Unfinished furniture can be a great option for those who want to express their creativity and individuality with their home furnishings; Although multiple people may have potentially purchased the same basic piece of furniture, no one else in the world will have the exact same piece with the exact same style and finishing technique in their home. It’s the perfect fusion of mass production and one-of-a-kind home decor.
Besides personal expression, there are other benefits to buying unfinished furniture as well – it’s often much less expensive than finished furniture, so those who enjoy spending their time painting or finishing a bit on their own can get great bargains. And when buying finished furniture, it is common practice that the pieces have been painted or finished in such a way as to hide damage, imperfections, and poor quality construction. Unfinished furniture allows you to thoroughly evaluate the quality of the materials and the construction of the piece before purchasing.
Full disclosure: The process of sanding, sealing, staining and finishing a part is a thorough test that will take at least a couple of days. It’s a stinky, detail-oriented job that requires good ventilation and probably a few pairs of gloves. Even painting a piece will involve a couple of rounds of sanding and sealing before applying the paint. So if that sounds like your worst nightmare, it may be worth the increased cost for you to simply buy a piece of furniture that has already been professionally finished. But if you are the type of person who hopes to spend a weekend finishing up your own unique furniture creation, this is a good option for you!
There are several options: if you want to preserve the original color of the wood, you can simply sand the piece, seal it and apply a clear finish. If you want to apply a darker stain to the wood, you still need to sand and seal the piece, but you will add the application of a wood stain before finishing. This adds time because the stain must dry before applying the finish. If you’re looking to paint your piece, maybe a basic black or white, or maybe a funky color to add some quirk and personality? – you will sand the piece, seal it and then paint.
Whatever you choose, finishing your own unfinished piece of furniture can be a fun and creatively satisfying way to add unique decor to your home. If you’re willing to put in the effort, it’s worth knowing that no one else has the exact same thing.