Antique Furniture & Wood Separation: Is My Furniture Antique?

We are often asked how to tell if a piece of antique furniture is truly old, as some of our customers at EuroLux Antiques are new to collecting antique furniture. There is an art and science to appraising the age of a piece of antique furniture that only comes from direct, hands-on experience.

How to Judge Age in Antique Furniture?

However, there are some clues that you can look for to help you determine the age of a piece of furniture. One of those clues to judging the age of antique furniture is wood separation.

Antique Furniture & Wood Separation

Look at Panels & Doors

In the video above, I show you three places to look for wood separation in antique furniture as a way to determine if the piece is truly old. The first place to look is in a flat panel, such as a side panel, or on a door. Look closely and you may find a hairline crack running with the grain. This type of wood separation is caused by the expansion and contraction of the wood due to humidity fluctuations throughout the years.

Look in Drawers

Another place you would expect to find wood separation is at the front of a drawer in antique furniture. You'll notice a small gap between the frame and the bottom panel of the drawer, which has been caused by wood shrinkage from fluctuations in humidity over time.

Look at the Joints

Finally, you should observe the joints of the piece, where it was originally put together by the craftsman. You would expect to see a small gap at the joints in antique furniture, for instance, on a door where the trim comes together.

While finding examples of wood separation is by no means the only criteria for determining if a piece of furniture is truly an antique, it is one of the clues to look for during your analysis. When there are enough clues, in combination, you'll be able to determine if a piece is truly antique furniture.

Look for Wood Separation

Wood separation is one of the character marks of antique furniture and something to be appreciated. We all get wrinkles as we age, and wood separation is one of the ways to tell if a piece of furniture is truly an antique.

If you'd like a better definition of what causes wood separation, check out this earlier blog.

Stay tuned to our blog for more videos about other clues for determining age in antique furniture.