Preserving old table

[James Ayars]

I am again need of the collective wisdom of forum members. I have a dining room table made of black walnut. The table was made in the 1880's and still has part of the tag with the date on it. What is the best way to care for this table? Do I need to oil it? wax it? or do anything to it?

Many thanks.
James

[Charlie Plesums]

You didn't say what you were trying to accomplish... is it "tired" or is it beautiful, and you want to keep it that way? Do you know how it is currenetly finished?

If it has an oil and wax finish, which would be a common option in that period, then when the wax gets dirty and you want to refresh the table, use steel wool to remove the grunge, reoil, and rewax.

If it has a film finish such as varnish, maintenance consists of occasional furniture polish.

[James Ayars]

Charlie, I'm honestly not sure what type of finish it has now. The wood is not covered with crud and the finish is smooth. Beyond that, I don't know what kind of finish it has.
James

[John Hemenway]

Seems like every time someone on Antique Roadshow brings in a 'priceless' piece, if they have done any repairs the value is greatly diminished. Be very careful, consult an expert!

[Steve Schoene]

Don't oil it.

Wax won't hurt, and will make it a bit slicker reducing the impact of abrasion--at least to a very small degree. Otherwise, keep it clean and don't let people set hot trays or icey pitchers directly on it. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

I'm afraid Antique Road Show has created (or at least nutured) a monster. It is true that grunge is the current fad, but it mostly has a major value impact on furniture that has significant collectibility such as first period antiques, the works from a very few notable makers--Herter Brothers or Belter in the Victorian era for example, and the several Stickley makers in Arts and Crafts. Others impacted include iconic pieces in the modern era.

Mostly old factory furniture is old factory furniture. Anything that was made in the style of an earlier period, but in a factory isn't going to be collectible, with the notable exception of Wallace Nutting reproductions.

Sure a antique with repairs may be worth less than one without, but that's an invalid comparison. The proper comparison is to a piece that has been damaged but which has not had any repairs done or which has had bad repairs made. Also, having a good finish preserves the structure of the piece preventing the need for more dramatic repairs in the future.

Perhaps this is a good corrective for the tendency of some to want to sand off any dings and slap a couple of coats of poly. I've seen that done too much.

A good refinishing, preserving most of the patina but that lets the beauty of the wood reflect the original makers intentions ought to be a good thing. Similarly, sensitive repairs that preserve the structural integrity ought to be a good thing too.

[James Ayars]

I'm not looking at this table as a big dollar antique, it's just a nice table that I want to take proper care of.

Thanks for the advice about using wax and not oil. Until now, all I've done is dust it with a clean cloth once a week. We are quite careful to not put hot pans or icy pitchers on it.

I think I could jump up and down on this thing and it would hold me. Big thick legs and thick cross members under the table.

Thanks again to all that responded.
James