A Lay Person’s Guide To Refinishing Furniture

One of the most common means of furniture restoration is furniture refinishing. Refinishing furniture can breathe new life into pianos, tables, chairs, cabinets, bookcases, jewelry boxes and other items that have started to look a little bit worn.

With any furniture restoration project – and furniture refinishing is no exception – there are a few things to consider. First, you want to think about whether or not you can do it yourself. You may be thinking, “Why couldn’t I tackle furniture refinishing myself? All it takes is a few hours, some sandpaper and new stain.” While in many cases this is true, some furniture restoration should be left to the pros.

For example, piano refinishing isn’t the same as refinishing a jewelry box. Many large pieces – pianos, armoires – are far easier for professionals to restore and refinish. Another furniture restoration project that may be better suited for a professional is refinishing chairs. You may find that, for these projects, hiring a professional will cost less and take less time than if you were to do the projects yourself.

Another professional who you may want to consult before taking on a furniture restoration project is an antiques appraiser. While refinishing furniture you bought new can help give the piece more character or even help you to sell it for a profit at a yard sale, there are rare and collectible pieces of furniture that will lose value if they are refinished. When you’ve bought an antique dining room table, coffee table or cabinet, furniture refinishing could lower the value of the piece and you may want to look into a thorough professional cleaning instead.

If you are only looking at refinishing furniture that is newer or that has sentimental value, you may choose not to consult with a professional. In that case, it’s often best to get right into the project on your own.

To start your furniture-refinishing project, it’s often best to find a spot that won’t be noticed as a test site. In this spot – low on the back of the piece or on the bottom – you’ll want to start the furniture refinishing by removing a small portion of the current finish. Doing so will let you see what you’re up against and how hard will it be to remove the current finish from the furniture.

The answer to that question will vary some. Simple surfaces like a table will be easier to refinish than a cabinet with intricate corner work. Using a furniture stripper and a scraper will make it easier to remove a painted or varnished finish than merely using sandpaper. Once you’ve determined how to best remove the old finish from the furniture, the next step is to work outdoors (when possible) to remove the old varnish and paint.

Furniture refinishing, however, is not just about removing the old finish. Refinishing furniture requires stripping the old finish and then preparing the surface for a new finish by sanding the surface and wiping down the sawdust that sanding stirred up. Only after the surface has been prepared can you start the final step in this furniture restoration project: applying the new finish.

Refinishing the furniture, therefore, means knowing what the new finish will be. For some, the goal of refinishing furniture is to strip off color, get back to the natural wood and apply a clear finish that shows off the item’s natural beauty. For others, furniture refinishing is a matter of taking the wood to a darker shade – staining pine so that it takes on the color of cherry or mahogany wood.

Still others look at furniture refinishing as a chance to bring color to their table, desk, bookshelf or bureau. When refinishing furniture, many are likely to choose a colored stain followed with a topcoat of varnish for sheen. Another common choice people, who are looking for color, make is to select paint that matches the room or provides the contrast they are looking to achieve in their room.

Furniture restoration, after all, is a personal choice. Refinishing furniture gives you a chance to create a new look without going out and buying something new. For those inclined to take on little projects on their own, refinishing furniture can be a great way to spend a weekend – and have something to show for their time, for years to come.

Decorating Around Black Leather Furniture

Black leather furniture is a highly ideal option to go for when it comes to interior decoration. The fabric is very durable, making it long-lasting and appropriate for children and pets. It may be pricier than a lot of other fabrics, but it’s worth it for the benefits. Generally, the black shiny surface of such furniture goes well with almost any color (if not all colors). This means you can just focus on how much of a contrast you want there to be, rather than worrying what will and won’t go with your black leather furniture.

You have to be careful with decorating when it comes to what you want to achieve though. The furniture can be overpowering, so if you don’t want this then you just have to choose the surrounding decoration wisely, such as the colors of the walls, lamps, curtains, etc. The color tones you choose should be preferably a medium tone, and this creates a good balance and the furniture won’t feel too over the top. With white walls it can stand out too much, and with dark tones there may not be enough contrast to really lift the room. Keep in mind that shades of gray can go well with the black leather furniture, but again, not too dark.

If you’re looking for a balance between masculine and feminine, be sure to add reds, pinks and purples to the room perhaps in the form of cushions and blankets that you can place onto the furniture. This contrast works effectively if you really are trying to achieve something that is neither too masculine nor too feminine. Another great tip is to have lamps, vases, and other items that match the surrounding colors of the room but also contain black. This keeps the color palette consistent throughout the room. If you look around enough, you should be able to find appropriate accents.

Be sure to take lighting into account, whatever room it is your black leather furniture is in. In fact, this can be one of the biggest factors of your decoration: the amount of natural lighting coming in, where it’s hitting, and what kind of artificial lighting you have for nighttime. Have plenty of natural light coming in if you can, but put blinds up so you can control the amount that comes in. Also, consider a dimmer switch for the main lighting so that you can create some ambiance at night. This can also be assisted with adjustable lamps and candles. Basically, having as much control over the lighting as possible is one of the keys.

Last but not least, arrange your black leather furniture appropriately. Don’t have lots of it crowding a space. Spread it out, or if it’s a small room then put some of it in another room. A room crowded with such furniture will again be overpowering, and this is something you may want to avoid. You can always add some of it to your bedroom or dining area

Essential Office Furniture for your Small Business

Setting up your small business office can prove to be both cumbersome and expensive. The act warrants multiple trips to furniture stores; with purchases making or breaking your overall budget-in more ways than one.

The key to keeping a tab on the ever increasing wad of startup bills is by looking around for discount office furniture. Investing in pieces which are absolutely essential for beginning your business operations leads to bigger savings and effective cost cuts. Read on for some valuable insights into furnishing your office space in an affordable and convenient way.
Analyze the Basic Requirements

Straight backed chairs and office desks are enough to trigger off your business. Before looking around for sturdy and durable discount office furniture, you must make a list of essentials to guide your purchases. Chairs and tables for all employees, filing cabinets, side stands and computer furniture are useful for offices and should be included in your wish list.
Computer Furniture

If your business requires special equipments or computerized devices, then you should look around at discount stores, auction houses and furniture stores for second hand office equipment. A well designed computer work station is a must in all modern offices.
File Cabinets

Though most of us are now saving our backups and soft files in hard disks, CDs and floppies, we still require smart filing cabinets to stack in the documents associated with our office operations. Analyze the type of papers which require filing and create the most practical and optimal solution for your needs.
Shelves and Storage Cabinets

Along with smart second hand office desks, filing cabinets and computer furniture, you can also invest in discounted storage cabinets and shelves. These pieces of furniture provide ample space for your office accessories and essentials. Well planned storage facilities create an uncluttered look and provide the best solutions for storing and retrieving materials, equipments, stationery and other office goods.

Choosing Furniture for the Reception Area

Your reception area is your official window to the world. Properly chosen discount office furniture stores can help you get access to a smart work table, chair, inbuilt filing cabinets and drawers capable of storing all the items of day-to-day needs, stationery and other office essentials.

Countertops and Tables

Office work encompasses a wide range of activities linked with typing, printing, answering calls, generating bills or taking care of important accounting needs. Countertops and tables of varied sizes and shapes are required to conduct these activities in a smoother and more organized fashion. Special work rooms created for designated purposes may require different sets of furniture pieces and furnishings.

Bathroom Storage Furniture

A very basic bathroom suite is a toilet, a washbasin and a bath with matching taps and handles. However, there are more appliances, such as bidets, and extra items like cabinets, mirrors and storage solutions for the toiletries and other bathroom paraphernalia. Flexible cabinets, which have mirrors, lights and shaver sockets, are also available. The storage space being critical, the design should incorporate vanities on either side of pedestal sinks, with low-hung cabinets and even dressers for undergarments. Cabinets are normally furniture-grade and complement the bedroom furniture. The material used is oak or maple in natural or light tints.

Extra attention is paid to details such as outlets inside tower cabinets for hair dryers, electric shavers or other electrical appliances, as well as ironing boards and hampers built inside closets. Also, top cabinets

hide bathroom clutter while offering access to everything. The side cabinet, from the floor to hip level, is one of the latest trends. It comes with a washbasin and shelves to store the daily toiletries like the toothbrush, toothpaste, soaps and more. In the cabinet one can store towels and other linens.

The design of any bathroom will always include bathroom storage. One can find a combination sink/vanity for extra storage. A great bathroom design idea is that one can never have too much bathroom storage! One has to use the wall space wisely, with shelves or cabinets over the commode or almost anywhere in the bathroom. One can consider using corner shelves, and hanging towel bars above one another. Also, one can add a medicine cabinet with a mirror to the bathroom to store grooming supplies, medicine or toiletries. Traditionally, the medicine cabinet was always located above the vanity or sink, but nowadays one can place it elsewhere in the bathroom. One can also add a shower caddy to the corner shower for extra storage.

Learn About Modern & Contemporary Patio Furniture – Outdoor furniture

For outdoor decor, in time of modern furniture and contemporary furniture patio furniture is great solution. This patio furniture comes in wood and aluminum along with modern designs which suggest freshness as well as innovation.

People who love to decor their outdoor prefer to go with patio furniture. As we know, patio furniture wants too care but it also provides elegant look. If you are looking for elegant and style for outdoor furniture then patio furniture is perfect for that. By having well-designed outdoor areas, we can make excellent use of them and bring back their lost value and function.

Looking for a place to purchase a nice set of outdoor patio furniture then, there are many online stores for that which offers everything for furnishing along with patio furniture, like modern furniture, fine bedroom furniture, bedding sets, dining room set, office furniture and more.

Types of patio furniture:

– Aluminum Patio Furniture: It has two types, Cast and Frame. It offers the best strength to weigh ratios of other metals. Its sturdy as well as durable quality makes it ideal for outdoor furniture use.

– Wicker Patio Furniture: It comes in natural wicker color as well as paint colors. Cushions are required with wicker patio furniture.

– Outdoor Wood Patio Furniture: Comes in both natural wood finishes as well as painted finishes.

– Cast Iron Patio Furniture: It also known as wrought iron furniture, is often more decorative in appearance than other types of garden and patio furniture. It is featured with intricate scroll work and lattice patterns.

If you are buying patio furniture for your outdoor decoration at online store, then that time you can also choose sofas, kids beds, bathroom cabinets, counter stools and more for your home decor also because mostly store stand with patio furniture also includes collection for home decor also. Patio Furniture is Economical and Durable.

About Author: Spacify is the platform for all your modern furniture and contemporary furniture needs. We stand with unique infrastructure to provide dining room set, sofas, kids beds, bedding sets, counter stools and more. We also provide outdoor furniture as well as office furniture. Spacify stands with fine bedroom furniture stores where you can buy bedroom furniture.