Unfinished wood furniture

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Buying Unfinished Wood Furniture In the old days,
people tended to decorate their homes according
to the prevailing trend, without too much
thought to their own tastes. These days, we're
usually more inclined to put our personal stamp
on our living space, while still drawing
inspiration and ideas from interior design
magazines and TV shows. That's a major reason
why a growing number of people are now purchasing
tables, chairs, dressers, beds, kitchen cabinets
and many other furniture items in an unfinished
state, and personalizing them to fit their
existing decor and color scheme. With unfinished
furniture, you can easily match a newly-purchased
item to those already in the room. You can add
pieces gradually over time without having to
worry about a particular range being
discontinued, since unfinished furniture tends to
come in basic shapes and models that won't go
out of style quickly. Naturally, you can also
change the look of your home at any point by
re-doing items you've had for a while in a
different finish or color. Is it really solid
wood? Most unfinished furniture on the market
today is made from solid wood, although it's also
possible to find items labeled "all wood". This
is not solid wood, rather a woodchip and resin
composite such as plywood or chipboard that is
covered with a thin wood veneer. While "all wood"
unfinished furniture will cost you less than the
solid wood equivalent, it won't last as long or
be as sturdy as the real thing. Since you're
paying a relatively low price for your unfinished
furniture anyway, you should go for real wood if
possible. The great thing about buying
unfinished solid wood pieces is that you can see
exactly what the wood looks like, and there's no
way for the manufacturer to hide knots, weak
points or other defects that weaken the
structure of the item. What you see is what you
get, in other words.
Some solid wood unfinished lines are made from
hard woods like oak, maple, eucalyptus or beech,
and others from soft woods such as pine, cedar,
redwood or spruce. As you would expect, hard
woods stand up well to the rigors of family use,
while soft woods can scratch or dent fairly
easily. However, this does make soft woods ideal
for finishing in a distressed or antiqued
style. Finishing your new purchase
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Unfinished furniture needs only a minimal amount
of prepping before you apply your choice of
finish. Just wipe all surfaces with a slightly
damp cloth to remove dust, and you're ready to
go. The only exception is if you want to paint
the item, and then you simply brush on a coat of
primer and allow it to dry before applying the
paint. You have a wide range of choices when it
comes to finishes for your new furniture. This is
your chance to express your creativity and
personality and produce a one-of-a-kind piece
that's your very own handiwork. The most popular
finishing methods include painting, staining,
waxing, shellacking, lacquering, mosaic inlays,
stencilling, and faux effects such as
distressing, marbling and crackle-
glazing. Ideas to get you started You can paint
bedroom furniture such as beds, nightstands,
dressers and vanities to tone with the wall
color or draperies, and maybe apply a stencilled
design or distressed finish to truly make it your
own. How about staining your dining room set to
go with the window frames and baseboards, for an
elegant, put-together look? A milk wash or limed
finish can transform an ordinary kitchen table
into a rustic farmhouse table in no time. Get
your children involved in creating fun furniture
for their rooms, or attractive pieces for the den
that the whole family can use. If you get really
good at finishing your own furniture, why not use
your skill to make delightful gifts for family
and friends. They don't have to be big items - an
imaginatively decorated newspaper rack or key
cabinet can make an excellent personalized
present. Or you could even turn your hobby into
a lucrative small business making fabulous
hand-finished pieces to order. Now that
unfinished wood furniture has become so popular,
many schools and colleges are offering classes
in finishing techniques, so you have no excuse
not to jump on to this trend. Alternatively, you
could speak to a professional wood finisher to
try to get some tips on achieving the look you
want. Above all, enjoy the process, and you'll
have some wonderful pieces you'll treasure long
into the future.