Antique furniture is largely made of high quality woods such as oak, walnut, mahogany, cherry and others. Furniture is only considered truly antique if it has not been "over-restored", which means that 80 to 90% of the furniture must be original. It is not easy to determine the type of wood used, the period and the opinion of an experienced specialist are necessary.
Which species for antique furniture?
It is not easy to identify the wood of antique furniture or antique objects. Many of them are made of oak, walnut, birch, elm, cherry, mahogany. The species that was used also depends on the country of origin of the furniture, the period, as Europeans used wood species commonly found in Europe. For example, the Asians designed a lot of furniture in mahogany, rosewood, rosewood, amaranth, while the Orientals often used olive wood. Each species has its specificities and the trained eye of an expert in antique furniture is necessary to identify it with certainty. The species of wood for antique furniture also depends on the period. For example, furniture from the Napoleon III period was made with precious wood species that had been brought back to Europe: mahogany, amaranth, lemon, rosewood, ebony, rosewood. The precious character of a wood is given by its rarity, its price and its characteristics.
The essence of the wood, a key element
If you are interested in buying antique furniture, you will find that antique furniture wood is an essential element in terms of value. Many pieces of furniture have also been designed in more common species such as fir, pine, poplar or red cedar. One of the most common wood species used in all periods is oak, which was used for furniture, interior panelling and parquet flooring. There are different types of oak and it is undoubtedly the oak of French origin that was preferred for the manufacture of furniture because of its high quality.
Enthusiasm for antique furniture
It is probably the beauty of antique furniture woods that makes them so successful compared to contemporary furniture, which very often offers little credit. Antique furniture has become a safe haven. Native woods, exotic woods, wood from our regions, in joinery and cabinet making all types of wood have been used and vary according to style and period. The use of solid wood or veneer, the rarity of species, the quality of the work will play an essential role in the price of antique furniture.
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