Antique furniture pieces are a candy to the eyes of collectors and hobbyists. There’s nothing more joyful than owning a few statement antique pieces. While the definition of antique is not quite standardized, interior designers and experts all agree to the fact that anything which is at least 100 years older or was handcrafted is an antique piece.

Even though most experts believe in retaining the antique look of the furniture pieces letting the scars, rusty handles and dulled wood polish as is, there are many hobbyists who like to restore antique pieces to a fresh and clean look.

Such heirlooms usually sell for thousands of dollars but if you have been lucky enough to get your hands on one in a garage sale, and you have been thinking about restoring or revamping it, this article is exactly what you need.

Here are the top 5 tips that will help you restore antique furniture pieces

1. Preserve the Originality: It’s ok to want to get rid of the dingy finish, greasy marks and rusty bolts you have on your antique furniture piece, but don’t go over the board in trying to restore the furniture as it may lose its originality. The slight fading of wood, dulled handles and bolts, a few bruises here and there are all a signature antique look and unless they ruin the look or the make the usage of antique pieces difficult, no need to completely get rid of these.
2. Wax Polishing: If you want to give you antique furniture piece a fresh and clean look, better start with wax polish as it not only preserves the originality of the wood but also doesn’t take away the century old character which an ordinary varnish would. However, before you head on to applying wax polish, make sure you thoroughly clean the furniture with a clean dry cloth to get rid of any dust and debris.  It is also not advised to paint or recolor old furniture as it makes it lose its personality completely.
3. Wormholes & Brittle Wood: If the furniture is too old, it is most likely to still be, or once in its life time been infested with wood worms. Check for small holes around the edges of the furniture to check for the presence of wood worms. Another sign is brittle wood, which falls of the edges in powdered form. If any of those signs exist, it’s highly likely that the wood is or has been infested with worms. Get rid of the worms through a professional fumigation expert and fill in the tiny holes with wood glue followed by wax polish over it.
4. Upholstery Cleaning: If your antique piece also has leather or any other fabric upholstery, it is better to leave the cleaning job to professionals. Hire a professional leather cleaning company to get rid of the stains and restore the look of the furniture. You can even do the cleaning yourself with simple warm water with any upholstery cleaner.
5. Use Hide Glue Where Needed: If any piece of your furniture is cracked or dented, it is best to use hide glue to restore it and put it back together. Not only does the glue not show, but in case, the same area gets affected in future, you can always soften and remove the glue in future to put the piece back together again.