How Do I Restore Antique Furniture Found at a Yard Sale Without Decreasing Value?

One of the great joys of the yard sale is that you never know what you’re going to find. From your new favorite sweater, to the French press that becomes a staple in your everyday routine, to some novelty item that you didn’t think anybody else even cared about, the serendipity in the search is what it’s all about!

By the nature of the event, of course, a lot of the things we find and fall in love with are, well, old. Some of us like to say antique. After countless episodes of pawn shop shows, of course, a lot of people are on the prowl for particularly valuable antiques among our beloved yard sales. So, how likely are you to find a valuable show-stopper, and how can you go about properly restoring it? Let’s take a look!

Finding Valuable Antiques

To be clear, it’s entirely possible to find a super valuable antique at your casual yard sale, like the famous $500k bowl. There have been cases here and there, but to be frank, it probably isn’t going to happen. Even on your favorite pawn shop shows, most people leave the store after finding out that their “valuable antique” is really just a dusty piece of furniture. Truthfully, most people don’t have Thomas Jefferson’s old nightstand sitting around in their yard sale, mostly just old dishes and fishing poles that have only been in existence for a decade or two.

Does that mean that finding this treasure hidden in plain sight is impossible? Absolutely not! Like we said, there are cases of this happening, it just isn’t very likely. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t find items that are underpriced at the shop. Old video games, for example, are items that might be on sale for a couple of bucks a piece. Since these go out of production, though, a lot of people are willing to pay quite a lot of money for an old video game that still runs well.

Restoring Antiques

The other part of the equation is figuring out what you mean by valuable antique. Most antiques have sentimental value, but usually aren’t worth all that much on the market. The dresser that’s been in your family for four generations might be really valuable to you and your family, but probably not to somebody who would rather be shopping for new furniture at IKEA. In these cases, restoration without damaging the value will be a personal question. The monetary value might even go up (if the piece wasn’t particularly valuable in the first place), but your restoration might cover up a dent or blemish that holds some memories.

On the other hand, if your antique furniture is particularly valuable on the market, then you’ll want to proceed with caution. Professionals suggest only making reversible changes, like gluing a new leg to a damaged antique chair only if both the new leg and glue can be removed. Professionals also suggest talking to them directly for advice since, at the end of the day, what can and can’t be done to valuable antiques will change on a case-to-case basis.

The other important advice that professionals give is that, ultimately, it’s up to you! If you come across an n-th century piece worth thousands of dollars and want to turn a huge profit, talk to a professional about possible refurbishment. If you just want a once super-valuable piece painted hot pink and shown off in your living room, however, go for it! The yard sale game is all about stumbling upon things that you love, after all, even if others don’t understand or agree. Long live the yard sale!