Expert: Eileen Cronk - 5/21/2005

Question
Have recently been approached to purchase "twisted barley" pieces.  Find oak is hard to sand and most time consuming when refinishing.  Is this a desirable type of collectible oak furniture.  

Answer
Hello C Crane
Nice to hear from you.
In my opinion, oak is a very desirable furniture wood.
Its second in my preference. My first choice is always mahogeny.
If you are talking about sanding this furniture, you are obviously thinking about refinishing.
You are correct in saying oak is hard to sand, but sanding antique furniture is a big mistake.
Rarely do I need to sand a piece of old furniture, and then its mostly a dresser top or table top that has been badly abused...that is the only reason for sanding.
I have seen so many wonderful pieces destroyed by sanding.
Its just not the thing to do.
And if someone tells you otherwise, they are wrong.
Refinishing is a simple process. We remove the old finish and replace it with a new one...thats all we should be doing.
Hope this helps and I invite you to write me any time you need advice.
Kindest Regards
Eileen