Antique Tables

One surface, doing most of the work.

A table is judged first on its top: the timber, the figure, the colour built up over a long life, and whether that surface is original or has been refinished. Everything beneath it matters too, but a good top is the thing that cannot be recovered once it has been stripped and sanded. The Antique Guild assesses tops, bases, mechanisms and any later alteration before a table enters the collection. We deliver throughout Australia. Explore the current selection below.

Why collect antique tables through The Antique Guild

Every antique table assessed for construction period, top and base consistency, original fittings and structural soundness
Specialist knowledge across card tables, dining tables, centre tables, side tables and writing tables from the Georgian period through to the early 20th century
Sourced from private estates and specialist furniture collections, with a focus on tables of genuine period construction and usable scale
Tables chosen to be used — centrepieces of a room that carry history into everyday life

Care Guide

What to Look For When Buying

The top should show a coherent history. Original surfaces carry an uneven depth of colour, small marks and scratches consistent with use, and a patina that sits in the timber rather than on it. A top that is flat, even and uniformly coloured has usually been sanded and refinished, which removes both the patina and a measurable thickness of timber. Look along the surface at a low angle in raking light, where old ring marks, previous repairs and a modern finish show up far more readily than they do from above.

Check that the top belongs to the base. Underneath, the fixing points, the colour of the unfinished timber and any redundant screw holes will show whether the two have always been together. On extending tables, open the mechanism fully and work it several times, since runners and gearing are expensive to repair and leaves are frequently missing or later replacements that do not match in timber or colour. On tilt top and pedestal tables, examine the block, the catch and the join to the pedestal, which is where these forms fail, and check the feet for old splits and replaced sections. Timber movement means an antique round top that is slightly out of round is normal and expected. We document condition, movement and any restoration in every listing.

Caring for Your Piece

Protect against heat and moisture above everything else, because those are what destroy old finishes. Use mats under anything hot and coasters under anything wet, and deal with a spill immediately by blotting rather than wiping. Never place a vase or a plant directly on an antique top, since a slow leak leaves a white bloom or a black stain that requires professional attention. Avoid plastic and rubber backed placemats on French polished surfaces, which can bond to the finish.

Wax two or three times a year with a paste wax applied thinly and buffed well, and dust in between with a soft dry cloth. Avoid all silicone and aerosol polishes. Keep the table out of direct sunlight, which fades one part of a top faster than the rest and shows badly on a large surface. When extending a table or fitting leaves, support the weight rather than letting sections drop, and store leaves flat and in the same room as the table so they stay at the same moisture content as the top. Lift a table rather than dragging it, taking the weight at the frame rather than the top.

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Can a damaged top be restored?

Often, and with less intervention than people expect. Surface scratches, minor ring marks and dull patches can frequently be improved by a restorer through cleaning and re-waxing or a sympathetic revival of the existing finish, without stripping anything. Full refinishing should be a last resort, because it removes the patina permanently and takes value with it. Get an opinion before anyone reaches for sandpaper.
Why is my round table no longer perfectly round?

Timber shrinks across the grain and barely at all along it, so a round top made from boards two centuries ago is very likely to have become slightly oval. This is normal, expected, and generally regarded as evidence of authenticity rather than a defect.
Should I use a tablecloth or protect the top?

Use protection for anything hot, wet or heavy, and otherwise let the table be a table. A good surface takes normal careful use well, and antique tops were not made to sit permanently under cloth. What they do not tolerate is sustained heat, standing moisture and direct sun. Felt backed protectors under objects that live on the table will prevent the small scratches that accumulate invisibly.
A leaf is missing from my extending table. Can one be made?

Yes. A cabinet maker can make a replacement leaf and colour it to sit sympathetically with the original, though an exact match to timber that has aged for a century is not realistic and a good restorer will say so. It is worth doing, since a table that extends fully is far more useful, and the replacement should be recorded as such.
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