How to Make the Best Use of Salvage by Barty Phillips

Author:Barty Phillips
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783408603
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books
Published: 2013-06-09T16:00:00+00:00

Check damage in furniture

A bargain price may mean that a piece of furniture has one leg shorter than the others or woodworm concealed inside a drawer. Don’t buy obviously damaged furniture unless you are an experienced do-it-yourselfer or are prepared to pay for any materials and repairs.

Look for warping or swelling of wood: check that drawers open smoothly and easily. Warped drawers will not open; worm is expensive to cure and may spread to other wooden items in your home.

Check that handles, locks and hinges are all of good quality and firmly fixed.

Check that legs and joints are firmly attached.

Check that springs in upholstery are sound and won’t twang every time somebody sits down.

Don’t buy second-hand foam furniture unless it has a fire-retardant label.

Look for rust on metal and make sure it is not so badly rusted as to be untreatable.

Because rare woods are scarce and more expensive than other woods, furniture is sometimes made with a veneer: a thin layer of expensive wood laid over the top of a cheaper wood. Inlays of rare woods were often used to form designs or special effects.

Avoid veneers especially if you can see the surface beginning to peel away. Old glues were often made of fish bones and were not very reliable. Modern veneers are more durable as the glues are stronger and longer-lasting.

Look carefully at any veneer that catches your eye. If the base wood has buckled or shrunk the veneer will be impossible to repair, and one of the good things about veneer is its surface perfection.

Don’t buy upholstery if the springs have gone unless there is an upholsterer on-site or you know of one locally. Upholstering is an expensive process, so you should know how much it will cost you before you take the plunge. If upholstery has torn webbing, lumpy springs or a sagging front edge – resist it.

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