Does Refinishing Hurt the Value of My Antique?

"Does refinishing hurt the value of my antique?"

I get this question over and over again, so maybe it is an appropriate place to begin this blog.

The 'Hoosier' cabinet in the picture is just as I saw it the first time. It is a falling-apart piece of junk. But, it was 'Grandma's' and it is meaningful to the owners. Unquestionably, it will cost more to restore this cabinet than it could ever be worth on the open market. Equally unquestionable is that the 'value' of this piece can only be driven in one direction - up!

The problem is the owners had been watching the Antique Road Show, and they were convinced that having this cupboard repaired and restored would be the wrong thing to do, since it would 'destroy its value.' They actually said that to me. Really. They did. They weren't being flip or teasing. They were dead honest serious about it. They were wanting it to be nice again, and they were wanting it to be a remembrance from the days when their grandmother was alive and using it in her home. How can we have come so far away from 'values'?

In my WoodFinishing & Furniture Restorer's Guide  Google Group, we've discussed this issue. I've even offered to make a copy of a magazine article available, written by Peter Cook, an executive producer of the Antique Road Show. In that article, Mr. Cook expresses his hope that the show has not been misleading to people about the need and worth of caring for their furniture. Nevertheless, people who watch the show assume their 'antique' is on a par with the hand made period furniture being evaluated by the Keno Brothers and others. In my professional opinion, a cabinet like the one in the picture isn't worth firewood without restoration, and even then, the restoration work must be done for the sentimental, or family, value. It will never be 'worth' the investment in care services, except to the owners. Without care, though, it will certainly be destined to return to the ashes from whence it came.

March 12, 2010