Have you ever been tempted to refinish a piece of furniture, but you were not sure if you should or even sure if you could? A lot of amateur furniture buffs have these same thoughts and fears. You can refinish furniture of all kinds, but first of all you need to know for sure whether or not you should and if you do, you want the best instructions and supplies available before you think of starting the job. Some old furniture is better left alone, but in the end it is up to you whether or not you like it well enough in its original state enough to leave it as it is.

These days a lot of people have taken to refinishing their old iron beds. They might have acquired them from their family or they could have bought them somewhere at a second hand store or garage sale. They often question whether or not it should be refinished unless it is in great condition. It is evidently acceptable to refinish iron beds and them not lose all of their value, but that choice is up to the owner. You will need to know how your bed is made before you start as well.

If you need to find out how old your iron bed is because you are not at all sure, then an antique professional might be able to help. The reason you should know is because iron beds were made differently during the 1800′s than they were after the first decade or so of the 19th century. You might not be able to tell the difference yourself, but a real professional will be able to show you the difference.

Iron beds that were made from a sand-cast molds were generally made before 1914 when the first world war started up and the production of iron beds stopped. Before the war, they were handcrafted using top grade iron of that time. Iron beds that were made after world war I for the most part were made in factories with a lesser grade of iron. All of these iron beds are valuable to some point, but the earlier handcrafted ones are more than likely more valuable in most instances.

Just like with so many other types of furniture, iron beds can have marks on them or manufacturing labels. This could be a key to figuring out how old it is and how it was really made on your own. If you are unable to find any identifying marks on your bed, then the professional antique expert might be your best bet in finding out for sure. Even if you go ahead and refinish the bed, you will want to have a definite answer about whether it will harm the value or not before you proceed.

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