Unfinished Furniture

How does furniture go from unfinished to the piece of your dreams?  Basically, you supply the finishing touches, whether it be a particular stain, a decorative paint job, or special hardware.  The finishing process not only protects the unfinished wood from dust and warping, it also gives your furniture the look you're going for.  If you want a custom look for less, unfinished furniture is often the way to go.

Unfinished furniture, sometimes termed ready-to-finish furniture, is available in a broad range of styles and woods to fit most budgets.  Produced both by national manufacturers and by local craftsmen, most unfinished furniture is of solid wood construction, made primarily from solid softwood or hardwood lumber.  In this type of furniture, all exposed furniture parts are made of solid board rather than veneers or particle board.  Solid boards used adjacent to each other are glued together side by side along their edges.  Unexposed backs of case pieces and drawer bottoms may be constructed from plywood or particle board, which is made from bonded wood chips.

Finishing furniture isn't difficult, but it's time-consuming if you want the best results.  First, you must remove any imperfections in the wood by filling it with an appropriate filler.  After you've filled in the imperfections, the wood should be sanded to a smooth surface.  Once the wood is filled and sanded, it may be stained.  Your local hardware store or home improvement center should have several different colored wood stains available.  After staining, the furniture is oiled or varnished to protect and beautify it.  Lastly, the finished furniture may be waxed and buffed with furniture wax to bring out its natural luster.

Here is a sampling of unfinished, solid wood furniture items that are available from unfinished furniture suppliers:

• Armoires, entertainment centers, wardrobes, and wall units.
• Coffee tables, end tables, and accent tables in various styles.
• Dining room tables, dining chairs, sideboards and buffets.
• Bedroom furniture, such as bedsteads, nightstands, bureaus, and dressers.
• Kitchen furniture, including carts, butcher blocks, pot racks, and shelving.
• Home office desks, workstations, printer stands, cabinets, and seating.
• Children's indoor and outdoor furniture, toy boxes, toys, and accessories.
• Patio furniture, Adirondack chairs, benches, and picnic tables.

Quality solid wood furniture is generally a good value because, with reasonable care, it can last a lifetime.  On UnfinishedFurniture.us, you will find a good selection of pine, maple, oak, and cherry furniture suppliers as well as furniture finishing resources.  Browse the furniture manufacturer websites and compare unfinished wood tables, chairs, bookcases, and occasional pieces in a variety of styles and sizes.

Unfinished Furniture Dealers

• Mill Stores
  
  This New England unfinished furniture retailer features solid wood home furnishings, accessories and craft items.
  www.MillStores.com
• Gelco Furniture
  
  This New Jersey furniture retailer offers a good selection of unfinished furniture.  Some of the smaller items are shippable, but most of the furniture items are available locally.
  www.GelcoFurniture.com

Unfinished Furniture Manufacturers

• Woodcraft Industries
  
  Designs and manufactures unfinished furniture for every room in the home and office.
  www.WoodcraftIndustries.com
• Archbold Furniture
  
  Offers solid wood bedroom furniture, home office furniture, dining room furniture, and accent pieces.
  www.ArchboldFurniture.com
• Cohasset Colonials
  
  Features quality authentic reproduction furniture available in kit form or completely finished.
  www.CohassetColonials.com
• Arthur W. Brown
  
  Features quality unfinished bookcases, cabinets, wall units and storage solutions for home and office.
  www.ArthurWBrown.com

Unfinished Furniture and Furniture Finishing Resources

• Unfinished Furniture Association
  
  Features an unfinished furniture store locator plus a variety of industry and consumer resources relating to real wood furniture and wood finishes.
  www.UnfinishedFurniture.org
• Formby's
  
  Wood finishing and refinishing products and accessories.  Tung oil finish, furniture refinisher, polyurethane and paint remover.
  www.Formbys.com
• Minwax
  
  Provides consumers with a wide range of products to meet virtually every wood finishing requirement.
  www.Minwax.com
• General Finishes
  
  Manufacturer of water-based and oil-based wood stains and finishes, including Danish oils, polishes, and waxes.
  www.GeneralFinishes.com

Related Home Furnishings Websites

• Children's Furniture - furniture for youth bedrooms & play areas.
• Home Office Furniture - practical furnishings for home offices.

Unfinished Furniture Guide - Solid Wood Furniture Resources