James Ashworth
Start with your eyes and your hands
Pre-loved furniture is where British homes get their character. A Victorian chest of drawers, a Ercol chair, a mid-century sideboard picked up for the price of a supermarket flat-pack — all of it has more soul than anything new. But the difference between a bargain and a burden comes down to ten minutes of careful checking before you hand over any money.
Begin in good light. Raking light — a lamp held low and to the side, or sunlight across the grain — reveals dents, ripples and repairs that vanish in soft overhead lighting. Run your palm over the top and along the edges; your hand will find what your eye misses. Then use your nose. A musty, damp smell suggests the piece has been stored somewhere cold and wet, and that often means trouble inside the timber. And always look at the back and the underside. Makers leave the honest evidence there, and sellers rarely think to tidy it.
The joints tell you almost everything
Structure matters more than surface. Placing your hands on opposite corners of a table or chest, press down gently and see whether it racks or creaks. A sound frame moves as one; a tired one twists. Lift one corner a few centimetres and watch the diagonally opposite corner — it should lift too. If it stays put, the joints are loose.
- Corner blocks and brackets screwed into the inside of a carcase often hide a repair, so look for fresh screw holes alongside old ones.
- Dovetail joints at drawer corners, with interlocking wedges, signal proper cabinetmaking. Staples, pins or glued butt joints do not.
- Legs should be checked where they meet the frame, as this is where splits and wobble begin. On chairs, sit down and twist slightly — a crack will announce itself.
- Tapping along a rail with your knuckle reveals a change in sound where a joint has opened up.
None of this is fatal. Loose joints can be re-glued and clamped, but you should know before you buy, because a wobbly chair is a project, not a purchase.
Veneers, surfaces and finishes
Veneer is thin — often less than a millimetre — and it lifts, bubbles and chips. Go around every edge with a fingernail. If your nail slides underneath, the veneer is already lifting and will need gluing and clamping sooner rather than later. Watch for ripples across the surface and for patches where the grain suddenly changes direction, which usually means a repair with mismatched material.
Assess the finish honestly. French polish can be revived with a little patience and the right products, and oiled or waxed surfaces are forgiving. What is harder to fix are heat marks and water rings that have gone through to the timber, deep scratches running across the grain, and sun fading where a piece has sat in a window for decades. If the wood is dry and pale, a feed of oil or wax will bring it back to life; if it is blackened and lifting, you are looking at stripping and refinishing.
Drawers, doors and moving parts
Pull each drawer right out and slide it back in. It should run smoothly without dropping or jamming halfway. Wooden runners wear into grooves over time, which is often fixable with a rub of candle wax or a thin strip of matching timber glued in, but a warped drawer bottom means it will always catch. Look at the drawer sides for splits and at the base for sagging. If keys and locks are present, test them — replacements are fiddly and rarely match the original.
On cupboards, open and close every door and check the hinges for play and the alignment of the gap. Seized castors, missing handles and broken hinges are all small costs individually, but they add up across a whole chest of drawers.
Woodworm, damp and other hidden problems
Woodworm is common in older British furniture and not automatically a deal-breaker — but you need to know whether it is historic or active. Look for round flight holes about one to two millimetres across, often in clusters along edges and in the underside of legs. Old holes are dark inside and dry; active infestation produces pale, powdery bore dust that trickles out and settles beneath the piece. Tap the timber around the holes — a hollow, papery sound can mean the inside has been eaten away, leaving little more than a shell.
Damp shows as dark staining, a musty smell, soft or crumbly timber and rusted nails or screws. On upholstered pieces, press the seat and feel for sagging webbing and tired springs, and inspect the frame where the arms meet the seat. Re-upholstery is rarely cheap, so factor it in rather than discovering it later.
Budget for repairs, transport and cleaning
Before you commit, add up everything beyond the asking price. A £40 chair that needs re-upholstering is not a £40 chair.
- Repairs: woodworm treatment, re-gluing joints, replacing hinges, handles or castors, and refinishing materials.
- Upholstery: recovering an armchair or sofa can easily run into several hundred pounds, so get a quote in advance.
- Transport: measure your doorways, hallway turns and stairwell before agreeing to buy. Van hire, a removal firm and a second pair of hands all cost money.
- Cleaning: use mild soap and water on finished surfaces, then wax or oil as appropriate. Avoid silicone polishes, which build up and attract dust. Let the piece acclimatise indoors for a day or two before treating it.
Take your time, ask questions, and be willing to walk away. The best second-hand pieces are the ones you inspect properly, and there is real pleasure in knowing exactly what you have brought home.
