putty knife t remove it. If the surface still has some residual paint you can apply a second layer and repeat the procedure. Once all the old paint has been scraped off leave the surface to dry.

What to do next?

Next use a sand paper with a fine grade to further even the surface. It is important to not exert too much pressure and sand the surface in the direction of the wood grain. You will then need to clean the dust and residue with mineral spirits. Once again let the surface dry completely. Now the surface is ready for the paint or stain that you intend to use.

Painting

Use a brush with fine bristles to paint the surface. Start painting in the direction of the grain. Once you have coated the entire surface gently wipe the stain off if using that particular finish after letting it set for 5 to 10 minutes. Once again you will need to follow manufacturer’s directions.

(Have a look at this video, it helps…)

And finally…

Finally brush a layer of satin coat urethane if you used a stain as the semi final coat. It is once again important to apply the urethane in the direction of the wood grain. Also apply a layer on the legs and embellishments. You will need to apply two layers of urethane to give your table a finished look but remember to let the first layer completely dry before applying the second coat.