Unfinished Furniture: The Advantages and Challenges

In tough economic times, unfinished furniture is becoming more popular. This method of getting your furniture takes more work, but the advantages may well outweigh the difficulties.

Knowing What You Get

When purchasing finished furniture, flaws are frequently covered up, sanded down and hidden by varnish or paint. With unfinished furniture you are able to directly examine the quality of your purchase. With no varnish to hide the flaws, you can see the quality of the wood and the security of the joints you are getting. Unfinished furniture often comes from smaller local stores as well, so it's likely that the salespeople you talk to will be more knowledgeable about the pieces you are interested in.

Better Quality Materials

Often unfinished furniture will be of better quality than its finished counterpart. It is generally made out of solid wood rather than particle board. Not only does this improve the look of your piece, it also improves its durability and prevents warping at the joints. Wood will expand and contract in varying temperatures, but particle board does not. Due to this, many furniture pieces will begin pulling away a the joints over time when particle board is used.

A Chance to Exercise Your Creativity

One of the great things about unfinished furniture is the possibility to do whatever you want with it. There's no worry about looking for furniture to match your home, you can simply stain or paint it to match. This method is a great option if you're buying furniture to go with particularly hard to match pieces. You may find that the extra time spent finishing is worth it for a piece that is uniquely yours and matches your ideas exactly.

Finishing the Unfinished

You can finish your piece with paint or a wood stain. Your local hardware store will be able to walk you through the different color options for your particular type of wood. Painting is fairly straight forward, but the method for staining takes a bit more effort. If the piece is not pre-sanded you will have to sand it yourself. Using a lower grit sand paper will result in a darker stain, so keep that in mind. You will need to wear gloves and use a sponge or cloth to apply your stain. Allow it to sit for 5-15 minutes depending on how dark you want the piece to be, then wipe it down with a clean cloth. Always be sure to have the final results in mind before beginning. You may want to practice on a piece of scrap wood if you're new to staining, or even if your not entirely sure what you want yet.