Q.  I have inherited some Victorian marble top furniture and I need to know how to care for it.

A. The best thing you can do for marble top furniture is to keep it clean. Periodic washing with a very mild detergent and warm water should be part of the regular routine. There are wax and polish products made especially for marble that will protect your stone and even enhance the colors, even if the marble has a sealer on it, which yours probably does not. One product made especially for marble is Goddard's Marble Polish which is primarily carnuba wax, a very hard substance used in the best floor waxes. Goddard's can be found online at refinish.com. Another, more high tech product is HMK P21 Polishing Paste, a silicone/wax conditioner for interior stone surfaces, finished or unfinished. Its a little harder to find but may be worth the effort in special cases.

 However, just about any clear, non-ambering paste wax will suffice for normal, household maintenance of interior marble. Renaissance Wax and Fiddes both fall in that category. Fiddes can be found at hummercap.com.

Q. I have a very old wicker chair from the 1800's that I want to have stripped. It has many layers of paint on it and I have no idea how to strip it myself. I took it to one shop and they wouldn't do it because they said it is Lloyd Loom wicker. What does that mean and what do I do next?

A. If it is in fact Lloyd Loom wicker then it is not from the 1800's. The Lloyd power weaving machine was invented in 1917 by Marshall B. Lloyd for use in his factory to replace striking workers. The machine weaves small diameter strips of twisted paper fiber into large sheets of "fabric" which is then nailed to a frame, giving the appearance of woven wicker. Since it is basically paper it doesn't react well to being immersed in stripper. The shop you took it to may have been burned once by having to make good on the damage inadvertently done to a piece of Lloyd Loom wicker. You will have to find a shop that can quickly cold strip the chair but even then be prepared for some extensive (and expensive) professional repair work. Since the chair is not as old as you thought and probably not as valuable either, you may want to just clean it up as best you can and repaint it.

Q. My sole inheritance from my grandparents is an old chair I remember being in their front parlor, as they called it. Over the years neglect has led the chair to its current sorry state. It looks like grime and dirt have replaced the original finish where there is anything at all left. Some places are down to bare wood and others just have layers of old yuck. I want to restore the chair to a more presentable condition but I want to retain the old patina and preserve the value. I have been told never to strip anything that is close to 100 years old. I have used naphtha, mineral spirits, oil soap and lemon oil and nothing seems to work. How can I restore this chair?

A. It sounds like the chair long ago crossed the line between patina, whatever that is, and just plain old dirty ugly. In order to revive a finish, a finish has to exist and it doesn't sound like that is the case. As to preserving the value of the chair, do you like it like it is or do you want it to look like it did when your grandparents acquired it new or at least in usable condition? An ordinary early to mid twentieth century chair essentially has no collectors value. It's value is as a chair - plus whatever sentimental value you place on it, for which no one will ever reimburse you. Go ahead and strip the chair and refinish it. You may be pleasantly surprised at the beauty of what lies under all the goop. Your grandparents wouldn't mind a bit.

Q. I am a collector of Victorian furniture. I try to keep everything in its original condition but if I need to have repairs done I insist they be done with period tools and techniques. Recently I heard about a stripper that was used in the mid 1800's by furniture craftsmen that didn't do any damage to the wood but I can't find a source or a formula. Have you ever heard of such a thing?

      Fred Taylor's new book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is now available for $18.95 plus $2.00 S & H. Send check or money order for $20.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.

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