I recently purchased a bedroom suite at a thrift store for $100. The photo is of the tall dresser. As you can see it has a lot of ornate wood work which is why I was opting to paint it. My husband feels it is worth refinishing so I'm now in the process of stripping. I'm finding that there is different wood grains that were used. The top looks different than sides and also drawer fronts look different. Since this would be a great task to complete since there's 5 pieces I'm wondering if it's a piece that's worth the labor? What era is it from and what would be its approximate value? Has anyone heard of furniture having different types of wood used? Very curious.
Thanks!
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This can be possible that it has different wood used in the dresser or other items. It is hard to tell what era it is from unless you can find a name on the bottom of a drawer, under the dresser or other pieces of furniture, or even on the back. Check to see if you can identify who made these items it will make it a lot easier to help you find out more about them. If you want to refurnish them this is great but before you do too much check to see who has made them first.
Thank you for your input. After reading your comment I checked to see if I could find anything that would indicate who made the furniture but was unable to find anything. There are numbers but I'm not sure what they mean.
Before you change anything on your pieces,
Take more pictures and look for identifying markings/maker labels to help figure the age and value and take pics to a professional! You do not want to take away the value if you can help it!
This is such a complicated question and I can assure you if you ask 10 people, you will get 10 different answers.
You got a great bargain (I think) for this set. It looks to be a 1930s art deco set (but this is just a guess based on the one photo and I learned by answering another post on this site too quickly that I need to dial it back and get all info before making proclaimations.
I may see the whole set and have a different thought.
If it is deco, it is NOT the highly sought after waterfall look (at least this piece is not), but it still has the lines common to deco furniture and many people still love this look.
To tell you exactly what you have, I would need to see the whole set in person, look at the construction and check out wear, warping, etc. before confirm that it is deco and trying to value it. There is so much unknown here, like the size of the other pieces, if it is a twin or full frame, does it have a mirror, does it smell bad, is there water damage, etc.
In addition to all of the above factors, furniture values are regional. I tried to sell a deco bedroom set a while back and could not give it away where I am. I had been in the UK (I am in PA in the US), at the time, I could have fetched thousands for my set if I could get it to the UK, which I could not. I got very little for my set, which was sad.
To value it, I suggest asking an antique dealer in your town how much he/she would sell this set for in their shop OR if you want to be cagey about it, how much you would have to pay if you were looking for such a set.
That gives you retail value. Resale value from a person selling it will be much less so take that into consideration. That is just human nature and how resale works. Stores get more than people who resell.
Now a true antique/vintage/wood person would "scorn" you for the very thought of painting a potentially valuable piece. Heavens to Betsy NO they would shout at you!
They would tell you to refinish it---or some just to clean it up and enjoy it as is. That is their focus, all about preservation. They are purists. I understand their point of view, but I am of a little different. You can take it for my opinion for what that is worth.
Think about this...
If you have no desire to sell the pieces in your life time "value" is irrelevant. Do what you want and enjoy the pieces--paint, refinish, etc.
If you think you are going to do something to affect the value and your kids or grand kids are going to lose money in the future....that is kind of silly--to me--because furniture values change like the wind and what is valuable today can be valueless tomorrow or vice versa. Unless you have a crystal ball that works, it is anyone's guess what the value will be when you want to be rid of it.
It is furniture. It was built to be enjoyed and loved and used. It was not built to be a money maker for someone (now or in the future).
eBay and some resellers are greedy. I can say that because I am a reseller, BUT I have LEARNED not to be like the others, because is is NOT all about the money. It is about what will make YOU happy.
If refinishing makes you happy, do it. If painting makes you happy, do it. If you hold on to it thinking it will make your kids rich some day, good luck with that...it may or it may not, but just do it.
I hope this gives you a different prospective! Thanks for sharing!
After reading your response to my post I feel I finally have put my thoughts into perspective. What you said makes perfect sense. I purchased this set with the intention to make it over and sell it. I wasn't sure whether to refinish or paint but realized it would be a challenge to strip and restain because of all the ornate trim. It wouldn't be worth the time and aggravation and I certainly wouldn't get back the time and supplies I put into it. At this point I think I may go with two tone, staining the top and body and possibly paint the drawers. I really appreciate your input. It has helped me take into consideration my decision. Thanks!
I would love to see the finished set!! Be sure to post back. I am glad I could help! Life is so short! Enjoy every project!!
I'm almost finished with my first dresser which is the tall dresser I posted. I will certainly post my pics when I am finished. I went with staining and I'm pretty sure I'm going to paint the drawers because of some damage they have. I can't wait to see the finished project and curious about your input!!!
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