A quick guide to purchasing the highest quality wooden furniture
Clearly many factors influence your buying decision when buying solid oak furniture – Price? Material? Environmental impact? Style? Whatever the reason is for buying new furniture It is frequently difficult to filter down the options to make an informed choice that truly suits your needs, but here are some key considerations that should help you in your selection.
Visual aspect and style. The first question you need to ask yourself is a fairly straightforward one; what kind of design are you looking for? Obviously, each room and circumstance will be different. Maybe for quality wooden furniture, a tough, solid oak would be best, or more traditional, farmhouse styles. Take a look at your existing furniture and spend some thinking about what you are after.If you need more ideas it’s not a bad idea to refer to home or furniture magazines and once you’ve narrowed down the look and feel of the furniture to just a small selection of designs, it’s now time to consider the raw materials.
Buy sustainable materials. Look for items certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an organisation that has highly-developed sustainable standards for forest management and operates programs that verify adherence to them. The FSC is an international scheme constituted to promote responsible stewardship of the world’s forests through every processing stage- from the forest to each manufacturing point to the marketplace.
Type of Wood. Having chosen your style, now it is time to think about material. With so many different types of wood to choose from it can be a bit of a minefield; however in general they are classified into two basic categories – hardwood or softwood. Hardwood is more indestructible and in the main harder to work with. The exception is teak and for this reason is that teak furniture can be more costly than furniture made from other types of wood.
Softwood is the other main material that wooden furniture is made from so you can expect lower prices, but the furniture is much less durable; it tends to rot or become tarnished even just after a few short years. However, despite this the upside is that since they are so easy to work with you’ll get a wider range of designs and styles – at cheaper prices. Each has its own place in the marketplace but the only way to really choose is to be clear about your own requirements. For example, if you are looking for a relatively short-lived item (maybe you are renting a property for a short period) then it makes sense to buy less expensive furniture that is made from softwood. However, a statement piece that you want to last for years should be a hardwood item (preferably from sustainable sources).
The finish of the Wooden Furniture. Most types of wood (when unprocessed) can be vulnerable when uncovered to moisture. Mould may grow, and the wood can rot. To protect wooden home office furniture (or any hardworking items for that matter), caring layers should be applied to the surface of the wooden furniture (especially for outdoor furniture). Some types of wood like Teak have natural oils that protect the qualities of the wood. In this case, all the furniture needs is a light film of protection for it to last for years.
how to make mini-furniture items
If you want to make your mini-furniture more glamourous and more interesting, you can choose a tin can of a size you feel comfortable working with and remove any labels, glue, etc. It is better for you to choose a larger can to start with. It will be easier to handle and from it you will see how you can later make lovely little pieces. I once made a miniature rocking chair from a lipstick case for my mother. She couldn’t sit in it of course, but it did became a treasure amongst her curios. You will soon be able to make your own miniature furniture from a tin can and more with just a little practice. But do it for your own mother with your true hearts and your mother surely feel very fresh and special.
Do it by yourself !!
