Antique Furniture Care

[jaydee325]

My mom is giving my daughter a cedar chest that belonged to her mother. I'm guessing it's maybe 1940's vintage. Pretty good shape but needs a cleaning. Finish could also use some help but not too bad.

I've seen the shows (Antique Road Show for example) and they all say only let a professional conservator deal with cleaning since many amateurs (myself included) usually devalue the piece.

Is there a way to perhaps at least clean it for now, or should we just keep our hands off and search for a professional to proceed?

 

[JJT]

Murphy's oil soap to clean. Do not refinish. The interior is most likely raw, a light sanding will restore the cedar smell. Use it and enjoy it.

 

[jaydee325]

Thanks for the reply. Murphys Oil soap crossed my mind but I don't want to damage it in any way.

There is an original label attached to the door that says, "This construction is in accordance with recommendations for the manufacture of moth-killing chests issued Nov 13, 1927, by The Bureau of Entomology, Department of Agriculture U.S. Government."

Maybe this is older than I thought?

 

[old and tired]

The moth-killing recommendation was from way back then, I think it could be built today and still "use" those same recommendations. The value of the chest is the family history. I take it that it was manufactured instead of home made...

I personally never plan to sell my antiques and would give them away since I've gotten more than enough memories out of them.

My mother was an antique dealer and my dad would (painfully) take apart the pieces that needed to be repair (basically all of them) replace missing parts (lath work) and then glue everything back together. Adding like a couple hundred pounds on chairs and strapping everything together real tight.

Long story to say she used Murphy's oil soap on all the oak (she didn't deal with cedar).

 

[jaydee325]

Yes, this is a family heirloom. It will be enjoyed for years to come.

Just don't want to make a mistake in an effort to have it look better.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

My mom is giving my daughter a cedar chest that belonged to her mother. I'm guessing it's maybe 1940's vintage. Pretty good shape but needs a cleaning. Finish could also use some help but not too bad.

I've seen the shows (Antique Road Show for example) and they all say only let a professional conservator deal with cleaning since many amateurs (myself included) usually devalue the piece.

Is there a way to perhaps at least clean it for now, or should we just keep our hands off and search for a professional to proceed?

You should do whatever will give you the most joy from it. While yours is a special keepsake to your family, cedar hope chests from the 20th century are not high dollar items. $400 would fetch a pretty nice one, $1000 is rarified air.

 

[dlctcg]

So depending on it's current condition (exterior & interior) & what you are trying to achieve as far as the finished piece... I think this is something you could do yourself. I agree that depending on what this piece is; it is probably more a family keepsake & I don't think I would pay for a professional conservator to touch it...

As mentioned earlier Murphy Oil Soap is good, if there is any mold / mildew a diluted white vinegar / water solution will work... If you are looking for a cleaner that is very mild try Howards Clean-a-Finish it is safe for finished and unfinished wood & readily available.

If the interior is still unfinished then I agree with JJT, just wipe it out & lightly sand with fine grit sandpaper, then vacuum it out, to renew the cedar interior...

I would want to see pictures of the exterior prior to giving any information on rejuvenating / refinishing... but most likely you can do it yourselves...

Our home is 70% 1800's / early 1900's furniture (& 1800 oil lamps) that my wife & I have either rejuvenated / refinished ourselves... You really just need to take your time & know what you want out of finished product.

 

[Oaktree]

You should do whatever will give you the most joy from it. While yours is a special keepsake to your family, cedar hope chests from the 20th century are not high dollar items. $400 would fetch a pretty nice one, $1000 is rarified air.

Agree. TV shows often give unrealistic expectations on the value of items, something's only "worth" what someone else is willing to pay for it. If it's something that's going to stay in the family anyway (assuming younger generations even want it), do with it what you wish.

 

[MossRoad]

Agree. TV shows often give unrealistic expectations on the value of items, something's only "worth" what someone else is willing to pay for it. If it's something that's going to stay in the family anyway (assuming younger generations even want it), do with it what you wish.

That's kinda the way we feel about old furniture. If it truly is a valuable antique, then we don't mess it up. However, if it's something that is only mildly valuable, we'll do with it as we please. The joy in the use of it is worth more than the price someone might pay at an antique dealer.

For example, we have a 55" TV in our living room. Our house and living room is from the 20's. Modern furniture doesn't look good in there. There are built-in cabinets and dark wood doors and trim. We wanted something to put the TV on, so we went to antique and junk stores and looked until we found a low, wide, two-drawer dresser. It's only about 20" high, and 48" wide. It's the same type of wood and finish as the built-in cabinets.

I proceeded to cut both of the drawer fronts off of the drawers, reinforced the drawer bottoms with 3/4" MDF, then reattached the drawer fronts hinged to the MDF, and fixed the MDF fast to the sides. So instead of the drawers pulling out when you pull the handles, the drawer fronts fold down, revealing nice shelves for all of the entertainment system stuff, like amp, tuner, DVD, (yes we still have a VCR), game system, etc... The TV sits on top of it. I cut 4" vent holes and wire paths in the back. I set an IR receiver/transmitter target on it so you don't have to open the fronts to operate the electronics inside of it. Just point the universal learning remote at it and off you go. The only time we'd open it is to play the game system or load a DVD.

Looks right at home and you'd never know all of that electronic stuff was inside of it. It looks like an old dresser. But it's functional for our needs. Some folks would have had a cow if they saw what we did to that antique. But it was less than $100 and was never going to be worth anything more than that.

And yes, my wife uses Murphy's Oil Soap on it!

 

[jaydee325]

Not worried about value, just did not want to damage it. The finish is actually quite good and it's not beat up. I'm going to clean it with Murphys and do a light sanding of the cedar to bring back the aroma.

I'll post a picture when I get it cleaned up.