How to Find Free Antique Furniture
Find, Restore, Preserve and Save from the Land Fill Sites
Oct 18, 2009
Land fill sites are filling up with 40s couches, broken pine tables, dressers with missing legs, mirrors in need of re-silvering and so many wonderful old pieces that just needed a little care.
What to Expect with Free Antique Furniture
The odds of a perfect pine cupboard or Victorian headboard ever being freely available will likely only happen with an inheritance or when cleaning out granny's attic.
The free antique furniture that is available will likely need a certain amount of restoration. And some pieces, while very shabby looking, perhaps with peeling paint are actually quite stylish. And if the paint is original to the piece, it is valuable as it is and best left alone.
Where to Find Free Antique Furniture
There are numerous places to find free antique furniture. And those who find it have a keen eye – the eye of a die-hard junker. The junker doesn't miss an opportunity and she finds things without making a pointed effort to do so. Junking is all the rage and there are numerous websites devoted to the art and the to exchange of information as well as goods.
- Drive down any street on garbage day with eyes wide open. People clean out their basements every day and place old trunks, dressers, tables and chairs at the end of their driveways ready to be picked up by the town or county to go to the landfill site. And most of these people don't see what the junker sees, which is the restored piece saved from that landfill site. Junkers pick up those pieces from the bottom of driveways. It is probably the best way to find free antique furniture.
- Check the by-laws for a particular town or city before picking up items left for the garbage collectors in case it's not allowed. It's also wise to find out if the town has special garbage days for larger items. Expect competition on those days, though. Generally the larger items are placed at the end of the driveway the night before and by morning, the majority of it could be gone.
- Hit yard sales late in the day. There is a chance that the seller couldn't even get a dollar for a junky piece of old furniture. It could be offered for free.
- Learn to slow down when driving by a home restoration project in progress. Often the dumpster out front is full of vintage salvage, including lovely old cupboards pulled off the wall, old doors, windows, porch posts and more. All could be rejuvenated, rebuilt, reused or restored. Ask before taking, but in most cases the contractor on the site would be happy to have less space in the dumpster. Each time the full dumpster is taken away or replaced, the contractor has to pay a fortune.
- Read the classifieds in the local paper. Perhaps someone wants his attic, basement or barn cleaned out. He may be happy to make a trade – labor for the goods removed.
Nearly Free Antique Furniture
Nearly free antique furniture is a lot easier to come across. In the right place at the right time, junkers can pick up all sorts of antique furniture in need of restoration, for as little as a dollar a piece.
- Great deals can be had at yard sales and for the best antique furniture deals, be the first on the scene. Keep in mind, that not everyone knows the value of antiques or that a piece of furniture is even an antique. This furniture is often seen as junk. Antique dressers could be had for $10. Small tables for $2. Wicker for $1. For the junker, Saturday mornings are a huge treasure hunt with amazing deals to be found.
- Country auctions will always have some really cheap furniture that no one else wants to bid on. Auctioneers need to clear it and it's not unusual to shout "sold" when the top bid is a dollar or two.
- Thrift shops, church basement sales,estate sales and second-hand stores always have great deals on antique and vintage furniture and some of these stores have half-price days.
Websites like Freecycle and Craigslist are great places to begin a free or nearly free antique furniture quest.
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