It used to be that if you had a piece of solid wood furniture your only finish option was a stain. Dark stains were applied to woods like mahogany and cherry and a light stain appeared on oak, maple and pine. But today’s furniture buyer has many options that allow them to customize their furniture to meet their particular design style.
Painted Furniture
Today’s painted furniture trend is appearing on both new and old or handed down items to give them an updated and more youthful look. It is not uncommon to find Grandma’s dining room buffet wearing a new coat of turquoise paint. This can be upsetting for purists who believe that the beauty of wood should be enjoyed. But if you have a piece that is worn and beyond repair, a new paint job will give it new life. Painted furniture options include:
- Enamel that will add a shiny and durable finish to a dresser, table or side chair.
- Chalk or milk paint will give any piece a distressed and time-worn look.
- Semi-gloss provides an easy to care for finish with a hint of shine
- Hand-painted patterns and designs turn an ordinary piece of furniture into a one of a kind piece of art
Wood Stains
As with paint, there are several types of wood stains to choose from:
- Water based stains are quick to dry and emit fewer toxic fumes. Disposal and clean-up is easy and also environmentally friendly.
- Oil based stains have a strong odor and require some special cleaning methods in order to protect the environment. They do soak in deeper and may produce a deeper color than water based stain.
- Semi-transparent stains will allow the beauty and natural grain pattern to show through.
- Opaque stains will prevent grain patterns, knots and other inherent “defects” in the wood to show.
Each finish will give you a different result. Paint will coat the piece and will not allow the natural grain and color of the wood to show through while a stain penetrates the wood, bringing out the rich colors unique to each type of wood and, depending on the transparency of the stain, also allow the natural grain to take center stage.
At Amish Furniture Factory we offer dozens of stains for specific wood types, all applied in a comprehensive process that insures a beautiful and durable finish. You can view our finishing process here. We are also able to match a stain with a sample piece from you, making it possible for your new piece of furniture to match or coordinate with other pieces in your home.
So what works for you—paint or stain?