Here’s the photo that goes with my previous thread entitled “China Cabinet Prospective Purchase – Thoughts?”
Message from previous thread:
I am interested in purchasing an antique china cabinet (photo attached) and welcome your input. The seller thinks it’s primarily made of walnut (including burled walnut on the front sides), and dates from around 1930-1950 (though the style appears to be Art Nouveau). It’s about 68″ high all the way to the top decorative piece, 48″ wide (at its widest point), and 14″ deep on the top, while 20″ deep at the bottom. It’s in pretty good condition, other than some blemishes on the bottom right section. The price is $475, which seems reasonable to me, given the beauty and size of the piece. The top part opens with a small key. The original key is missing but the owner has another key that seems to do the trick. The finish, unfortunately, is not the original (need to clarify exactly what was done to it). I don’t have much experience buying antique furniture. If you know anything about the piece, have any suggestions as to issues to consider before buying, or have any opinions regarding the price I would greatly appreciate hearing from you. Thanks in advance!
Ann [img size=209]https://kovels.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/China_Cabinet_Photo.JPG[/img]
Carolyn:
Hi. Thanks for your continued advice!!! I have read other good things about paste wax. Still a little confused about Murphy’s Oil. For example, came across an article during my research where an antique furniture expert opined the following:
“Today, some owners make the mistake of oiling stained woods. “Oil is very bad for wood,” Karen says. “It soaks into open grain and oxidizes and can turn the wood black. A good example is my kitchen floor.” Karen has used Murphy Oil Soap on her floor and the oils in the product have turned the wood black wherever the floor’s varnish was gone.”
Thoughts?
I know that you’re not supposed to use Murphy’s Oil Soap on unfinished wood so I suppose the lesson is simply that you need to make sure there are no gaps in the varnish/finish before using. And I suppose since the previous owner previously refinished the piece your method would work fine for me. But also just wondering if you know of a safe alternative to Murphy’s Oil Soap to use before the paste wax?
Thanks again!
Ann