There are a couple of streams of thought relating to furniture restoration – should I restore or conserve? Restoration is a process of renovation to bring the piece back into original condition. Conservation on the other hand, aims to bring a piece back to serviceable condition only and try to minimise the “intrusion” into its state.
Of course the idea of having to repair furniture is as old as… well the creation of furniture. Ever since furniture has been manufactured there has been a need to repair it as a result of accidents, negligence and everyday wear and tear.
When these unfortunate accidents or need to renovate came about, the approach was largely just to repair using similar wood to the original used by the creator. When fine timbers were fairly readily available, this was generally not an issue, particularly when timbers were matched to the original. The goal generally at this time was to bring the piece back into original condition.
As time has passed however, fine timbers have been becoming scarce and the value of fine pieces of furniture is increasing, in some cases dramatically with values often running into many thousands of dollars. As a result, two fairly clear streams of thought have emerged:
Restore the piece with the use of old timber pieces salvaged from broken furniture or the like to produce repairs that are largely invisible.
The second is that the repairs should be carried out as sympathetically as possible but the line between the old and the new should be left un-blurred.
Some restoration is fairly straight forward like reglueing loose joints, replacing lost pieces and minor repairs of breaks. The debate however starts in earnest when the work required is far more fundamental such as major structural damage. Some argue that repairs should be made using new wood and matched as best as possible. Others argue that the repairs should be made with wood of the same age and condition such as from other broken furniture.
I think the path through this debate really depends on the individual pieces in question. If the piece is an extremely rare and valuable piece, the answer may be minimal intervention. However if the piece is more common, then a more substantial renovation may be the answer.
Don
