If you have an antique roll top desk, then you have a very valuable heirloom that you should take good care of.  Antique roll tops, especially those manufactured in circa 1900, can command big money at the auction market.

This article will not encourage you to part with your highly valuable roll top desks.  However, you should understand that your antique roll top can easily fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars if you decide to sell it.

To keep your vintage roll top office desk in top shape, you have to make some restorations on it.  This is particularly true if you notice that your antique desk is degenerating fast.  Restoration can extend the lifetime of your desk and maintain its value.

So, here’s a basic guide which will help you to make small restorations on your antique roll top desk.

1.  Daily cleaning.

If you think that daily cleaning of antique furniture is a routine and mundane task, then you are terribly mistaken.  Cleaning your roll top regularly is critical in order to avoid wood degeneration.

Do not use water or rough cleaning scrubs and agents on your antique roll top.  Simply use dry cotton cloth to wipe away dust and dirt.  You can also use feather dusters or electric dusters for this purpose.

2.  If you notice a scratch on the surface of the roll top, do not attempt to sand the scratch marks.

You will only ruin the integrity of the desk finish.  What you should do is to buy a wood friendly solvent for cleaning furniture.

Apply this solvent on the affected area and carefully strip the old finish of the desk.  Once you have exposed the base of the wood, you can now carefully sand the area to remove the scratch mark.  Clean the sanded area with dry cloth and refinish it with a fresh coat of wood paint and varnish.

3.  When repairing damaged parts, never use a hammer or blunt metal objects.

You should use small wood mallets and wooden tools also.  If there is a need to reattach some chipped parts or decorations, always use wood glue and not ordinary adhesive or plastic based glues.

Lastly, buy an antique restoration manual.  There are major damages that cannot be restored through simple procedures.  There are also times that you must completely refinish the entire desk and apply new paint to avoid wood rotting.  If you have a handy manual, then you can manage these major restorations for your antique roll top desk.