Hello MMDer's,  Just though I 'wood' :) add my 2 cents worth,
since this is the profession I have been doing for the last 23 years
-- replicating and restoring antique furniture and automatic musical
instruments.  To me this is a simple question; the answer is "It's what
the client wants and is willing to spend."

In restoring a fine piece of furniture, whether it is a Louis XV French
armoire or a Wurlitzer 150 trumpet organ, they're always done the same
way: with integrity, by following a set of standards that would mirror
the quality and care that the original craftsman put into building the
cabinet in the first place.  That's why it has lasted 100 or 150 or
more years already.

There is a spectrum of choices in restoration: (#1) starting at just
cleaning and waxing the old original finish, no matter how good or bad
it is; (#2) cleaning and waxing the old finish and gluing broken parts;
(#3) cleaning, waxing, gluing and replace missing parts, such as
moldings, shelves, finials, hardware, etc.

The client that has chosen one of these options has a cabinet that
in most cases is in good shape and he wants to maintain the original
finish.  _Or_, he lacks the money to do a complete restoration at this
time.  (He might have spent a fortune just to purchase the piece he has
always wanted)

Then there are the clients that want the cabinet to look like it did
when it was first built and finished.  In most cases these cabinets are
in bad shape structurally and or have finishes that are beyond repair
due to water, fire, smoke or just plain old ware and tear.

Now I have come to what's called "museum quality."  This is where
_money_ becomes a concern -- the cabinet has to be worth spending a
fair amount of money on.

At this point you have to strip the old finish, glue all the structural
problems (if any), fix or replace all veneer situations (if any),
replace missing moldings (if any), sand and color match back to
original or match excising cabinet in set.

Up to this point in the refinishing it is just following a standard,
to do what every it takes to make it look as close to a new original a
possible.

Now the part of restoration that makes everything come together:
the finish.  It so important to replicate the sheen and depth of the
original finish to achieve "museum quality."  Many old-time finishes
can still be done today, like French polish and hand rubbed shellac
or hand rubbed wax, but they are very time consuming and costly.  Very
few clients are willing to pay what it takes to duplicate an original
finish.

I think you can get a great finish with lacquer if you know how to
use it (the right sheen and many coats, and wet sanding between the
last few coats).

Some people get hung up on the idea that you have to use the
exact chemical formula as the original to be politically correct.
I personally do not feel the need to use hide glue on wood joints
just so they are easy to take apart for the next restoration in 50 or
a 100 years, or use aniline dye for stain just because it was used by
the original finisher.  I'm sure that if he would have had a choice he
would have used Universal Tinting Colors and paint thinner, like me. :)

Well, I believe that's my 2 cents worth and then some.

Thanks
Ricky Diggs
Custom Woodworking