Restoring English Oak antique furniture

[dan_tom]

Hi everyone

I have four barley twist dark English oak chairs, extendable dining table, tea trolley and matching buffet (pre 1800s) - all original hardware. The dining table doesn't have a smooth finish, it's a bit crackly in spots and I wanted your collective advice on how to restore the finish.
Should I:
- sand back the table and refinish
- rub a product into it to revive the old finish (I have seen a Howards product used at the last WW Show in Brisbane and saw a Ubeaut product at Carbatec the other day - it's cider vinegar and boronia oil)
- sell as is (we have run out of room!)

Advice would be greatly appreciated! The dining table is in worse nick than the buffet and chairs. The chairs are also "faded" around the arm rests - should I stain this area to match the rest of the chair?

Advice and horror stories appreciated!

Cheers
Dan

[RETIRED]

This may be what you saw. Polish reviver.
http://ubeaut.com.au/ubhome.htm

[JB]

Faded is good.

Do nothing if you are selling. Revive lightly if you are keeping.

[rsser]

Sanding back and refinishing is a major effort. And if you do a good job it won't look like an antique so much any more.

And if you only do the table it won't match the rest.

Rest, revive, survive!