If you restore a piece properly, you give it a new, clean face that people love to see, and that clean look makes buyers willing to pay more. But the trick is not to wipe away the history that gives it soul. It’s a balancing act—if you over‑clean, you lose authenticity and the market can backfire; if you under‑clean, the piece stays underpriced. Get it right, and you turn a fixer‑upper into a jewel and make a tidy profit.