Trunk Philosophy
There are people who will tell you that old trunks are not antiques
at all in the purest description of the word. There also are many
who disagree with this.
I see antique trunks as a wonderful look into the past. To a time when
skill and craftsmanship was not dead and there was enough time to
build a product such as a Steamer trunk in a way that just is not
routinely done anymore.
There seem to be 3 schools of thought (maybe more) about how
antique trunks should be restored or refinished. Or shall we say, to
what extent they should be restored or refinished. At Shenandoah
Restoration we know that we will never become wealthy restoring
trunks, but we are craftsmen and we feel obliged to restore a trunk
to the way it looked when it was manufactured 100 or more years
ago.
Back to the 3 schools of thought....
Many restorers re-do a trunk by cutting off the embossed tin,
leather, or canvas and finishing the wood underneath, leaving the
wood slats and buffed small metal parts there and stopping the
ageing of the trunk in it's tracks. then the whole trunk is given a
clear coat of a modern finish and called restored. On that subject, I
see the idea of removing the Embossed tin, leather or canvas on a
trunk akin to removing the veneer from a fine piece of furniture and
leaving the substrate wood there to stain and finish. Hardly how
the Old Masters of furniture making planned it.
Still other restorers will paint each piece of small metal on a trunk
with gold paint, grind all the paint off of the embossed metal, or
paint the canvas on a canvas covered trunk with a modern paint
color and line the inside with vinyl wallpaper or calico fabric.
Again, we at Shenandoah Restoration do not see this as true
restoration.
lastly, there are restorers who strive to recapture the look of an
antique trunk as it was in 1800 - 1930 - restoring the detail and
flavor of the 1800's and 1900's; a time when they were in their
heyday and actually a sign of wealth in some instances.
At Shenandoah Restoration we welcome your ideas on what you
would like your restored trunk to look like, and if you desire your
trunk to be restored in the above mentioned way, we will work with
you as best we can.
We simply love old trunks and we also enjoy making people happy by
restoring their trunks in ways that make them ecstatic to have them in
their home, maybe even to be passed down to future generations.
Give us a call or email... send us some pictures of your trunk, or
visit our stock room and let's talk about how you would like your
restored antique trunk to look ...to match your decor, or to add to
the antiques you might already own.
Gary Daniel
Owner - Shenandoah Antique Restoration
There are people who will tell you that old trunks are not antiques
at all in the purest description of the word. There also are many
who disagree with this.
I see antique trunks as a wonderful look into the past. To a time when
skill and craftsmanship was not dead and there was enough time to
build a product such as a Steamer trunk in a way that just is not
routinely done anymore.
There seem to be 3 schools of thought (maybe more) about how
antique trunks should be restored or refinished. Or shall we say, to
what extent they should be restored or refinished. At Shenandoah
Restoration we know that we will never become wealthy restoring
trunks, but we are craftsmen and we feel obliged to restore a trunk
to the way it looked when it was manufactured 100 or more years
ago.
Back to the 3 schools of thought....
Many restorers re-do a trunk by cutting off the embossed tin,
leather, or canvas and finishing the wood underneath, leaving the
wood slats and buffed small metal parts there and stopping the
ageing of the trunk in it's tracks. then the whole trunk is given a
clear coat of a modern finish and called restored. On that subject, I
see the idea of removing the Embossed tin, leather or canvas on a
trunk akin to removing the veneer from a fine piece of furniture and
leaving the substrate wood there to stain and finish. Hardly how
the Old Masters of furniture making planned it.
Still other restorers will paint each piece of small metal on a trunk
with gold paint, grind all the paint off of the embossed metal, or
paint the canvas on a canvas covered trunk with a modern paint
color and line the inside with vinyl wallpaper or calico fabric.
Again, we at Shenandoah Restoration do not see this as true
restoration.
lastly, there are restorers who strive to recapture the look of an
antique trunk as it was in 1800 - 1930 - restoring the detail and
flavor of the 1800's and 1900's; a time when they were in their
heyday and actually a sign of wealth in some instances.
At Shenandoah Restoration we welcome your ideas on what you
would like your restored trunk to look like, and if you desire your
trunk to be restored in the above mentioned way, we will work with
you as best we can.
We simply love old trunks and we also enjoy making people happy by
restoring their trunks in ways that make them ecstatic to have them in
their home, maybe even to be passed down to future generations.
Give us a call or email... send us some pictures of your trunk, or
visit our stock room and let's talk about how you would like your
restored antique trunk to look ...to match your decor, or to add to
the antiques you might already own.
Gary Daniel
Owner - Shenandoah Antique Restoration
Phone # 712-790-0081
1-800-575-1960
1-800-575-1960
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Shenandoah Antique Restoration
Dealers and Restorers of Antique Trunks
Dealers and Restorers of Antique Trunks
