After you have bought an unfinished furniture piece that you like, the next step is finishing it in the style and color of your choice. To do this, you will need to sand the piece, paint it, and finish it. (Note that ‘finish’ is here being used as a verb, not a noun.)

Sanding

Nicks, scratches, gashes, etc. in the wood have to be sanded out before you can paint it. Remember, never sand in the direction opposite the wood grain; always go with the grain when sanding. Make sure your sandpaper is coarse enough to remove the damage easily without inadvertently inflicting more. This usually means sanding with an 80-grit or 100-grit paper. If you scratch the wood with the coarse paper, sand those scratches out with finer grits, up to 150-grit or even 180-grit.

Sadly, knowing what grit to start with is only a first step. Knowing what grits to use after you use the starting grit only comes from experience. Do not forget that if flaws still show up in the wood after you finish it, you can remove the finish with a paint-and-varnish remover, or just a paint thinner if you only applied stain, and start over. There is no need to sand out the whole color from the stain, only the binder, which is the stuff that makes the stain stick.

Staining

You are able to see what the wood will look like with a finish applied  by simply wetting it with a liquid such as paint thinner. If the wood is not the right color or dark enough, you will have to stain it. If you are using quality hardwood (oak, mahogany, or walnut [cherry blotches]), avoid using a gel stain. If you are not finishing quality hardwood, a gel stain is your safest bet as it’s very good for reducing blotching in the wood.

No matter what stain you use, the application method is the same. Using any tool (like a brush or rag), apply a wet coat and wipe off the excess before it dries. Start by working on smaller surfaces like the legs or drawer fronts to get to know the drying time. To fix a stain that has already dried, wet it by applying more stain then wipe off the excess immediately.

Do not overlap stains – applying the stain to the same area twice may result in a difference in color.

Finishing

You need to finish the wood to protect it from stains, dirt, water damage, etc. You can apply the finish directly to the wood or to stained wood. It’s more attractive (and protective) to stain and finish separately rather than using a combination of stain and finish. That is just a stain with more binder in it than normal.

Types of Wood

Unfinished pine furniture is easy to sand, but also easy to damage. Do not use anything other than 180-grit paper in a random orbital sander. Unfinished oak furniture is not quite so easy to damage, but it still is readily damaged if you sand too roughly. The wood grain can become raised and difficult to sand down. Again, a random orbital sander works the best along with at least 150-grit paper.

Unfinished furniture is an investment for your home. It can help you achieve the kind of style you’re looking for, because you can finish your furniture however you want. If you’re the kind of person that likes to be creative, or isn’t satisfied with most major furniture brands on the market, and wants something special for your home, unfinished furniture is right for you.

Of course, after deciding that you want unfinished furniture, making a decision about the kind of unfinished furniture that you want can be a hassle if you don’t know how to sort out good furniture from bad. Generally speaking, good unfinished furniture will be solid and made from good wood. Typical woods used for unfinished furniture are: oak, pine, alder, ash, aspen, birch, beech, cedar, maple, mahogany, hickory, eucalyptus, and cherry. Each of these woods offers a particular advantage for your home.

For example, cherry often defines Quaker, Mission, and country styling. Oak was an early favorite among English craftsman and was a prime building material for the American colonists. These and other woods add value to your home by giving it a natural feel, especially if you live in a rural area.

If you like do-it-yourself projects, buying unfinished furniture can be very satisfying, especially if you enjoy interior design. If you’ve never finished furniture before, it’s easier than you might think. Painting or staining your furniture is all that’s really necessary. You can varnish it for that extra shine after you’ve painted or stained it. Make sure you stain or furniture with the right kind of wood stain or paint. For instance, if the stain you chose is slow-drying, it will be difficult to work with in damp or rainy conditions. If the paint you chose is oil-based, the paint will be high in toxic fumes, so make sure you prepare your work area correctly.

For how-to guides, there are many on the market that can be of service to you. If you’re anxious about how the project may turn out, or aren’t sure if you can achieve the look you want, think about hiring an experience professional, or ask a friend who has finished furniture before for help. It will definitely be more cost-effective if you buy whole unfinished pieces from unfinished furniture stores rather than ordering each piece custom-made, which can be very expensive if you don’t know what you’re doing.

In the end, your total price may be higher than it would be if you simply bought furniture from a discount store, or even a major brand store. But, if you’re interested in a custom look for your home, unfinished furniture is the way to go.