Intelligent Junking

To Buy or not to Buy Yard Sale Furniture, Lighting and Wicker

Nov 16, 2009 Lorraine Syratt

Junkers often buy more than they need simply because it's cheap. But the junk usually needs some restoration and could just collect dust in the basement. Love it first.

Junking is fun. It's addictive and a tough habit to break once that first find is sitting in the corner of the living room, displaying china in the dining room or lighting up the den. Junking is a hunt for vintage and antique treasures. Without thought, however, basements, garages and storage rooms can become clogged with restoration projects. Here are some things to avoid and think about before forking over that $1 for a broken-down antique wicker chair.

Antique and Retro Furniture

When buying antique furniture at flea markets or yard sales, consider the condition before striking a deal. Junkers should ask themselves how much it will cost to restore it. How much time it will take if they do the work themselves? When will they get around to doing it, and how long it will sit in the basement before that actually happens.

Check the legs for looseness. Check for warping, loose hinges, and missing parts like knobs. Even one missing knob on an antique bureau, for instance, can be very difficult to replace.

It's an upholstered piece, study the fabric and springs. Turn the piece over and look for loose nails and overall cleanliness. Reupholstering is very expensive. Love the piece first.

It's no point bringing something into the home unless it's truly loved and if it's truly loved, chances are restoration will begin immediately. A deal is only a deal if it's a thing worth having.

Vintage Lighting

Many vintage lamps, sconces and chandeliers need to be rewired to today's standards. Missing glass may be hard to reproduce or replace. Most fittings and parts can be found easily in lighting stores, but if the piece has a lot of missing parts, the junker could be looking at $2 to $30 per part.

Old lampshades are often more expensive to have remade than it would cost to buy a brand new shade. And for that matter, for the cost of having the original shade recovered, the junker may be able to buy a similar lamp in an antique shop that's already in excellent condition.

Antique Wicker

Antique wicker is beautiful, especially in it's natural, polished state, never painted. For many junkers antique wicker is an irresistible find, but consider the very high costs of restoration before purchasing a piece at any price. And if a leg is broken it can't be sat on. Restoration is usually the only option. Very often cheap antique wicker will have wear only on the arms. Decide if that can be lived with before purchasing it. Junkers should ask themselves if they can live with an easy less pretty fix.

Yard sales and other thrifty venues always have something vintage and funky to offer to junkers and it's fun to add those oddities to home decor for it's eclectic value and relaxed elegance. Always love the piece first, not matter what type of antique or vintage item is brought into the home. Intelligent junking means buying only what must be had.

Readers may also be interested in Junking for Vintage Textiles, Ceramic and Art, and Junk Style Decorating.

The copyright of the article Intelligent Junking in Antiques & Collectibles is owned by Lorraine Syratt. Permission to republish Intelligent Junking in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.