by chris | Oct 21, 2014 | art conservation, cleaning
What is conservation? Conservation is a field devoted to the preservation of art and other cultural property for the future. This often includes traditional repairs and even restoration. We carefully examine each object to understand its condition and the reasons for its deterioration; we respect its age and history by only making sensitive and appropriate interventions as needed; and finally, we document our repairs and alterations. Through this process and good preventative care you can preserve the value, historical integrity and useful life of your furniture and woodwork.
How do I use your services? Every treatment begins with an evaluation of the object to determine its condition. We will prepare a written statement of the condition, propose treatments and estimate the costs of each treatment option. Once you approve a level of treatment, we will schedule a time to begin and will keep you apprised of any findings that might affect the course of the treatment or the costs. You will receive a written report of the treatment and images of the work for your records.
What is the value of my furniture? We do not provide you directly with a monetary appraisal of your furniture since there is a conflict of interest in providing a value that could influence your decision to use our services. However, we can direct you to a qualified professional appraisers in the area.
Will you come to my home to do your work? We work on-site for many architectural projects. However, with furniture it is generally more cost effective and efficient to work in our shop unless the work is very simple.
How do I transport my furniture to your shop? In the Boston area, there are local pick-up and delivery firms that specialize in working with art and antiques. For objects outside of eastern Massachusetts we recommend fine art carriers such as US Art, Fine Art Enterprises or Artex who have extensive experience with packing and transporting objects.
Is my furniture insured at your shop? We carry both Business Liability insurance and Fine Arts Coverage. For particularly valuable furniture we will obtain a rider from our insurance carrier to cover the value of a particular piece in our care. Most homeowners’ insurance policies also protect the value of the contents during repair.
Where can I receive more information on caring for my antiques? The American Institute for Conservation has an excellent web site that includes guidelines on caring for your collections.
by chris | Oct 21, 2014 | cleaning, furniture
A Professional’s Guide to Cleaning furniture
One of the most often asked question is “what should I use to clean my furniture?” The answer is can be complicated, since it can depend on what you are cleaning off, how the piece of furniture is finished, and what condition the finish is in now.
Some kinds of furniture are left unfinished, like teak, to develop a gray color. However, most furniture is given a durable finish to improve its appearance and provide a level of protection for the wood and can be safely cleaned.
Cleaning supplies that you purchase at a store are generally all-in-one products that combine solvents, water, detergents to remove a wide range of things you might find on a piece of furniture, beyond just dust, like food and drink spills, and scuff marks. They also often contain something to saturate small scratches and wear on the surface of the finish and make the finish look wet. This is often a mineral oil or a silicone-containing oil—and the source of the fallacy that you need to “feed your finish”.
While these may be safe for modern furniture with durable lacquer finishes that are not crazed or worn, they are not good to apply to antiques. When a product like Pledge is applied to an antique, it doesn’t just fill in the surface scratches, it bleeds into the small cracks and actually into the wood underneath the finish. The result is a spider-web of dark lines on your antique where the wood itself has been contaminated with a liquid that actually decreases the adhesion of the existing finish to the wood.
We recommend a much simpler solution. You can clean your furniture routinely with a soft cloth barely dampened with water. For removing more, you can add a very small amount of a mild detergent, like Murphy’s oil soap. Candle drips can be removed safely from most finishes using a common solvent that you can purchase at the hardware store like naphtha, mineral spirits, or even lighter fluid.
To saturate a finish and protect it from water damage, we recommend applying paste wax instead of a liquid cleaner/rejuvenator. Wax is a more durable product and forms a better barrier to water, particularly on table tops where water rings form. While it takes a bit more effort to apply, it only needs to be renewed every few years, not weekly. And it doesn’t bleed into the cracks in an aged finish causing more problems down the road. Several brands can be purchased at your local hardware store. You want to choose one that contains both bee’s wax and carnauba wax, since it will be harder when it is dry.
