Furniture is expensive, and for good a reason! Reliable furniture can be used for decades without malfunctioning if taken care of properly. However, you should always know how to notice signs of wear and tear.

Whether you’re trying to use your existing furniture as carefully as possible or attempting to assess antique furniture, these small clues are gold. Here are five signs that the piece of furniture you’re looking at is degrading.

Weird Wood Texture

Wood has apparent symptoms of wear. So, the best way to tell if wood furniture is no longer suitable for use is to examine the base material. If the texture seems uneven throughout the whole piece, this could be a sign that the timber’s reacting to something external and weakening over time.

Holes and sawdust could signal a pest infestation in the item currently or in the past. Make sure the wood doesn’t seem like its bursting, which can happen with exposure to water.

Telltale Chipping

Make sure you look for chipping in the material of the furnishing. Whether it’s paint, plastic, Formica, or metal, chipping is not a good thing. It means that there is a defect in the quality of the material, and it is going to be unusable soon. Remember, furniture is an investment and needs to be functional for long years ahead.

Scratches GalorePicture15

Check in the corners and under the surfaces for stains, marks, and scratches. These are hints that the piece in front of you has been used roughly. Never buy something with these stains from someone who has claimed that the furniture is in pristine condition. The seller is trying to dupe you!

While these marks are fixable, you should demand a lower price for the furniture restoration job you’ll need to get done.

Uneven Coloring

If your furniture has uneven coloring, the top coat of polish or paint is getting ruined. You might need someone to come in and perform maintenance refinishing to make your furniture look as good as new.

Functional Problems

Household items need to work, or there’s no point in having them. So if the furnishing items have broken drawer handles or a loose shelf, this means it has been neglected. However, most furniture repairs like this can be easy to do for professionals like the folks over at On Site Wood Wizard in Pleasanton, CA, and other nearby areas.

They can fix your antique or wooden furniture sets in no time, as well as cabinet restoration and refinishing. Call them at 925-370-1489, if your furniture’s showing the signs above to get a consultation from Darrel Stimson himself!