Furniture Refinishing

Wood refinishing is one of our favorite jobs at The Refinishing Company. It is a creative process that can breathe new life into antique furniture, or wooden furniture that just needs a little love. Although many people we work with are eager to get to work on wood refinishing of their favorite pieces, we think there are some things you should consider before we get to work. Read on for some things to think about before you begin the process of wood refinishing on Long Island.

If you pick up a piece of furniture that you want to refinish, you should check to see how much it has been painted. If a piece looks like it has multiple layers of paint on it, beware. Although when it comes to furniture refinishing, wood stripping and paint stripping are common procedures, you should be mindful of thick paint jobs. The reason for this could include many things that indicate a poor quality piece of wooden furniture. If there is a thick layer or two of pain on a wooden chair, for example, it could be covering something up. This could be things like water stains, or burns, or even missing veneer. Be careful when buying antique or second hand furniture. Although the team at The Refinishing Company will be happy to do the furniture refinishing for you, we want to make sure you are being mindful of the value of your furniture.

Sometimes pieces of furniture look like they were masterfully crafted, but it turns out that they were made with less strong materials. Furniture that was made in the 1950s, for example, could have been crafted from particle board or laminate surfaces. Using these materials were a way for carpenters to cut corners and costs. Conversely, it is also important to be aware of the time the furniture was made. If it is too old, it may be considered an antique. In that case, furniture refinishing may decrease its value. If you are dealing with a questionable piece of wooden furniture, it may not be worth the time or money to undergo furniture refinishing. Be sure to take advantage of The Refinishing Company’s appraisal process so we can ascertain whether or not yours is a wise project to endeavor.

One of the many things to consider before you jump to furniture refinishing is questioning whether or not the piece of furniture is in need of furniture repair or furniture restoration. You should always make sure your piece of wooden furniture is in strong shape. Some things you can do to gauge this include rocking a chair back and forth, testing drawers, or seeing if the piece sways at all. Of course, some pieces have obvious signs of disrepair like broken legs. If you are dealing with a piece of furniture that needs to be fully restored or repaired, you should do so before you begin any furniture refinishing.

Many of our clientele at The Refinishing Company have questions about the furniture refinishing procedure. One of the many questions we get asked is how long and complicated will the furniture refinishing be? Of course, it depends on the make, wood, and age of your furniture. There are other factors as well. If your furniture has deep and detailed carvings on it, for example, the furniture refinishing process will take longer. It is important that we are delicate with the refinishing for pieces such as these because we will want to retain the style and value of the piece. If you are dealing with a chair that has a lot of detailing on its sides or slates, we will have to be delicate with that as well. This level of furniture refinishing may call for multiple coats of polyurethane on the arms so that the piece will be more durable. In the instance of a table with many slats or spindle detail, it will be a more complicated refinishing process because of the different tools that would have to be used, like a spray gun. There may also be some surprises along the way when it comes to furniture refinishing. We may find that some pieces are not from the same tree after we strip it. In a case such as that, we will have to experiment with various stains so that everything looks uniform. Again, it all depends on the piece. In our evaluation process, we will be sure to answer any furniture refinishing questions you have.

It is very important to think ahead when you are dealing with furniture refinishing. If a piece of wooden furniture has been neglected for a long time, it may be hard to predict what it will look like when it is refinished. This can also depend on the kind of wood that the piece has been crafted from. If you would like to get an idea of what the end result of your furniture refinishing will be, you can do several things. First, you can find a protected spot on the piece where the original wood is visible. This is often on the back of the piece, like a solid chest of drawers. On a chair, the original wood may be visible on the bottom of the legs. On a table, you can usually see the original wood on the backside of one of the leaves. When you do spot the original wood, be sure that you like the look of the grain and that you are aware of what the color will be at the end. For example, older wood will refinish in a darker tone that a newly milled piece of wood will. Here is a general idea of what some common wood attributes are:

    • Cherry: Cherry is a smooth wood that has a mild grain. It can be stained with a wide variety of colors. However, if it is over one hundred years old, it will likely be very dark after furniture refinishing.
    • Walnut: Walnut has a lively grain and actually becomes lighter with time. Because it is a natural rick brown, the range of stain tones that can be achieved is very limited.
    • Mahogany: Mahogany has a fine and straight grain that is typically very even. It is usually free of voids and pockets which makes it easy to pain. However it does darken over time and displays a red like sheen. It is however very workable and strong. 
    • Pine: Pine is a white color and is very light weight. It can be very knotty so furniture refinishing can be more complicated. It has a softer appeal and can be very easy to work with.
    • Oak:Oak is a strong yet workable wood with a light color and sturdy grain. Many heavier pieces are made with oak due to its durability. It takes stain and refinishing very well. 
    • Maple: Maple is a strong and attractive wood with a very smooth grain to it. It takes stain very well and is a strong candidate for long lasting furniture pieces.

Regardless of the kind of wood the piece is made from, the expert craftsmen at The Refinishing Company are happy to evaluate the necessity for your piece’s furniture refinishing. We are always proud to provide excellent customer service by estimating your furniture’s worth and durability before we begin and furniture refinishing or furniture restoration process.

It is important to think before you begin furniture refinishing. Although we have worked with the wooden furniture in Long Island homes and businesses for many years, we always approach each furniture refinishing and furniture restoration job with the utmost care. To get a free quote on your Long Island furniture refinishing project, please contact the expert craftsmen at The Refinishing Company today!

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The Refinishing Company

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