Buying real wood furniture
Tips for buying unfinished wood furniture
If you are thinking about buying unfinished wood furniture for your living room or family room be sure to pay close attention to the grain of the wood. The wood grain will have a plays a huge role in how it will look when you stain it.
Try to visit a furniture gallery to see which type of grain you prefer before you make your choice. Pay particular attention to how tight the grain is or if it is wide, each one will give your table or chairs a slightly different appearance. Oak, maple and birch all have different characteristics and will show a stain color slightly different.
This has to do with how the wood will look after you choose a color. Tight grains like oak look better with a light finish for a more traditional look. Wider grained woods look better in a dark almost black finish. The materials that the furniture is manufactured will define whether you are looking for modern, traditional or country living room furniture. Black or very dark stains are more modern while the lighter shades are more contemporary.
The real beauty of buying wood furniture is that you get to see exactly what it is you are getting. You can see if the wood has any knots, discolored spots or simply the grain is not matched well enough?
When furniture comes pre-finished, especially with very dark stain you can't tell what is underneath until it is years older and begins to show wear spots. Manufacturers that sell unfinished wood furniture normally use higher-grade boards in furniture production because they know you will see what is underneath.
Normally buying natural wood furniture is cheaper than pre-stained or finished wood
Mind you this only holds true if you can stain the wood yourself and obtain a nice even coat. If this something that you may find too tricky just go with a light oil or wax, teak used in outdoor furniture looks its best this way because it can weather to its own natural color.
The selection of stain and paint colors is limitless, which makes it easy to match any other home decor pieces you have. A simple trip to the local building supply store or paint center and they can match your existing woodwork. You will also be able to match your flooring better and carpeting. Another problem with stains that are applied unevenly is that they will eventually blister and peel. This is because they are normally sprayed with a gun which doesn't do as nice a job. When you finish your own furniture you know that the stain is applied evenly and thoroughly, for a durable, long life.
Too much wood in a room can be too much of a good thing
Be careful about buying too much furniture that is predominantly made up of wood, if you have laminate or wood floors in the living room. Too much of one thing can become overbearing very quickly. When decorating you will need to strike a balance between wood furniture and your wood or laminate floors. This can be a little tricky at times. Too much of one thing is never a good look in any room of your home. If you are trying to find a balance one of the easier ways to add more color and texture is with area rugs, Persian or braided, either style would look good.
- You can review more information here about braided rugs.
- Other home decor items that you can use to compliment your wood furniture are floor vases or a table center piece either of these can add more color to a room.
- To review furniture items that can make a difference in your home go here to decormotif contemporary furniture and home furnishings for the living room.
