Wooden Wonder: How Can You Make Unfinished Furniture Your Own?

According to reports, wood is viewed by 43% of people as being a natural, organic material that makes them happy when they use it in their homes.

Do you love wood furniture pieces? Are you thinking of buying a piece of unfinished furniture so you can give it a custom finish?

Buying furniture in the raw is a great opportunity to give it a unique finish. Not only can you make it entirely your own, but you can also adjust the finish to suit your home’s design style and color palette.

If you’re wondering how you can make unfinished furniture your own, continue reading for some different methods you can use.

Staining

One of the primary ways you can make unfinished furniture your own is by staining it in the color of your choice. Staining furniture is a great way to adjust the wood tone to complement other wood pieces in your home.

When it comes to staining wood, the process is quite simple. Begin by lightly sanding your pieces. If you’re working with a softwood such as pine, it’s advisable to include a wood conditioning product in your process.

Softwoods can absorb stains unevenly. Wood conditioner helps to prepare the wood and prevent uneven stain absorption.

Now, you’re ready to add a wood stain in your preferred color. After completing the staining process, it’s essential to protect the wood by sealing it. You can use either a water-based sealant or a polyurethane product for this final step.

Painting

Another way you can make unfinished furniture your own is by painting it. Keep in mind, however, that painting will cover up the wood grain.

Painting wood furniture usually makes the most sense when you have an old piece that will take a lot of work to sand down. However, there is no rule against painting new furniture in the raw.

If you’re wondering how to clean wood furniture for painting, the process is similar to preparing for staining. If you have a new piece of unfinished furniture, simply give it a light sanding to remove any marks or raised pieces of grain.

After sanding, apply a primer and let it dry. Then proceed with either acrylic paint, chalk paint, or enamel paint. We always recommend top coating to seal and protect the wood after finishing. To skip this step and still be protected, we recommend an interior trim paint and primer all in one.

Distressing

Besides simply painting a new piece of unfinished furniture, you can also opt to paint and then distress it. This will get you a shabby chic, farmhouse-type aesthetic.

There are various methods and tutorials out there for distressing painted wooden furniture, but the basic process isn’t too complicated. Start by painting your piece and then go over it with either some sandpaper or steel wool. After this, you can still apply a stain for an authentic aged look, and then top things off with a coat or two of sealant.

Mixing It Up

Lastly, you can also use a combination of these techniques on unfinished furniture. For instance, if you have a set of wooden drawers or a desk, you can choose to paint the drawer fronts, stain the frame, or vice versa. This can add depth and dimension to a piece.

You can also play around with things like stencils, decoupage techniques, etc.

Looking for Unfinished Furniture?

Are you looking for unfinished furniture that you can customize and make your own?

Unfinished Furniture of Wilmington offers a wide range of high-quality wooden furniture, both finished and unfinished.

Browse our selection of wooden furniture today to find the perfect unfinished piece.