Today’s economy has consumers looking for more bargains than ever before, and that includes finding cheap unfinished furniture. It’s easy for people to get stuck, though, when it comes to furnishing their homes. They may need to keep a house looking nice to put it on the market or to keep its value up, but also may not have extensive funding for upkeep.
Cheap unfinished furniture is one great answer to this dilemma. By buying pre-made furniture that you can paint or finish yourself, you save on cost but can achieve decorator looks. Here are some tips on using unfinished furniture pieces to your advantage.
What to Look For in Cheap Unfinished Furniture
You should know some of the basics of quality furniture production before shopping for cheap unfinished furniture. If you are uneducated, you will end up with something that is merely cheap. Details like dovetailing, pegging, and molding are the marks of quality. If the piece doesn’t look attractive unfinished, a coat of paint won’t do much for it.
For pieces with hardware, be sure that you like the styling of the hardware. If not, can it easily be changed out without leaving obvious holes or marks?
Ways to Finish Cheap Unfinished Furniture
- Stain is basically pigment in a binder. This allows colored particles to adhere to the wood. They are more popular with at-home wood finishers than they are with professional woodworkers.
- Dye is pure pigment suspended in water. A dye will soak into the wood and generally achieves better color results than a stain, although it will need a topcoat, as all dyes will dry to a dull finish. Dyes can be easily mixed to achieve a wide range of color variations.
- Painting is fast, easy, and lends itself to quick color changes through repainting. Specialized techniques such as stenciling and sponging add more of a country look.
- Pickling and whitewashing are methods of lightening the color of wood substantially without obscuring the grain. The technique used depends on the type of wood being treated.
Woods Used for Cheap Unfinished Furniture
Oak is a hard, durable wood that takes finishes well. For this reason, it is one of the most popular wood choices for unfinished furniture. Unfortunately, the obvious grain of oak is a turn-off for many people. Pine is also commonly used in unfinished furniture because it is light in color and has a less distinctive grain. However, it is a softer wood that is does not always take finish evenly. It is best to have a general idea of your décor before choosing. Keep in mind that finished oak will still look like oak; finished pine can look more like cherry or maple when expertly colored.
Drawbacks to Cheap Unfinished Furniture
While there are many benefits to cheap unfinished furniture, there are also drawbacks. Be sure that you know what you are getting into before making a purchase.
For one thing, it can be quite difficult to finish furniture that has already been assembled. If your piece cannot be taken apart and put back together, you should realize that you will have an awkward job on your hands. Getting an even color coat is difficult when you have to reach back into shelf units or drawers.
Also, as any experienced woodworker can tell you, different pieces of wood take finishes differently, even if they come from the same log set. It may be hard to get a precise color match on every part of the piece.
If you do not have a definite decorating scheme in mind, the furniture will end up looking cheap, even if it is nicely finished. That is because an incoherent mix of random pieces is the typical mark of someone with less money. Be sure you have a plan before starting for the best results.