In most cases only a professional will know how to date an antique bed. With so many copies and reproductions being made, sometimes only a well trained eye can tell the difference.

However, while you might not get an exact date there are several steps for how to date an antique bed.

If you’re buying a antique bed from an individual, it’s always a good idea to inquire about the beds history. If the bed has been in their family for a long time, they should be able to give you a good idea of when the bed was made.

They may even be able to tell you exactly when the bed was purchased.

Check for any labels or identifying marks

One of the first steps that you should take to determine the beds age is to check for any labels or identifying marks. In the nineteenth century, manufacturers began assigning numbers to each new patent.

If the bed has a number, you can search for it at the patent office to find the manufacturer and date.

Look at any hardware used on the piece

Another excellent way of dating a piece of furniture is to look at any hardware used on the piece. Prior to 1830, very few furniture makers used screws.

Instead, pieces of furniture were held together with the use of dowels or pegs. And, since they were made by hand they won’t be uniform in size.

The earliest screws were fairly short, generally no longer than one half inch and had flat heads.

The tips of the screws were blunt and the threads were barely visible. The slots in the screw heads were all cut by hand, so they aren’t generally centered.

Glue wasn’t used until the early eighteenth century.

Nails

If there are any nails in your antique bed, examine them closely even if you have to use a magnifying glass. The nail head should be square, but not perfectly square and it should be slightly worn down from age. If the nails show these signs, the bed might have been made before 1820.

The circular saw wasn’t invented until the end of the eighteenth century. Before that all wood was cut by hand and there should be visible signs of saw marks.

Often, the cuts weren’t completely straight and there may be slight gaps between wood pieces.

Veneer panels

If the antique bed has any veneer panels you might be able to get a close estimate of the date it was made by examining them closely. The earliest  veneers were made of walnut and were usually about an eighth of an inch thick.

And, often the grains in the veneers didn’t match perfectly.

The earliest pieces of furniture were constructed of solid wood. From around 1680, veneers became a really popular way to add decorative touches to furniture.

They were either cut with the grain of the wood to look fairly plain, or cut across the grain to be more decorative.

Because antique beds were made entirely by hand, they’re not completely perfect. And, since they are so old, they will generally show lot’s of signs of use.

Although, you can find some antique beds that have been kept in mint condition, if it looks almost new, it’s probably not very old.

These are just a few of the numerous ways of how to tell if a bed is antique. If it’s really important for you to know the exact age of a piece of antique furniture, you will probably have to have a professional dealer inspect the piece.

They will be able to distinguish whether you have a valuable antique, or just an older piece of furniture.

In antique furniture which dates back more than 100 years, there are various styles that you can find and if you know what to look out for, you can identify antiques from replicas and reproduction pieces. This will allow you to make an informed choice when going furniture shopping for antique pieces, or determine how much to pay for a piece of furniture that you think is antique.

Looking at how old a chair, wardrobe or desk is, you can look at the wood that was used, the type of joinery, the saw markings, the hidden pieces on the furniture, the carvings, the style, and the finishes. With some elements like the styling and decorative features, it can be harder to tell how old a piece is, as there are many reproduction pieces and design features that were used over many eras.

There are lots of styles that you can choose from and they all have distinguishing markings and features. Usually you will find pieces that are limited to the America Colonial and Traditional English periods at garage sales and in second hand shops, and in some hip boutique hotels like britannia hotel manchester or Andy Thorton. However, if you want to find the genuine Louis the XV chair you will have to go to a professional dealer or antiques fair (I suggest You to have a look here: What antique furniture .com) .

Looking at the styles you get, the older English pieces are categorized into Queen Anne, Georgian Chippendale, Georgian Adam, Georgian Hepplewhite, Late 18th Century, Georgian Sheraton, and Regency.

In the American Colonial styles you get the Early Colonial, Late Colonial, Federal, Pennsylvania Dutch, and the Shaker furniture. Here you will find more detail about what each style consists of:

English pieces

Queen Anne – This style comes from the early 18th century, and is mainly made from walnut, cherry-wood, oak, mahogany, and maple. These pieces normally consist of lots of curves which are graceful and plenty of curved legs, there were no rungs or any kinds of stretchers used, and they were simple and elegant with not too much decoration.

Georgian Chippendale – This style dates back to the late 18th century, and was predominantly made from mahogany. They are a slight elaboration from the Queen Anne style with more ornate carvings and features, many of which were quite bold. Many themes were also used such as Chinese, Rococo, English, and Greek Classic. The chair backs were especially intricate.

Georgian Adam – Also dating to the late 18th century, and also using mainly mahogany, the Georgian Adam used slender lines and was influenced mainly by Greek Classical styles. As such, fluted columns were used frequently and delicate carvings were introduced, like the draped garlands which were a favored design.

Georgian Hepplewhite – This style is from the late 18th century, and uses mahogany and satinwood inlays or veneer. This style was based on the Adam, with tapered legs, and oval, heart, or shield shaped backs of chairs.

Georgian Sheraton – Also from the late 18th century, made from mahogany, this is similar to the Hepplewhite, only straighter lines were used and the Classic Greek influence saw lyre shaped chair backs.

Regency – Dating to the early 19th century, mahogany was favored and the designs were bold, simple, and more functional, with colors being used.

American Colonial stylesEarly Colonial

Dating to the 17th century, this style used maple, pine, birch, and walnut with heavy decorations and carvings. These were solid constructions and lots of square lines were used.

Late Colonial – From the 18th century, this style used mainly pine and mahogany, and the pieces were interpretations of the English Georgian and Queen Anne styles. One example is the Windsor Chair.

Federal – This dates to the early 19th century and used woods like mahogany and cherry. These were interpretations of the Georgian styles with some French influence and are heavier than the English styles. Examples are the Hitchcock Chari and the Boston rocker.

Pennsylvania Dutch – This style is from the late 17th century to mid-19th and used pine, maple, walnut, and fruit woods. They are plain Germanic styled pieces and are solid and usually painted colorfully with Germanic decorations.

Shaker – This dates from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century with pieces being made from pine and maple. They are very functional with no decoration but of excellent design and craftsmanship.

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.

There are various types of furniture that you can get in all different styles dating back hundreds of years, but how can you tell which pieces are the real McCoy, and which ones are replicas, or later models?

Also, when is a piece of furniture classified as an antique, vintage, or just old?

Well here some things that you can look out for when you want to buy an antique or sell one that you think is an antique so that you don’t get taken for a ride:

When looking at a piece of furniture there are certain categories that yours can fall under. The first is second hand furniture, which is dated from the 1920’s through to the 1950’s and many people do mistake these styles for antiques, as many designs were reused during this time.

True antiques are more than 100 years old are found in the following conditions. Then you get utilitarian furniture, which are old pieces that are ideal for everyday use, but that museums have no interest in such as joint stools and dry sinks.

The next category is the decorative, which are items that are intricate and usually better quality than furniture of today, normally Louis XIV revival, or Baker furniture.

Then you get the museum pieces which are too fragile to be used and are just displayed as part a collection. These are normally medieval, French, Tudor style or Louis XIV.

When you are looking to buy an antique there are many things that you must look for and if you are not sure about where to start or if you are concerned that you are looking at a replication and not the real thing, then you should get an appraisal expert to help you.

Sometimes you will also find true antiques sitting in your grandmother’s attic or perhaps a local second hand store will have something antique that they don’t know the true value of. This is the perfect time to buy as you will be making a sold investment. When you choose to buy something antique, however, remember to always look for the quality of the piece and if it needs to be refinished find out exactly what needs to be done first.

As mentioned above a true antique is more than 100 years old, but some stores value furniture older than 50 years as antique and fine antique dealers will label items antique if they are more than 150 years old. The best way to find out is get the exact age of the piece.

The value of the piece will be determined by various factors including the artistry, the conditions of the piece, and the country it comes from. Most antiques you will find come from England and France, but this will also depend on where you are located. In the West people consider antiques any pieces that came across the mountains, in the East, the Queen Anne furniture are considered antiques, while in the South of America, an antique is something dating back to before the Civil War.

When looking at antiques you will not find any pieces (or maybe very few) that are originals from the 1500 or 1600, but you will find genuine reproduction pieces from this era which are also very valuable. To spot an antique you can also look at various things like the joinery. You will be able to tell if a machine was used or not, and machine made furniture was not made until the 1860’s.  You can also look at the saw marks, because any rounded or circular markings could not have been made until this time as well. Before 1860 a plane, drawknife, or spokeshave was used which all cause straight saw markings.

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.

If you thought that maintaining and cleaning antique furniture is difficult wait till you have to identify the manufacturer of an antique table.

Most professional appraisers also have to specialize in only one style or period of furniture. So the simplest way to find the manufacturer would be to hire the services of a professional appraiser but if you are not interested in selling the piece and just want to find out about the maker out of curiosity here are a few tips that will help you.

Is genuine or just a new piece with a faux antique finish?

The first thing that you need to do is find out if your furniture is a genuine antique or just a new piece with a faux antique finish. There are numerous ways to recognize this.

However if the piece has been a family heirloom or if you remember seeing it in your grandma’s house as a kid, you can safely conclude that the piece is indeed old.

Stamps, seals or numbers

The next step is to look for manufacturer stamps, seals or numbers. This will usually be underneath or at the backside of the table.

If the table has been refinished or restored repeatedly it may have lost this identifier mark and you may have to look with a magnifying glass.

Identify Age

If you cannot find any such identifying stamps, the next step should be to determine the approximate age of the antique table. This can be done by examining the type of wood and veneer used. The type of polish or paint used and finally the color and patina and furniture moldings can also tell you a lot about the period of manufacture.

Periods and Styles

The various periods and the prominent styles of that period can roughly be dated as follows.

The colonial period encompasses two styles. The Colonial and Jacobean style was manufactured between 1620 and 1720 and The Queen Anne style was made from 1720-1750.

The Windsor style is the most replicated style and it is very common to see faux Windsor pieces in flea markets. So it is essential to closely examine a Windsor styled antique table.

A lot of antique American furniture belongs to the Federal Period. This period saw the rise of 3 distinct styles; the Sheraton style that lasted from 1780-1800, the Hepplewhite Style which preceded the Sheraton by a decade and was manufactured from 1780 to 1800 and finally the classic style which was used from 1810-1820.

Once you determine the approximate age of an antique, you can go to your local library to find furniture dating back to that specific period. Most books related to antique furniture appraisal will include pictures of the pieces made by different manufacturers in the different periods. You may also want to check on Google.

Alternatively, there are many sites which have the names of antique furniture manufacturers. One such site is http://www.efi-costarica.com/Antique-Furniture-Makers.html, which not only gives you the name of the manufacturer but also includes information on the period of time when that particular manufacturer was operating and the city of operation.

You would be surprised by the number of forums that are a meeting place for antique furniture aficionados, these are good places to post a picture of your antique table you just may find a person who may be able to give you pertinent information about your antique piece.