Unfinished Wood Furniture
                     Buying Unfinished Wood Furniture
In the old days, people tended to decorate their homes according to the prevailing trend, without 
too much thought to their own tastes. These days, we're usually more inclined to put our personal 
stamp on our living space, while still drawing inspiration and ideas from interior design magazines 
and TV shows. That's a major reason why a growing number of people are now purchasing tables, 
chairs, dressers, beds, kitchen cabinets and many other furniture items in an unfinished state, and 
personalizing them to fit their existing decor and color scheme.
With unfinished furniture, you can easily match a newly-purchased item to those already in the 
room. You can add pieces gradually over time without having to worry about a particular range 
being discontinued, since unfinished furniture tends to come in basic shapes and models that won't 
go out of style quickly. Naturally, you can also change the look of your home at any point by re-doing
items you've had for a while in a different finish or color.
Is it really solid wood?
Most unfinished furniture on the market today is made from solid wood, although it's also possible 
to find items labeled "all wood". This is not solid wood, rather a woodchip and resin composite such 
as plywood or chipboard that is covered with a thin wood veneer. While "all wood" unfinished 
furniture will cost you less than the solid wood equivalent, it won't last as long or be as sturdy as the 
real thing. Since you're paying a relatively low price for your unfinished furniture anyway, you should
go for real wood if possible.
The great thing about buying unfinished solid wood pieces is that you can see exactly what the wood
looks like, and there's no way for the manufacturer to hide knots, weak points or other defects that 
weaken the structure of the item. What you see is what you get, in other words. 
Some solid wood unfinished lines are made from hard woods like oak, maple, eucalyptus or beech, 
and others from soft woods such as pine, cedar, redwood or spruce. As you would expect, hard 
woods stand up well to the rigors of family use, while soft woods can scratch or dent fairly easily. 
However, this does make soft woods ideal for finishing in a distressed or antiqued style.
Finishing your new purchase
Unfinished furniture needs only a minimal amount of prepping before you apply your choice of 
finish. Just wipe all surfaces with a slightly damp cloth to remove dust, and you're ready to go. The 
only exception is if you want to paint the item, and then you simply brush on a coat of primer and 
allow it to dry before applying the paint.
You have a wide range of choices when it comes to finishes for your new furniture. This is your 
chance to express your creativity and personality and produce a one-of-a-kind piece that's your very 
own handiwork. The most popular finishing methods include painting, staining, waxing, shellacking, 
lacquering, mosaic inlays, stencilling, and faux effects such as distressing, marbling and crackle-
glazing.
Ideas to get you started
You can paint bedroom furniture such as beds, nightstands, dressers and vanities to tone with the 
wall color or draperies, and maybe apply a stencilled design or distressed finish to truly make it your 
own. How about staining your dining room set to go with the window frames and baseboards, for an
elegant, put-together look? A milk wash or limed finish can transform an ordinary kitchen table into 
a rustic farmhouse table in no time.
Get your children involved in creating fun furniture for their rooms, or attractive pieces for the den 
that the whole family can use. If you get really good at finishing your own furniture, why not use 
your skill to make delightful gifts for family and friends. They don't have to be big items - an 
imaginatively decorated newspaper rack or key cabinet can make an excellent personalized present. 
Or you could even turn your hobby into a lucrative small business making fabulous hand-finished 
pieces to order.
Now that unfinished wood furniture has become so popular, many schools and colleges are offering 
classes in finishing techniques, so you have no excuse not to jump on to this trend. Alternatively, you
could speak to a professional wood finisher to try to get some tips on achieving the look you want.
Above all, enjoy the process, and you'll have some wonderful pieces you'll treasure long into the 
future.