my parent recently gave me 3 stickley pieces (they are marked with the boxed stickley decal) - all the cushions have been replaced with canvas covered highdensity foam but the wood has been untouched. The pieces have been sitting in a sunroom for many years and seem dry. I have teenaged sons. Any suggestions for what I can do to bring life back to the wood and protect it from teenage wear and tear?

That's a tough call. Depending which pieces exactly, they could be very high value and leaving the finish as is and preventing any abuse might be the best thing to do. There are investor collectors out there who only buy Stickley in original finish, regardless of condition, and they literally put the pieces in storage to sell them at a later date. If they are pretty good overall then a good coat of wax is your best bet. If they are moderately degraded and the original finish looks like it would flake off if just waxed, then the the common fix is to 'skin' coat with new shellac - basically a thinned coat of shellac that will seal the original finish in place with out looking too much like a new finish has been applied. You would then wax over top of this. If the original shellac just seems to be gone over most of the piece then a proper refinishing will actually help value and of course protect them. As always, it would be great to post some pictures so people can help with identification and can see the finish condition.

Good Morning Friend,
I concur with Stonecat and also would add that you could use some Murphy's soap to clean the chairs and restore some of the original patina to a new life. DO NOT get the wood wet per see but instead use he foam after you have mixed the soap and water together. you would be surprised as to how much built up dirt you can get off with it.

Respectfully,

Ralph Jones

Hello
You can buy Stickley polish
Off Ebay...Its good stuff and works wonders
Just type Stickley on Ebay its usally on there
most of the time...If not then a good Dark brown paste wax is the best...DOnt use Spray polish's as this can eat the finish off...
hope this Helps!
Adam The Mission Kid!!!