So you've taken the plunge and bought a piece of bare wood furniture. Congratulations! It's an excellent value for the money, and with proper care, can last for many years.
Optimistically, before you made the investment, you already had a clear idea what you desired to do with the piece, but if not, then before you get the first tool and start to work, it's time to plan! A bit investment in time now will save you a great number of problems down the road.
Where bare wood furniture is concerned, you essentially have 3 choices for finishing the piece, and they're:
Leave the wood "naked"
Paint it
Stain it
Each of these alternatives requires a bit of work on your part to protect your investment and maximize the beauty and performance of the piece.
The simplest thing you can do is just "finish" your new piece of bare wood furniture is to leave it in its natural condition. If you choose this option, you'll probably wish to protect the wood by coating it in some type of wood protecting oil (linseed oil is usually used on a wide variety of bare wood), but there are other products available also. Always, always, always test first by applying a small quantity of the oil you selected to an unseen corner of the wood to ensure that it will not cause any discoloration or any other reaction in the wood. Once assured of this, you can safely apply your chosen protective oil to the entire piece.
If you decide to paint your bare wood furniture, you've quite many to think about, aside from color selection. Kind of paint, for instance. If a piece is to be positioned in a bathroom, you will probably wish to gravitate toward a glossy paint, as these stand up well to the high moisture environment. For high traffic/heavily used pieces, semi-gloss paints provide a good balance of attractiveness and durability, and if the piece is planned for a lower traffic/lower intensity environment, then flat or satin finishes will help you fine.
Now's also the time to think about whether or not you'll have any type of border or scrollwork on your bare wood furniture. If you're not specifically artistically inclined, there're a variety of appealing stencils you can use, readily available at home stores (Lowe's, Home Depot), arts and craft shops (Michael's), and generally at chain retail outlets (Wal-Mart, Target), so you've got lots of options. Certainly, if you're artistically inclined or know someone who is, a hand painted border is a good approach to really personalize the piece!
At last, you might choose to stain your new piece of furniture. This is my own favorite method of finishing pieces, although it takes the longest, and if this is the direction you wish to go, again, you have got a number of decisions to make, beginning with the type of stain you'll use. Stains come in oil-based, water-based, or gel, and while my personal preference runs to oil based, you'll want to experiment to find out which works best for you. Obviously, you do not wish to experiment directly on your new piece of furniture, so I recommend buying an unfinished wood shelf of the same kind of wood from your local home shop and experiment on that. When you make a firm selection, you can proceed with confidence and begin working on your bare wood furniture direct.
Make a plan, have fun, and enjoy your new piece of bare wood furniture, regardless of how you choose to finish it!
Optimistically, before you made the investment, you already had a clear idea what you desired to do with the piece, but if not, then before you get the first tool and start to work, it's time to plan! A bit investment in time now will save you a great number of problems down the road.
Where bare wood furniture is concerned, you essentially have 3 choices for finishing the piece, and they're:
Leave the wood "naked"
Paint it
Stain it
Each of these alternatives requires a bit of work on your part to protect your investment and maximize the beauty and performance of the piece.
The simplest thing you can do is just "finish" your new piece of bare wood furniture is to leave it in its natural condition. If you choose this option, you'll probably wish to protect the wood by coating it in some type of wood protecting oil (linseed oil is usually used on a wide variety of bare wood), but there are other products available also. Always, always, always test first by applying a small quantity of the oil you selected to an unseen corner of the wood to ensure that it will not cause any discoloration or any other reaction in the wood. Once assured of this, you can safely apply your chosen protective oil to the entire piece.
If you decide to paint your bare wood furniture, you've quite many to think about, aside from color selection. Kind of paint, for instance. If a piece is to be positioned in a bathroom, you will probably wish to gravitate toward a glossy paint, as these stand up well to the high moisture environment. For high traffic/heavily used pieces, semi-gloss paints provide a good balance of attractiveness and durability, and if the piece is planned for a lower traffic/lower intensity environment, then flat or satin finishes will help you fine.
Now's also the time to think about whether or not you'll have any type of border or scrollwork on your bare wood furniture. If you're not specifically artistically inclined, there're a variety of appealing stencils you can use, readily available at home stores (Lowe's, Home Depot), arts and craft shops (Michael's), and generally at chain retail outlets (Wal-Mart, Target), so you've got lots of options. Certainly, if you're artistically inclined or know someone who is, a hand painted border is a good approach to really personalize the piece!
At last, you might choose to stain your new piece of furniture. This is my own favorite method of finishing pieces, although it takes the longest, and if this is the direction you wish to go, again, you have got a number of decisions to make, beginning with the type of stain you'll use. Stains come in oil-based, water-based, or gel, and while my personal preference runs to oil based, you'll want to experiment to find out which works best for you. Obviously, you do not wish to experiment directly on your new piece of furniture, so I recommend buying an unfinished wood shelf of the same kind of wood from your local home shop and experiment on that. When you make a firm selection, you can proceed with confidence and begin working on your bare wood furniture direct.
Make a plan, have fun, and enjoy your new piece of bare wood furniture, regardless of how you choose to finish it!
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