Right, way more. If it is Henredon, jump on it. If not, looks like it still would be worth over $300.

And reupholstering those chairs would be very very simple too...

I don't know if it's Henredon or not, but it looks like a good style with comfortable chairs and you can't go wrong with a table that extends to 12 feet. Just don't get all excited when you get there. You don't want her second-guessing her price.

Red

One caution...look for mildew, warping and loose joints. The set appears to be stored in the basement or attic.

Thanks for the info! I'll report back later today after I go look at it :) Of course hubby is shaking his head at me because I already have a few furniture "projects" taking up space in our garage, but I just HAVE to go look at this one at least! I'm too curious not to, lol!

Oh, yes, make sure you look at it!

Even if you have to spiff it up, it will be more than worth it.

I'm really kicking myself for buying a new kitchen table. Wish I would have waited for something like I've linked below (which reminds me of your CL find). Wouldn't use the two cabinets but the solid walnut table and graceful chairs seem to be worth every penny.

Here is a link that might be useful: walnut

I would say it's a highly desirable "look". CL is great!

wow parma - that is an AWESOME set too! Love it! A few years ago when we moved into our new house I bought a cheapo Target dining table so that's what we have right now, but it only seats 6. I've made the same mistake as you though - I bought a computer armoire brand new a few years ago for around $600ish because I was so impatient to have something. Of course now, I see them on CL ALL the time for $100 or under! Lessons learned, I guess :)

Nice set! Just curious about the Henredon name in general: What makes it "upper" end furniture? Higher than usual quality materials, handmade craftsmanship, or ... ?

PARMA - I NEED A TALL, NARROW CABINET!!! - We should buy that set together!

Hi, laurensmom! I'm the mother of a Lauren as well, by the way though she'll be thirty-eight this year. I'm also a long-time lurker here. My husband with strong, long ago ties to Henredon says yes it is definitely Henredon and he can probably date it for you if you can show a pic of the markings on the bottom of a chair. Great buy!
Peg

"PARMA - I NEED A TALL, NARROW CABINET!!! - We should buy that set together!"

Hahaha! I actually thought of your quest when I saw the pics.

DH would kill me if I told him how much I hated the piece of cr*p set we ordered from Macy's. NEVER believe the star ratings you read there. Those people must have really low standards. Chintzy "hand-painting" and cheap wood.

Lipstick on a pig.

Thanks again everyone! I did end up buying the set - for $275 :) I've only got a few of the chairs home so far though - hubby has to go get the table and other chairs tomorrow with the trailer. It wouldn't fit in his truck with the topper on. He just shook his head at me when I told him I bought it. But I couldn't pass up such a great deal like that! Now I just need to figure out if I'm going to keep it (and possibly paint it? Would that be sacrilege to paint a Henredon?) Or possibly resell it? hmmm....

Peg, my Lauren is right here with me and she's 6 :) They grow up so fast, don't they? I would love for your dh to help me date it. I haven't found a mark on the chairs yet, but I did see one on the bottom of the table. I'll report back with a pic of the marking when we pick up the table tomorrow. Thanks again!

Christy :)

I vote that painting it would equal sacrilege. Will this be used in your formal dining room or breakfast room?

Dorothy, if we keep it - it would go in our eat in kitchen/breakfast room. Which is not very big (maybe 8x14 but open to kitchen). My problem is, I have a hard time passing up a good deal - even if I don't 'need' it right now :) We are planning to build a new house in 2-3 years, and I always think 'what if I need this in the new house?'. But dh does not share my penchant for furniture collecting, lol!

What if I painted the chairs and left the table wood? If I were to sell it, what would be a reasonable asking price? Not looking to make a fortune, but I think it's worth more than I paid.

Peg, my Lauren is my oldest and our sensitive child. Very compassionate and loves books & learning. Now her younger sibs Chloe (4) and Zach (2) are our pistols :) Not looking forward to the teenage years!

thanks again for everyone's input. It's nice to talk to others about things like this since if it doesn't involve power tools or some type of ball game, hubby is not too interested!

What a wonderful buy! If the wood is in good shape I wouldn't paint it; at least not right away. Try it out in your room and with some different fabric on the chairs. Have fun with it; looks like a treasure to me.

As one who paid full price for her Henredon dining table and 8 chairs in 1978, you got an amazing deal. My furniture has been moved across country every 3-4 years for the past 30 years, and it still looks beautiful. All I've had to do is periodically refresh the seat fabric by reupholstering. This fact attests to the quality of Henredon construction.

Given the beauty of Henredon wood work, and the care and craftsmanship put into the dining table (as evidenced by one of your photos), I definitely would NOT paint your new acquisition. To me, that would be a sacrilege....even if you purchased it for an incredibly low price.

Congratulations on your new quality furniture!

Paint it? noooooooooooooo! You've got yourself a quality set that is probably worthy of professional refinishing. It's in the category of "they don't make 'em like that anymore." Quality wood, no particle board, classic style, and the chairs even look comfortable.

I could see it stained darker, though I just would not try to do it myself. $275??? You got a STEAL!

Hey everyone! I finally got everything home and took some pics. I still can't decide what to do. I asked hubby to help me move it into our dining area so I could see what it looked like in the space and he was like, "can't you just visualize without doing moving it?!" lol! um... NO! Hopefully I'll convince him tomorrow - he had to work late tonight.

So here's the pics. The table has a few scratches and nicks, but nothing too horrible. It also sags just a *tiny* bit in the middle when all the leaves are in. I'm just not 100% convinced that it's my style (we're more farmhouse, country, coastalish if that makes sense). I'll have to think on it for a while. You can see in the last pic that one of the chairs' caning is broken a little. How do you fix that? The other chairs are in good shape except one of the captain's chairs arm is broken and needs reglued.

Peg - I would love to know if your dh could date it for me. Also, what kind of wood do you think it is? It's a medium brown color irl if that helps :)

Thanks again for all the input!

It's probably pressed cane - are there holes in the back that the cane goes through or not? You'd have to pull out the spline (the piece of rounded cane in the groove on the front side) and then pull out the sheet of cane and replace it with a new one. It can get a little messy. If you post a closeup of the damage maybe I can see if it can be repaired - might not be too noticeable if you paint it (not that I'm recommending painted that furniture!). Depends on how fussy you are - does it have to be perfect?

ajsmama - thanks for the tips. Definitely NOT fussy :) With 3 kiddos 6 and under we're all about cheap, casual, and kid friendly! Shoot, I don't even need all 8 chairs. We'll keep the broken ones in the basement probably - I was just curious if it was worth fixing. Thanks for your reply!

The caning looks like machine caning - the spline will pull out with some encouragement. The secret to replacing caning and spline is to soak both in water for a while so that it gets more supple. It's pretty easy to do - I've done it before. You'll have to search out some caning supplies on the internet and match up the caning - both the pattern and spacing can vary - and then it can be stained to match the chair once you're done.

The set is gorgeous and absolutely worth the time and money to repair.

Helene

The thing is, it's pretty easy for a novice to destroy the wood around/in the groove trying to get the spline out. If you're not fussy it can be repaired by cutting out the damaged pieces so the ends are hidden on the back (this works only on chairs that face you as you walk into the room, not chairs that have their backs to you!), then reweaving the hole and gluing the ends of the old cane and the new cane together on the back where they cross an intact piece. plus you'd have to use smoked cane or stain the replacement to match, which is why I mentioned painting the chairs.

Personally, I hate working with pressed cane - would much rather weave a seat. Easier to repair too (just replace the whole strand back to the hole in the frame).

Oh, and if you're really not fussy, since it's only 1 area and not widespread damage, you could just buy a sheet of machine/pressed cane and cut out the damage as before, cut a patch to match the pattern and glue it into the back. But that will show more (both front and back) than reweaving.

.You could call around to people who do these things and might get it repaired for $50 to $75. Or you could get a book and try it yourself. To get the spline out I took a large screwdrive with a square shank instead of round, grind off the ears and bend it 90% about 3/4" up from the top. Then grind the end on the back so it is shaped like a single edged chisel with the bevel on the back only. Then I drive it under the spline and pry up.

If you seriously want to keep it, when you re-do the chair covers, maybe you can have the back slightly padded and covered with the same material and use it as an accent arm chair. My friend had a very simular set and it looked lovely in her dining room. She sold it about eight years ago and at that time she sold it for about three/four thousand. Of course she had a breakfront and small server.
Anyway with a little tlc your set can look beautiful.

I think it's perfect for farm/country decorating. If you're going to build a new house for sure in a couple of years, I'd pay someone to refinish the table, maybe in a darker stain if that's what you're looking for.

Great find!

As tommorrowisanotherday said, they don't make it like that anymore. Top of the line quality, you scored!

I bought a 1980's Drexel bedroom set, and wanted to date it so emailed the company with a few pics and number stamps I found. They were very helpful. They gave me the precise manufacture dates, plus wood and finish color used. I was considering getting a 2nd night stand, and they gave me the name of pieces in their more current lines that would go with what I have.

You can contact Henredon for more info here.

It is GORGEOUS and would be perfect for your style. The key is getting the right fabric on those chairs. I could see a buffalo check (not too large in scale) on them and it would be absolutely fabulous. I see a country french look that can be very shabby chic and casual in feel; the difference being, with this furniture, it's real quality. And for a young family, it will pay off. You are also so lucky to find a set with 8 chairs. They are rare. As for the sagging, I doubt you will use all the leaves too terribly often. Also, it lends itself to any number of options for a buffet/server, which, since it won't "match" exactly, is perfect for a less formal space. One other thing; sometimes the vintage Henredon can have a table height that is a bit low by today's standards. I have my mom's old Henredon table, and it was a tad low for DH and my son, so I put some clear plastic cups under the legs. You don't see them in the carpet, and they raise the table about 1/2 inch. They are designed to distribute the weight of the table on the carpet. Overall, I think it ranks right up there with the best ever CL purchases on this forum. Well done!!!!

Oh my goodness! I didn't check this thread yesterday! Christy,
DH will see what he can find out. We have some old product catalogs here at the house that may help. If you see a series of numbers on the table and/or chairs that would help very much. DH isn't sure about the wood. Says it may be walnut. I think the table and chairs are lovely.
Peg

Found them! They're from the 1000 series 'Provencial'. The wood is cherry. Painted finishes were offered :). There is no date but DH is reasonably sure that late 50's-early 60's is right. I'm going to try to post a picture from the catalogue. Well, that didn't work. Here's a link to the pics on Photobucket.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket

Hi! I'm so glad I found this forum!! I just stumbled upon a gorgeous Henredon dining set at the local church thrift store and couldn't resist grabbing it up at the price of $250!!! It's a large dining table with 3 oversized leafs, 8 chairs (one of the arm chairs and one of the armless chairs have a little damage to the cane backs), and all pads (including the cloth bags to store them in). The whole set is in great condition with the exception of the cane back damage on the two chairs. The wood is patterned and is of a medium tone, the two "leg/pedestal" sections are a lighter painted wood. The chairs are done in the lighter painted wood too, with cane backs. I know the painted part is done by Henredon (and not aftermarket) as my parents had a VERY similar set from Drexel Heritage years ago and it was the exact same coloring/style (also the main reason I jumped on this set...nostalgia!). Speaking of which, does anyone know the relationship (if any) between Drexel Heritage and Henredon??
Anyway, I'll be posting pictures shortly, but was hoping someone on here could help me ID the name/pattern of the set. There are two sets of numbers on the bottom "20-5301-51" and "543 L19". Any help would be greatly appreciated! We're not sure if we are going to keep the set or re-sell it, as it may just be too large for our dining room. Either way, I'd like to know the name.

wow, I know this is a super old thread but there were so many contributions I thought I would give a try to see if anyone could identify the style of my henredon cocktail table?

I am getting ready to move and was thinking of selling it, then randomly decided to check for markings and found this thread. I can't find a similar style anywhere online and hope someone might shed some light on its age and perhaps its value? Above the stamp under the drawer there is a handwritten "c 87" but I don't know what any of the markings mean.

I picked this up at a second hand store about 30 years ago and paid $40 for it --- I had no idea it was so special!

Any help is appreciated and thank you!