Furniture Finishes
Also called shellac, french polish, varnish.
Typical period: Varies
Finish type gives a rough date and, more usefully, tells you whether a piece has been refinished — which frequently matters more to value than the age does.
What you are looking at
The surface coating on a piece of furniture — its colour, depth, hardness and how it has aged.
How to date it
- Shellac dissolves in denatured alcohol. Dab an inconspicuous spot: if it goes tacky, it is shellac, which dominates before roughly 1920.
- Lacquer softens with lacquer thinner and became standard in factory furniture from the 1920s.
- Polyurethane resists both and indicates a later finish or a refinish.
- Alligatoring — a fine cracked pattern — is characteristic of aged shellac and varnish and is hard to fake convincingly.
Spotting a reproduction
- A period piece with a modern polyurethane finish has been refinished, which typically removes a large part of the value.
- Original finish with genuine patina shows uneven wear at handles, edges and feet — the places hands and floors reach.
- Uniform 'distressing' applied evenly across a surface is decorative, not wear.
What it is worth
Original surface is one of the strongest value drivers in period furniture, and stripping and refinishing a good piece can remove most of its worth. When in doubt, clean rather than strip.
Confused with
Too even, no patina in the recesses, and modern finish chemistry under a solvent test.
Questions about this
How do you date furniture finishes?
Shellac dissolves in denatured alcohol. Dab an inconspicuous spot: if it goes tacky, it is shellac, which dominates before roughly 1920. Lacquer softens with lacquer thinner and became standard in factory furniture from the 1920s.
How do you spot a reproduction?
A period piece with a modern polyurethane finish has been refinished, which typically removes a large part of the value.
Are furniture finishes valuable?
Original surface is one of the strongest value drivers in period furniture, and stripping and refinishing a good piece can remove most of its worth. When in doubt, clean rather than strip.