How to test if your dining room chairs, kitchen chairs, or rocker needs to be re-glued.

If you hold on to the seat of the chair and move the chair back and forth and you can see the joints move; it is time to have the chair re-glued.  To test the back of the chair, place one hand on the seat and the other hand on the top of the back and if it moves back and forth than it needs to be re-glued. I have seen chairs, after being loose for so long, the joints break and even worse, the legs will break in half. The longer you wait, the more expensive the repair could be.

This same test holds true with case pieces: chest of drawers, china cabinets, breakfronts, desks, grandfather clocks. When you start to see the moldings getting loose or joints opening up, it is time to have the piece checked out.

Over time, glues let go. I have seen even modern chairs, that were made only 20 years ago, have the glue let go and I have re-glued them.

Tables are tested the same way; if you hold on to the table top, move it back and forth, and the joints move, they are loose and need to be re-glued. It is better to re-glue them now than to wait until it gets worse, and the joints are breaking.

Veneers, inlays, marquetry, and moldings also come loose. If you are dusting your piece and the rag catches on a loose or lifting piece, it can fall off. Have it worked on before this happens. Waiting leads to missing pieces that now have to be fabricated. It is more expensive to do this extra work.

Think of it as you do your car or your house; you have to keep up with its maintenance to keep it in good shape so it will last. It is just as important to keep up with the maintenance of your furniture, especially those pieces that have been passed down and will continue to be passed down. Don't wait, address the problem now.