How to Identify Right Kind of Antique Furniture

Antique is the name given to those commodities which are exclusive in one way or the other. Their age, rarity, condition, utility or any other unique feature may be responsible for their exclusivity. Furniture items are an integral part of any dwelling, be it an office or a home. Purchase of any good piece of furniture reflects the class of the owner. To add to this comes an antique piece of furniture, which if purchased, collects rave reviews. Furniture always serves some basic purposes. The first function is the storage function when it is used to store or contain smaller objects like clothes, tools and books. Antique furniture is very much popular on the other hand for decorative purpose as well. Some symbolic and religious reasons are also popular prompting the purchase of some elegant pieces. Wealthy homeowners also look out for buying antique pieces so that their status and lifestyle can be well highlighted.

Before making a purchase of antique furniture, a thorough knowledge is essential. Often the market is flooded with imitation products which are made to look like antique ones. The identification has to be made properly. If the buyer is not confident, he should take the help of an expert. By definition antique term is given to such kind of furniture items, which are purchased at least hundred years back. Researches should include questions like how long have been the furniture owned or from where was it acquired. The next important characteristic is the wood quality. Knowledge on type of the wood and its grain and texture is very important. Whenever antique piece of furniture needs to be bought, the best place to look for this is the family store room. Other good sources of putting the hands upon the furniture are the second hand store, household auctions and garage sales. The term antique is often subjective. General antique stores often term commodities of more than 50 years as antique whereas fine antique dealers consider objects older than 150 years as antique. Exact symmetry needs to be checked as well before zeroing down on a piece. Parts like rugs, slats, spindles and rockers should be checked thoroughly. The finish on the wood is also a great sign to check the genuineness of the furniture. An antique piece of the Victorian times has usually shellacked as the finish whereas pieces older than that have oil, wax or milk paint. Fine pieces have French polished finish. Though, it is always not possible to test the finish in the store, denatured alcohol can be used to check the spot. If the finish dissolves, it is made of shellac. When the furniture is covered with wax it can be removed with a mixture of denatured alcohol, white vinegar and kerosene in equal parts.

Antique iron beds are gaining very much popularity. Iron beds Australia are also occupying a huge market share. Iron is very much advantageous to choose as a material to make beds as it is not prone to rusting due to polish. The finished products can look very appealing as well as the iron can be beaten to form products of any shape and size. The variety of iron beds includes Amadeus Timber and Iron bed, Beaumont Timber and Iron Bed, Belinda Timber and Iron Bed, Castle Timber and Iron Bed, Crystal Timber and Iron Bed etc., which can be purchased online easily from a reputed seller like Antique Bed Specialists.