Art & Antique Restoration —
When and What To Do

Most collectors blunder into having their art and antiques restored before they have them appraised. They mistakenly believe they don't want the fine art appraiser to see them not in their full glory. They then fall prey to unscrupulous restorers that tell them the piece is worth a fortune so they can charge them a small fortune to clean or fix it. Restorers are not appraisers, they seldom know the true art worth of what they work on. They are hardly an independent art appraiser that will tell you your painting or antique is a copy.

Over 30% of the already restored art and antiques shown to us have restoration costs beyond their value! Why would you pay $2,000.00 to have a $500.00 painting cleaned? Why would you pay $950.00 to have the broken leg of your 1930's replica Louis XIV chair fixed? We saw both of these just this year.

Appraisers are trained to look beyond easily fixed imperfections when they value a piece. They can suggest inexpensive restoration or museum quality depending on the piece's authenticity. Remember even after putting $2,000.00 of restoration in a $750.00 piece, still makes it worth $750.00. Don't fall for restorers' hype of the inflated value of your art and antique. Get an independent appraisal before your proceed.

Two Types of Procedures for Art and Antiques:

Conservation - preventative maintenance to keep the item as close as possible to the state it originally was made.

Restoration - repairs, replacing missing areas, strengthening weaknesses.

All art and antiques should have periodic conservation. Restoration should be carefully approached and only with the advise of an expert.

Guide to Furniture Conservation/Restoration

1. Never overly restore. Furniture is valued for its original finish. Find out if the item was previously restored.
   
   
2. The rarer the antique, the more restoration is accepted. Find out if your antique is rare.
   
   
3. Never restore what an antique is known for. Don't clarify dates, replace lost finials if you don't know what they originally looked like.
   
   
4. Make sure the restoration is sympathetic to the original. Aluminum strengthening brackets, modern nails offend future collectors.
   
   
5. Losses to highly specialize valuable pieces are more acceptable than restoration. A specialized collector instantly spots restoration and down-grades its value because of it. Get an expert to tell you even if a piece should be restored.
   
   
6. A French polish is not everyone's taste; particularly on French furniture. Know the types of wax finishes.
   

Guide to Art Conservation/Restoration

1. Rips and holes in paintings should always be fixed. A painting continues to deteriorate until it is repaired.
   
   
2. Cleaning of a painting enhances its value only if it is not a valuable work of art. Major works should be left alone.
   
   
3. Paint loss in a portrait background means little. Paint loss in a portrait's face is a serious problem.
   
   
4. Never clean or restore the artist's signature.
   
   
5. Thickly painted pictures are easier to restore than thin painted ones.
   
   
6. Restorers always charge more to clean valuable paintings compared to minor ones, although the time expended is the same. Don't fall for this game.
   
   
7. More paintings have been ruined in value by over cleaning than ones left alone. Would you know if a restorer overly cleaned your picture?
   
   
8. Relining a painting on modern canvas or board is a serious decision. It destroys the integrity of the painting and should never be done without expert advice.
   
   
9. Antique copies and fragments of larger paintings still can have good value but restoration costs should be modest.
   
   
10. Look at a painting under ultra-violet light to make sure it hasn't been overly restored.
    
    

The Chicago Appraisers Association can tell you what condition your art or antique is in, its true value before and after restoration, and most important, what a reputable restorer will charge you. We are a complete art appraisal service. We make your decision easy.

Minimum fee $195.00

	Click here to visit our web page Insurance Claim Appraisals.
	Click here to visit our web page Antique Appraisals.
	Click here to visit our web page Antique Furniture Appraising Secrets.
	Click here to visit our web page Art Collecting Secrets.
	Click here to visit our page Honesty Is So Rare.

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(847) 446-8827