Unfinished furniture is not a chair with three legs or a table with no top; it is a term which furniture makers use for furniture which has had no finishing coverage of paint or varnish but is just the bare wood. Unfinished furniture has become a very popular choice in the last few years. One advantage of buying unfinished furniture is that the manufactures have to use a better quality of wood as there is nothing to hide any defects in the wood or furniture. This does mean that it costs more to make furniture like this but they are saving in the long run as they do not have to pay for the finishing covering. So in the end unfinished furniture does not cost as much.
Another advantage of buying unfinished furniture is that it is entirely up to you what colors you finish the furniture. If you are buying kids unfinished furniture then you can paint it the same color as their bedrooms or paint it and put there favorite cartoon characters on it. What about getting a unfinished kids toy chest and painting it a nice bright color with pictures of toys on it, kids will love it. Also as kids get older then you can just repaint or redecorate the furniture as and when you need too.
Another good aspect of buying unfinished furniture is you can easily blend it in with your current furniture instead of having to search around for furniture which is the same color and design as the furniture you are trying to mix it with you can just buy some unfinished furniture and blend it in by using similar colors or stains to the original furniture color. This allows you a larger choice when you want to add to or change your furniture, also as with the kids unfinished furniture you can also easily change the color if you get bored with its current color or design.
Although unfinished furniture is just the bare wood finish it is not a good idea just to keep it like this as it is not protected from staining and damage. You need to finish the furniture with a protective coat of some sort. Painting is one method and you can have it any color which you can by in paint. If you want to keep it in its natural state then clear varnish will just give it a protective coat, you may need to put a few coats on to fully protect it from damage or staining. You can also get different colored varnishes which also stain the wood. This allows you to make it lighter or darker depending on what you want. You can also just wax your furniture with good quality wax you can keep it the same color or you can get wax stains which change the color of the wood.
There are all sorts of things you can do to your unfinished furniture to get different colors and designs you can distress the furniture which makes it look old in the shabby chic style which has become a designers favorite. In the end it is up to you how and what you do to your unfinished furniture but it does give you more scope to get what you want and not just put up with what you can find.
Everyone makes mistakes. It’s part of being human. The question for you is how do you keep your mistakes from becoming serious problems? Better yet, how do you avoid making mistakes to begin with? This post will answer these two questions and how to repair a few not-so-common mistakes when finishing your unfinished wood furniture.
For the experienced as well as the amateur craftsman, carpenter, or woodworker, mistakes are inevitable to a degree. By maintaining an attitude of humility and knowing when to ask for help, you can avoid committing errors, both serious and trivial. When working with wood, like anything, each task has it’s own peculiar set of pitfalls. Let’s dive in and talk about them.
- Sanding pen marks out of furniture: This is an easy one. With pen marks, if the ink is non-permanent, simply use a low-power belt or block sander and gently sand away the ink-stained wood until the pen mark is gone. If the ink is permanent, sanding will still work, but make sure the ink is truly gone afterwards, otherwise it may react with whatever stain or finish you use.
- Stain on unfinished wood isn’t drying: Checking whether the stain and the wood are compatible will alleviate this from happening. Sometimes the stain itself is the problem. It may have been produced improperly. A wood stripper will remove most stains from most woods. You’ll need a stiff brush to paint the wood stripper onto the wood, and some water and rags to wipe it off. Make sure the wood stripper is made for the wood you’re using. It isn’t a good idea to use a really strong one on pine, for example.
- Repair nicks in softwood floor: unfinished wood isn’t all about furniture. Sometimes floors, walls and ceilings take point. Fixing nicks in softwood floors is a simple matter of sanding them out. You might want to use a random orbit sander as it’s wide girth will help you do a small sanding job.
- Furniture varnish remover: Removing varnish can be done with a wood stripper, too. Just take into account the strength of the varnish vis a vis the strength of the wood stripper.
Unfinished furniture colonial style is a popular way to have your furniture done. For original pieces, usually the only places to find them anymore are at auction houses or in the homes of collectors. The colonial style is a fine example of master craftsmanship and exquisite skill. These pieces deserve our recognition and appreciation as prime instances of the intersection of creativity and discipline. I am going to assume that you, as a customer, are interested in buying unfinished furniture in the colonial style that is made by a contemporary craftsman and not an original piece.
Buying unfinished furniture colonial style is not a hard undertaking by any means. Indeed, their are stores offering selections all over the United States. The trick is finding a store that sells the piece you want in the style you want and not fainting over the price, especially if you have to ship it. It is obviously better to find a store as close to where you live as you possibly can. Beyond that, the principles for buying unfinished furniture colonial style are the same as buying any other piece of unfinished furniture.
- Look for sturdy craftsmanship. Do not simply assume that a piece is well-made just because it looks good. Appearances deceive, and furniture is no exception.
- Shop around. Do not rely on one store to meet your needs. Some stores may have different craftsmen available with varying levels of ability.
- Do not settle for something less when you know that you can get something better for the same price. You are the customer and the customer is always right, no matter what the salesman may think.
- Last but not least, never forget to check with the manufacturer (if the store is a retail store) of the furniture piece to make sure you are buying what you think you are buying.
Follow these principles and a beautiful colonial style unfinished furniture piece shall be yours.
