Antiques in Sussex: French Antiques - Spanish Antiques - Antique Painted Furniture - Brownrigg Interiors

Author: Rini Brown

Brownrigg Interiors, an exciting antique shop in UK selling decorative antiques, painted antiques, Spanish antiques, French antiques, antique furniture, 18th century paintings, modern art, sculpture and statuary. We sell conventional antiques for decorating interiors with English antiques, French antiques, Swedish Antiques and Spanish antiques including early 20th century antiques.

Our stock of continental antiques and painted antiques includesantique furniture, Bleached oak Furniture and antique painted furniture such asantique sofas, antique chairs, antique cupboards, antique bookcases, antique tables, antique console tables, antique chest of drawers, painted cupboards, antique painted dressers and many more antique furniture for decorating your home and office. We have special stock of French antiques and French Decorative Antiques like French antique tables, Antique French leather armchairs, Antique Commodes, French commodes and French antique painted furniture in our beautiful collection of antiques in Sussex. All our antique furniture and antique painted furniture we sell are brought from France, Spain, Italy, England and Sweden.

We have exciting collection of 17th, 18th, and 19th century antique furniture and also provides various antiques such as antique ceramics, antique glasses, antique garden statues, antique lighting, antique mirrors and antique figures. Then we have finest stock of antique luggage, antique leather goods, English leather trunks, leather boxes, leather suitcases and other leather antiques. We also hold limited stock of rare antique vintage fabrics, antique tapestry and vintage French linen.

Our high quality decorative antiques, French antiques, Spanish antique, English antiques, painted antiques, Swedish Antiques, Painted antique furniture, antique furniture, Bleached oak Furniture, Antique Commodes, French Commodes, and French Decorative Antiques at affordable prices makes our antique shop in Sussex, an exciting shop loved by UK people. Visit our antique shop, we are sure you will really love our French antiques collection and it will be great help to decorate your home and office at reasonable cost. We also arrange transport and insurance on your purchase to anywhere in world. Also read reviews of our website and we also provide visitor information and Travel and accommodation in Petworth. We also attend many events and shows throughout the year. We also offer currency converter for helping our customer services.

Still you have other questions or concerns regarding purchase of antiques in sussex, please contact online or by visit us in person to our best antique shops outside London.

http://www.brownrigg-interiors.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/antiques-articles/antiques-in-sussex-french-antiques-spanish-antiques-antique-painted-furniture-brownrigg-interiors-416342.html

About the Author

Brownrigg Interiors, antique shop UK selling Conventional Antiques and Continental Antiques such as antique chairs, antique sofas, antique tables, antique console tables, french antique tables, french commodes, antique luggage, antique leather goods. Also offers various antiques such as antique ceramics, antique garden statues, antique lighting, antique mirrors, antique vintage fabrics, antique figures in Petworth, West Sussex, UK.

It'S Inevitable: Old Wood Will Shrink

Author: Pierre Verte

Toronto - Shrinkage is a factor to be reckoned with in all wood construction. In simple terms, shrinkage is the contraction of wood as a result of a loss of moisture. When a tree is freshly cut, it has a high moisture content which is evident by its sappy nature and extreme weight.

Presuming that wood is dried to a point where it is stable prior to its use (and that's not always a safe presumption), should additional problems be expected?

The answer is yes. Wood can be brought to a point of relative stability, but the environment in which it is placed is not stable. Invariably wood will continue to lose moisture from years of being indoors. What is more significant is that wood will continue to change with seasons. Wood will gain or lose moisture according to the moisture content of the air. Summer provides high moisture, while winter means low moisture and contraction. A piece of furniture purchased in a high-moisture area such as London, England and brought to a drier environment such as New York or Toronto often will start to fall apart through contraction.

The degree of shrinkage varies with the age of the piece (how much it has pre-shrunk already), the type of wood, and how it was constructed. There is no mystery to some pieces falling apart.

The move to lower humidity (often centrally heated houses) results in shrinkage. Stress to all the glue lines causes the piece to sometimes come unglued.

The first rule of shrinkage is that all woods shrink across the grain. The second rule is that all wood will continue to shrink to some degree after being employed in furniture construction. The third rule is that all wood will continue to expand and contract with changes in humidity no matter what you do to it (save shrink wrapping it in an air-tight plastic wrapper!).

The last rule, to complicate matters, is that uneven absorption of moisture (one surface absorbing more than the other surface) will result in warpage. This last point is all too frequently illustrated with tabletops. A craftsman will finish the top surface of a table, for example, but rarely the underside. The finish on the top surface inhibits the absorption of moisture (the primary reason for using a finish) forcing greater absorption from the bottom. The consequence is a warped top leaf. This effect is known as cupping. Understanding and observing shrinkage is at the basis of authenticating antique furniture. Without shrinkage, a piece simply cannot be antique. A piece exhibiting shrinkage might not be unique but it must be old. In some cases, a combination of very well-seasoned wood and a stable climate will result in a minimum of shrinkage to a table and no splitting. But you are likely to encounter more split tops than not.

Over the years when I have found harvest tables in barns, deserted houses, and old sheds, I have invariably had problems with shrinkage and splitting when the items are refinished and moved into a heated home or cottage. Tables on pedestal bases are less likely to split because the manner in which they are attached allows greater latitude for the movement of the wood.

There are numerous examples of shrinkage. In an old schoolmaster's desk the cross member shrinks and leaves a shrinkage ridge where it is mortised into the 1eg post. With ladderback chairs the slat will shrink leaving a portion of the empty mortise showing. In addition, the glue holding the chair together will dry and crumble with temperature and moisture change. Everyone has experienced a chair coming apart.

The important thing with shrinkage is the simple principal that it shrinks across the grain. The nailed blanket box will not change because all sides are continuous and they will shrink the same. After a hundred years or so each will have shrunk to approximately the same width. The key to shrinkage in this case will be the bottom of the box. Considering the bottom board is fixed at several points it will either have cracked or pulled away at one side.

So, the next time your newly purchased antique shrinks in the winter, don't blame the dealer - check your heat!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/antiques-articles/its-inevitable-old-wood-will-shrink-786402.html

About the Author

Peter Green, Founder of the antique school, Asheford Institute of Antiques, Internationally Syndicated Antique Columnist, Travel Writer and Owner of South Meadow Antiques. For more information of the antique school, click here Asheford Institute Of Antiques Institute Of Antiques.