Reselling Painted Antiques

Let me tell you a little about reselling painted antiques……..   There are so many people everywhere painting and reselling furniture these days that Facebook as become a flea market.  Some of the painted furniture, in my opinion, is very well done and the designer made it there own, some don’t have a sense of design so they just copy others, and some just need to hang up their paint brush and find something they are really good at…..sorry, but as I said,  just MY OPINION…..everybody has one!!  Its hard to find your place in the painted furniture world but making it your own style is what's sets your work apart from just another painted antique.  I usually spend days making sure the antique that I purchased is stable inside and out.  Remember, the most beautiful upscale antiques had no air conditioning in the early 1900's so over time the glue dissolves so its important to check everything.  I am not a carpenter, so I don’t ever buy antiques without drawers, doors, etc.  You DIY’ers out there have to be very good to make it look like it came that way instead of looking like a road side pick up.  I have seen some, not many, that look like it came that way!!  These are professional DIY’ers for sure!!   One thing I have learned over the years is if you put one, only one cheaply done piece in a room with upscale furniture, it stands out like a eye sore and you don’t enjoy the beautiful ambience of the room.  Being a surfer of Facebook, I see pricing from very low to very high.  This is tough!!  Most times, not all, but most……if  the pricing is very low, usually the quality of work is very low.  Meaning -- no quality paints used, no time spend on any repairs, just painted.  Medium to higher prices usually take the time for any repairs,  higher end products used and time spend detailing their finished antique.  Once in a while someone will be moving or reselling and a buyer gets lucky and buys it at a great price, but these finds are few and far between.  I have seen some spray painted antiques, mostly being sold in stores around our area and I bought a sprayer but haven’t used it yet.  It gives the antique a more store bought appearance, but I personally like the personal touch to my pieces.  Especially in the waxing and finishing touches of a hands on painted piece.  I might try spraying on a chair at some point.  Old antique unique chairs are one of my weakness but they are so time consuming to paint!! Ugh!!  Why I keep buying them….crazy I guess!!??  I hope this has helped our clients and potential buyers know a little about the behind the scenes.