Simple Steps to Spice-up Unfinished Oak Furniture
Oak furniture is very expensive. That is why it would be best if you can buy unfinished oak furniture so you can save on your purchases.
Oak is a hardwood, very durable, and extremely versatile. You will surely get lots of benefits from oak furniture. Because oak wood is really expensive, even the unfinished varieties would be costly also. However, oak furniture can last for a lifetime so your investment would be very worthwhile.
In fact, you can display your artistic flair when finishing oak furniture. You can make it look antique or you can add designs to make it look more contemporary. This would be difficult to achieve if you are finishing ordinary unfinished wood furniture.
Spicing up unfinished oak furniture primarily depends on your creativity. But if you want to get started easily, here are some simple steps that will help you to finish oak furniture.
1. Before you start your project, you should decide what type of finish you want.
There are several options and choices available for you. The following are the types of finishes that you can apply:
• Varnish
• Shellac
• Penetrating resin
• Wax
• Lacquer
• Oil
Varnish provides great versatility. There are flat varnishes, high gloss and satin gloss. Varnish is also quick drying so you can reduce the amount of time that you will devote in sprucing up unfinished oak furniture.
Penetrating resin also provides excellent finish with several gloss choices. The resin seeps deep into the wood. Your oak furniture therefore will look more natural.
2. When applying a finishing agent, it is best to use a 1.5 to 2-inch paint brush with fine bristles.
Make sure that the first application goes along the grain of the oak. Let it dry for several hours before applying a second cost across the grain. This technique will level the coating. The furniture will look very refined and smooth.
3. Apply paint highlights that match the base color of the oak wood.
Make sure to use a thin brush so you can avoid tarnishing the other parts of the oak wood furniture.
4. If you applied paint, make sure to apply a final coating when it dries up.
The final finishing or coating will protect the colors of the paint so it will not fade easily.
Finishing unfinished oak furniture is not a complicated project. You can do it easily even without the help of an expert artisan.
Tags: finishing oak furniture, lacquer, oak furniture, shellac, unfinished oak furniture, varnishSelf-help Guide to Choosing the Most Suitable Unfinished Bedroom Furniture
Unfinished bedroom furniture has become a very popular option among homeowners. That’s because it is cheaper. You can also personalize it by choosing the colors and designs that would be suitable for your individual taste.
However, you need to understand that you still have to finish these bedroom items because they are just bare wood. So you should be prepared to get your hands dirty while cleaning, sanding, polishing, and varnishing your unfinished bedroom furniture. But your efforts will be rewarded once you are done with your project. Your bedroom furniture will certainly look lovely and stylish especially if you will work with unfinished oak furniture.
Tips for Beginners
If you do not have any experience with furniture finishing projects, it is best to start with smaller bedroom furniture. Here are some items that you can experiment on:
• 1-drawer night stand – this is very simple to finish. It is just like a box and it does not have any hardware.
• Traditional open-front TV cabinet – just like the night stand, this TV cabinet is compact and it has small areas for finishing. You just have to sand this and apply the finishing.
• Bedroom round table with chair – this item is perfect for your reading corner. Make sure that the chair does not have complicated designs so you will have an easier time finishing it.
On the other hand, if you are confident enough to work on complicated projects, then you can buy bigger unfinished bedroom furniture.
Here are some items that are available for you:
• Main Bed Frame – a bed frame is bulky and usually has hardware that you need to remove. Because of its bulk, you have to devote more time finishing this.
• Free-standing multi-drawer cabinet – cabinet like this has several drawers, doors, metal attachments, and inside compartments. If you buy unfinished bedroom cabinet, your finishing project will be a major one.
• Futon frame – finishing unfinished futon frame is easier.
• Night dresser – this item also has lots of drawer and attachments that you need to remove. Night dressers also have mirrors so extra caution is required.
There are still other bedroom products that you can buy unfinished such as lamp tables, shoe rack, or provincial night stands. It is important to choose a bedroom item that you can finish easily. You should not buy big unfinished bedroom furniture if you are not prepared or if you do not have the time to finish it. Start with small furniture and after you gain experience in finishing, then you can venture with larger bedroom furniture.
Tags: bedroom furniture, bedroom items, futon frame, main bed frame, night dresser, unfinished bedroom furniture