Knowledge · Glossary

A glossary of antique furniture

When we talk about restoring and valuing antique furniture, words have a precise professional meaning — and sometimes a surprising one (patina, for example, is an asset, not a flaw). These 15 terms will help you understand what you actually have.

Patina

The layer of wear and sheen that wood gathers over the years. To collectors it is an asset, not a flaw: original patina raises value, and removing it can damage that value badly.

Veneer

A thin layer of fine wood glued onto a body of plainer wood. A legitimate technique, centuries old — many grand mahogany pieces are built this way.

Solid wood

A part made entirely of the same wood, with no facing. Not necessarily “better” than veneer — but you need to know which one is in front of you.

French polishshellac

A traditional finish of natural resin, laid on in dozens of thin coats with a cloth pad. It gives a depth and glow that modern lacquers do not — and it is the right finish for most antiques.

Marquetryveneer inlay

Pictures and patterns made from pieces of veneer in different tones, assembled like a puzzle across the surface of the furniture.

Intarsia

Inlaying pieces of wood into a solid-wood surface — set into the thickness, not applied as a facing. An older technique, and a more expensive one than marquetry.

Mortise and tenonMortise & Tenon

A traditional joint in which a tongue fits into a socket. A clear sign of sound construction — this is how furniture was built before the age of screws.

Dovetail jointDovetail

A drawer joint cut as interlocking tails. Uneven pins mean handwork, and usually an old, authentic piece.

Hand-tied springs

Seat springs tied by hand with twine, one by one — traditional upholstery that lasts for decades when it is done properly.

Upholstery nails

Decorative nails, usually brass, that hold the fabric to the frame and serve as ornament as well.

Woodworm

A beetle whose larvae bore tunnels in wood. Fresh frass under the furniture means an active infestation that needs treatment at once.

Provenance

The documented chain of ownership of a piece — who held it, and when. Good provenance raises value considerably.

Reproduction

A later copy in the style of an earlier period. Not a fake — but not an antique either, and the difference in price is large.

Reversible restoration

The founding principle of professional restoration: every repair should be one that can be taken apart in the future without harming the original.

Hardware

The metal parts of the furniture — handles, hinges, locks. Original hardware is an important anchor for dating and for value.

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