Second Hand Furniture With a Past and Unfinished Furniture With a Future
How would you like to save a bit of money, have all your decor finished in the same style throughout your home and feel proud that you did it all yourself with cheap unfinished furniture? Use this strategy guide to learn all the aspects of finishing your own furniture with less money and your own handy-work.
DIY Advantages
There has been more demand from consumers realizing the benefits of finishing furniture themselves; companies in the industry have responded with greater selections. One of the biggest advantages of buying this type of furniture is that you can see the smallest details of any imperfections in the piece before you purchase.
Furniture pieces that are already stained and finished in the store can hide a multitude of sins until you bring it home for further inspection. You may find style weak points, knots, mismatched pieces or discolorations in the wood. Manufacturers supplying unfinished pieces must use higher grade lumber knowing that any defects can be easily spotted when purchased.
Unfinished pieces will cost less because you are doing part of the manual labor to complete the project. You can easily buy new pieces to match up with the style, wood, paint or finish with other pieces already in your home. Finishing unfinished furniture is not difficult; sales people can give you help and there is information available on the Internet too.
Things to Consider
Inspect the wood carefully before you even consider purchasing. Run your hand over all surfaces of the piece to evaluate if it has been sanded and feels smooth. What is the overall condition of the wood; are there holes, knots or sap streaks running through it? If the quality looks good but it still requires some final sanding then it may be a good buy depending upon how much work you are willing to do.
How are all the pieces joined and are they properly joined and functional? Most pieces are attached together by wood glue, nails or staples. Check any structures with legs looking for wobbly conditions and drawers should fit properly and slide easily.
Always take measurements of any piece that you are considering to make sure it fits in the location you have chosen. In addition, some people do all the finishing work in a garage without measuring doorways and never realize they cannot get the piece through the door into the house.
Any pieces that are the wrong style or size should not even be considered. If a piece does meet the style, size and needs some minor changes such as moldings, trim or a preferred hardware then it is a potential candidate for you to consider.
How much work you are willing to do will determine the final decision as to whether you want to purchase. Be realistic about changing out hardware, fixing splintered areas, repairing splits, reattaching legs, cleaning and filling knotholes or sap pockets and realigning or repairing drawers.
Wood Type Choices
The two most popular types of wood used for unfinished furniture pieces are pine and oak. Pine is chosen often because it costs less than oak and most color coating types will work with unfinished pine. This type is much softer than oak and it is not as long lasting because of this characteristic.
Oak is durable and long lasting, which is a particularly good feature for expensive pieces. This wood typically has tighter grains compared to pine and shows beautifully when sanded stained and finished. It comes in white or red oak, both work equally well accepting stains and finishing nicely.
Options
It is a good idea to decide how you are going to finish all the pieces before purchasing. Buying unfinished furniture pieces is a lot like having a blank canvass before you. It is up to you to decide if you want to paint, stain or varnish. You might purchase several pieces of the same style for the living room such as bookshelves and coffee tables; stain in different colors. You may prefer oak in the living room and trendy pine furniture in the bedroom.
Plan a bit for the future because you may be so overjoyed with the outcome of your cheap unfinished furniture project that you might just add some additional pieces.
Tags: Buying unfinished furniture, cheap unfinished furniture, Finishing unfinished furniture, unfinished furniture pieces, unfinished furniture project
Posted in Unfinished Furniture · July 28th, 2010 · Comments (0)
If you’re a do-it-yourself, roll up your sleeves kind of person, then unfinished furniture might be the perfect project for you. You can buy the furniture either fully assembled or awaiting construction, and then paint, stain, stencil, or otherwise finish it as you please. Whether you simply prefer the look of natural wood, are looking for a family crafts project, or are just trying to lower the costs of furnishing your home, buying raw wood furniture and finishing it yourself can be exactly what you’re looking for.
Unfinished bedroom furniture is a great option for a child’s room. Consider including your child in the project. If you are going to paint the furniture, you can either go for a carefully planned out scene from your child’s favorite book or fairy tale, or opt for a fun and free finger painted frenzy. If you choose the first option, you can trace the outline onto the furniture to begin with, and have your child paint in the background colors. Then you can go over it afterward and add in more intricate shading and details.
For a more childish look, give the whole piece of furniture an initial paint job in a solid color. Then you and your child can paint the palms of your hands and then press your hands onto the furniture, creating a hand print. For the best results you will need to have a good contrast, so if you used a dark color for the background, use a light color for the hand printing, and visa versa. You can then add in favorite phrases and quotes for a truly personalized creation.
Of course, unfinished wood furniture doesn’t have to be painted and fun. You can also finish with elegant stains that let the natural beauty of the wood shine through. Whether you are working on a simple step-stool or a full set of a dining room table and chairs, you can be as elegant, frivolous, or original as you want to be. That’s the beauty of this method.
If you’re all gung-ho to get started, then grab your credit card and start surfing. While there are brick and mortar stores that carry unfinished furniture kits, the easiest way to purchase them is online. From Mom and Pop stores, to major retailers like Ikea, you can find exactly what you’re looking for on the internet. Just remember to count in shipping costs, and you’re set!
Tags: furniture, unfinished bedroom furniture, Unfinished Furniture, unfinished furniture kits, unfinished wood furniture
Posted in Unfinished Furniture · December 7th, 2009 · Comments (0)
Welcome!
Why does unfinished furniture or even second hand furniture appeal to so many of us? It is a common held belief that most of us prefer or at least would enjoy the finer things in life. Isn’t that what TV shows like “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and MTV’s “Cribs” are all about? Maybe there’s more to it than that.
It’s a well-known real estate fact that an unfinished basement increases home value more than a finished basement. Why is that? I think it’s because we are dreamers. We love potential. A basement with possibilities is far more exciting than a finished game room or well stocked bar. As Americans, we love freedom. More than that, we love freedoms. The freedom to choose unleashes creative thought processes. In much the same way that an empty canvas inspires the painter, so does unfinished furniture to that do it yourself minded individual or couple. The desk or chair or TV stand can match or contrast our existing decor if we so choose, because it is our choice. Light or dark, textured or smooth, indoor or outdoor is the destination or potential, and we get to select the journey to get there.
We also love transformations and improvements. From remodeling our homes with carpentry and decoration to remodeling our bodies with plastic surgery and weight loss pills we are in love with improvement. How else can you explain the overabundance of self help literature on the market today? How else can you explain TV shows like “Extreme Makeover”? It’s the American dream really. To come from nothing or nowhere and become something or someone, this is the American fascination. Could that be why second hand furniture is so appealing to us? Of course, most of us are frugal and can see the value without waxing philosophical. Many times it is a great value, above and beyond potential, that appeals to us. In today’s economic climate we can hardly afford not to be frugal or to take advantage of great value. That being said, I believe there is more to it than our thrifty nature would imply. We want to see how we can breathe new life into this inanimate object that once belonged to someone else. We want to see just how we can take advantage of something that someone else felt was unneeded. Potential.
We will talk more in future articles about the advantages and drawbacks, the challenges and excitement when adding unfinished furniture or second hand furniture to your home, garden, patio, or favorite place. I believe you will find that few pieces of home decor can be so rewarding.
Tags: chair, decor, desk, frugal, game room, home decor, Second Hand Furniture, thrifty, TV stand, Unfinished Furniture, value
Posted in Second Hand Furniture, Unfinished Furniture · May 4th, 2009 · Comments (0)