Chair Help Needed

[KevinB]

Can anyone tell me about this chair? I'm not sure if it was redone or not. I can't find any maker or anything. The bottom of the chair is covered with that black material they put on the bottom of couches so I cant get pics of the construction. It has wheels on the front legs. Is this a parlor chair?

[mart]

Have you looked  to see if the back legs also had castors ??  Looks to be a Mid Century Modern chair,, Perhaps part of a dining set !!

[KevinB]

No I didn't even think to check the back legs to see if they ever had castors. Could be from a dining set but to me it seemed to be too deep and too low for a dining chair.

[mart]

You didn`t give dimensions !!  Could possibly be a desk chair or occassional chair !! Has been recovered I think !!

[KevinB]

I think it was recovered because it is way too white. I'm afraid I'll get the thing dirty. Ok made a phone call and got measurements. The seat is 27" wide, 24" deep, the seat is 17" high and the backrest is 33" high. Never had castors on the back. The seat has some sort of springs in it.

I think my great grandmother had chairs like this out on her sun porch.

[mart]

I looked up several of this type chair and most all are low sitting !!  In fact that is one of the key search terms !!  Approx same dimensions !!  I really had forgotten a lot about this type furniture !!  Castors on front were for ease of moving them !! I would not call it a parlor chair as that term is more common for older furniture, if you plan on selling it !! I would call it an occassional chair although it could have been a captains chair with a dining set !!  Hard to tell exactly what kind it is !!  On most sites value runs around $200. or a bit less !!  The cover on your chair is likely a 70`s or 80`s re-do !!  But a lot of people like this furniture !!

[KevinB]

Thank you so much mart. I think I remember my great grandparents calling theirs occassional chairs. I love this kind of chair very comfortable but white wont work for me. I kept thinking how hard it would be to sell with an ad that read only "Chair" lol

[mart]

Call it Mid Century Modern or Retro Occassional chair or both and it would be correct !!  Probably will sell well if you are in a metro area !! The style seems to do well in cities !! Small towns and country settings just call it used furniture !! Will sell better if you use a bit of Old english scratch cover on the wood !! But it is dark and will stain the white if you get it on it !!  Just hold a piece of doubled heavy duty foil and slide it as close to the upholstery as possible and use it as a barrier before polishing !! Light coat then rub it off well and it will work wonders !!

[KevinB]

Your so helpful mart. I was just trying to figure out how to decribe its age. Thanks for the tip about the selling better in cities. I'm within driving distance of NY and Philadelphia. I will deffinately do the Old English.

[mart]

Let us know how the sale goes !!  It helps us keep up with trends in the market !! Good Luck !!

[KevinB]

I tried the Old English and it doesn't seem like its going to work. I really should of taken close up pictures of the wood while I was there but I didn't think of it at the time. The finish on the chair looks like it should be a golden brown but the wood underneath is very red. I'm kinda wondering if this wasn't painted that color brown. The front top of the arms is where a spot of natural wood is showing and its red. The white part that looks like heavy wear is actually the half worn down finish or a primer coat.

[matty77]

Old English has worked for me in the past, but only on darker woods - otherwise the scratches seem to be somewhat accentuated by the dark color of the oil.  Howard makes a product called Restor-a-Finish that I use much more often now.  It comes in nearly a dozen different shades for wood matching.  It can be used on the entire piece, and (when matched fairly closely to the wood) covers scratches and dings wonderfully.  They disappear.

It is specifically mentioned in several reference books I own concerning furniture restoration, as the first (and least invasive) method of repair that should be attempted.  It won't help if it is in fact paint that you have discovered on the chair, but I thought I would throw it out there anyway.

Good luck!

[mart]

Could have been a paint type finish !! If Old English doesn`t cover it I would sell it as is !! Rather than spending much money trying to fix something that new owners may paint anyway !!  Old English is something good to have on hand at least so you can touch up future items !!

[KevinB]

It kinda looks like it was stained a red color before it was painted. I think I remember learning about a furniture making doing something like this on purpose so his colors would be different from everyone elses but I'll have to look into that further.

[mart]

If it was stained first it would not change a paint type finish !! Only way that would work to make a color different would be to apply a stain over a stain and that makes no sense since stains can be mixed for a custom color !!  If it looks like a painted finish it likely was done at a later time !!  If its red it may have started out as a mahogany finish and someone later painted over it !!  Now the opposite can be done for a different finish,,stain over paint and that was common in some years !!