Sideboard, buffet, credenza — three terms to get used by common people interchangeably. However, the intended terms barely hold any significant change in design or style.
Still, you should know the actual distinction for certain evaluation purposes. Sideboards feature storage cabinets as well as drawers. And the particular character concerns short legs. In fact, cabinets tend to reach all the way to the floor surface. Despite the absence of any defining difference, buffets should integrate slightly longer legs. It actually originated in Sweden to serve large-size smorgasbords.
And the usability remains confined to dining rooms only for European styles. American term Credenza refers to dining room cupboards for serving buffet meals. The short-leg or no-leg design stands reasonably small in size to feature a formal-looking appeal. Commoners often prefer recent-time reproductions to meet low budgets. However, collectors explicitly hold the focus on genuine or authentic antiques.
But checking the antiquity may present absolute trouble for beginners. Not to mention, the construction can impart exceptional endurance for the design. And quality construction is sure to make a good bid on sale, regardless of the design. Any sort of imprint to trace the manufacturer counts important for antiques. Take your time to dig the entire structure for any particular signature. It may concern — alphabet, number, or combination.
Likewise, you must validate the marks using resources without leaving any space. Structural surface of the wood can tell you more than you can imagine on antiques. Distorted joinery remains one particular sign of authenticity among the collectors. Examine the construction of your antique buffet or sideboard. Take note of the way the wood is joined.
Before that nails or tongue and groove construction was used. Tongue and groove was a method of joining that required no fastener. One wood piece had a protrusion, called a tongue, while the other wood piece had a slot for the tongue to slide into, called a groove. Photograph your antique buffet or sideboard. Use the photograph to browse online auctions and antique stores, or to take with you while visiting antique stores and live auctions.
Pay attention to finer details: hinges, drawer pulls, knobs and carving designs. Are the joints well made, and have they separated? Assess the amount of work you'll have to do to restore the piece. Is hardware complete and tight? Are hinges adequate? Are drawer guides or dust panels missing?
Is the wood covered with many coats of paint? If the piece of furniture is in fairly good condition, or if it's definitely an antique, it will be worth your time and effort to refinish.
If the wood is broken or badly damaged, there are parts missing, or the joinery is inferior, don't waste your time unless the piece is an antique. How bad does the damage have to be before it makes refinishing impractical? This depends on how much work you're willing to do, but there are a few guidelines for decision-making.
First, look for dry rot or insect damage. Dry rot cannot be repaired; the rotted component must be replaced, and this is a custom job. Insect damage, if the entire piece of wood is not affected, can sometimes be repaired; if this is the problem, restoration may be worth the effort. To check for dry rot and insect damage, push an ice pick or a knife blade into the wood.
If there's little or no resistance, the wood is damaged. Broken parts are sometimes repairable, but not always. If a part is split or wobbly, it can probably be repaired quickly. If it's broken off flush at the joint, the job is more difficult, because a replacement part must usually be custom-made to match the rest of the piece.
This can involve expensive equipment or a professional woodworker, and the piece of furniture may not be worth the cost or the effort. On veneered pieces, the condition of the veneer is very important. Has the veneer separated from the base, or is it damaged? Are there big pieces missing? Separated veneer is easy to reglue if it's intact, but replacing damaged or missing veneer can be expensive. If a large section of veneer must be replaced, the cost may be prohibitive.
If the piece is structurally sound, don't be discouraged by repairable problems. Wobbly joints can be re-glued; missing hardware can be replaced. Coats and coats of old paint, lacquer, or shellac may be concealing beautiful wood -- walnut, cherry, oak, birch, maple. If you like the piece, if it's worth saving, and especially if it's an antique, refinishing is worth all the time and patience you'll put into it.
So do your homework and learn what is and isn't an antique, what are the basics of style, and finally, whether your antique is worth even saving before you invest the time, money and energy to get the job done. Sign up for our Newsletter!
Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. On the end wall of that space this vintage breakfront secretary with bubble glass now sits. It fits so well, it looks like it was made for the space. At first glance, one might think this is a true antique piece of furniture, antique being at least years old. It has the handsome details of an Early American piece in its rich mahogany wood… Sheraton?
And of course, there are always exceptions to dating furniture that one must consider, like if a piece was damaged and parts had to be remade etc. So when trying to determine the age you have to consider as much as you can with the piece.
This breakfront secretary is a good piece of furniture, meaning it is quality built. The side of its drawer show the dovetailing that shows that quality. You can tell by how perfect and uniform it is. My mom used to work at a bank and I remember her telling me when I was a little girl, the way they were trained to tell if someone was trying to pass off counterfeit money was not studying counterfeit money, but actually studying the real stuff… feeling, looking etc at real money all day, they could easy detect the fake money right away.
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