Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Be Careful While Buying Used Furniture
Everyone buys furniture with the hope that it will last for very many years. You would want to get the most worth for your money spent. It is not necessary to always pay more to get good quality furniture that will last for years. For people not willing to or not able to spend too much, used second-hand furniture is a very good option. It keeps the expenditure in check, and if you are careful about checking the quality you are sure to get a good piece of furniture that will serve you well. What you really need to look for is quality craftsmanship. You can mostly rest assured when buying used Amish furniture because the craftsmanship of the Amish is extremely good and the furniture is made such that it can last for generations.
Before you head out to buy any used wood furniture there are a few things you need to think about. Decide your budget. Evaluate the usage conditions that the furniture piece is going to be put through. Children’s room furniture particularly needs to be very strong as it needs to endure rough usage. Amish oak furniture would be a good option for the children’s study table as it is very strong and can endure rough usage. How much you want to spend on the furniture is going to decide where you will need to shop. If your budget is tight, a good option would be to check for second hand good quality furniture stores in the local newspapers. You can also find inexpensive used furniture at auctions or garage sales or through friends.
Time of purchase can make a huge difference to your cost. One of the best times to find great deals on furniture is over the holiday seasons and during the summer. At such times consumers are spending more money on holiday items. They are less likely to purchase furniture, which is why the largest sales happen during this time. Also, during the summer months, consumers are spending less time indoors so they are less likely to find a need to purchase furniture so this is also a good time to find a good deal through your local retailer. Large retail stores always have the furniture piece delivered to your home in a few days. But if you are purchasing a used item from a thrift or second-hand store, an auction or a friend, you most likely need to take the item with you when you leave. You need to be prepared for such a situation. Now the question of quality arises. With a used wooden furniture piece, you might find some scratches or discoloration or other type of marks. You need to see what kind of defects you can deal with and cure easily at home. With a good wood cream you can take almost all scratches and water marks out of the wood. You can sand the furniture down to get a good fresh wood look and then do the refinishing yourself. It is an easy process and most DIY enthusiasts would really enjoy the experience. At times display pieces may be slightly damaged or dirty because of all the touching, feeling and handling by so many people. You could ask for a further discount on such pieces and then clean it up yourself at home and save a bunch of money. If there is a bigger defect and you think you can deal with it, ask for a bigger discount.
Make sure the piece is basically stable and well-made. A badly made furniture piece is going to fall apart sooner than later. If the furniture joints are loose and the piece is wobbly, it will not turn out to be a good buy. Make sure there are no gaps in the joints, the screws are all tight, the drawers and cabinets smooth to open and shut and the piece stands sturdy without shaking.
If you are purchasing a piece of furniture that includes a drawer of any type, look for dovetail joints on the backs and the fronts of the drawers. Dovetail joints are similar to your putting your hands together and locking your fingers. Wood that is joined together in this manner is going to last longer and be sturdier in the end. The wood intermingles with the wood from another piece of the drawer for a solid fit that is sturdy. Amish handcrafted furniture always has the best quality long-lasting joints made by the skilled Amish craftsmen.
So just by keeping these few things in mind, you can buy a good piece of wood furniture while saving yourself a bunch of money. Good Luck!
Before you head out to buy any used wood furniture there are a few things you need to think about. Decide your budget. Evaluate the usage conditions that the furniture piece is going to be put through. Children’s room furniture particularly needs to be very strong as it needs to endure rough usage. Amish oak furniture would be a good option for the children’s study table as it is very strong and can endure rough usage. How much you want to spend on the furniture is going to decide where you will need to shop. If your budget is tight, a good option would be to check for second hand good quality furniture stores in the local newspapers. You can also find inexpensive used furniture at auctions or garage sales or through friends.
Time of purchase can make a huge difference to your cost. One of the best times to find great deals on furniture is over the holiday seasons and during the summer. At such times consumers are spending more money on holiday items. They are less likely to purchase furniture, which is why the largest sales happen during this time. Also, during the summer months, consumers are spending less time indoors so they are less likely to find a need to purchase furniture so this is also a good time to find a good deal through your local retailer. Large retail stores always have the furniture piece delivered to your home in a few days. But if you are purchasing a used item from a thrift or second-hand store, an auction or a friend, you most likely need to take the item with you when you leave. You need to be prepared for such a situation. Now the question of quality arises. With a used wooden furniture piece, you might find some scratches or discoloration or other type of marks. You need to see what kind of defects you can deal with and cure easily at home. With a good wood cream you can take almost all scratches and water marks out of the wood. You can sand the furniture down to get a good fresh wood look and then do the refinishing yourself. It is an easy process and most DIY enthusiasts would really enjoy the experience. At times display pieces may be slightly damaged or dirty because of all the touching, feeling and handling by so many people. You could ask for a further discount on such pieces and then clean it up yourself at home and save a bunch of money. If there is a bigger defect and you think you can deal with it, ask for a bigger discount.
Make sure the piece is basically stable and well-made. A badly made furniture piece is going to fall apart sooner than later. If the furniture joints are loose and the piece is wobbly, it will not turn out to be a good buy. Make sure there are no gaps in the joints, the screws are all tight, the drawers and cabinets smooth to open and shut and the piece stands sturdy without shaking.
If you are purchasing a piece of furniture that includes a drawer of any type, look for dovetail joints on the backs and the fronts of the drawers. Dovetail joints are similar to your putting your hands together and locking your fingers. Wood that is joined together in this manner is going to last longer and be sturdier in the end. The wood intermingles with the wood from another piece of the drawer for a solid fit that is sturdy. Amish handcrafted furniture always has the best quality long-lasting joints made by the skilled Amish craftsmen.
So just by keeping these few things in mind, you can buy a good piece of wood furniture while saving yourself a bunch of money. Good Luck!
Found Holes In Your Furniture?
In favorable conditions, organic materials including wood and leather are vulnerable to infestation by a variety of insects. A common wooden furniture pest is the powderpost beetle. There are four types of Powderpost beetles in four families. They go through a complete metamorphosis: adults, eggs, larvae and pupae. Though adults do little damage, it is the larvae that do the major damage.
Most furniture manufacturers of repute treat the wood suitably before converting it into furniture. Wood for Amish furniture is treated appropriately by the skilled Amish craftsmen. This is one of the major reasons why Amish Oak furniture and other Amish made furniture lasts for generations. Following are the four kind of powderpost beetles explained in detail:
True Powderpost Beetles:
The adults are very small, flattened and reddish-brown to black in color. Larvae are white, cream colored, shaped with dark brown heads. Larvae create tunnels in the wood and become pupae. As adults they bore out through the wood, pushing a fine powdery dust out. True Powder post beetles breed in dead and dried hardwoods such as the dead branches and limbs of trees. Old items of furniture and wood antiques are especially vulnerable to attack by the beetles. Damage is usually to the starch-rich sapwood of large-pored hardwoods such as ash, hickory, oak, walnut and cherry. Their diet is starch, sugar and protein in the sapwood of hardwoods Wood that is less than 6% moisture content is seldom attacked .The life cycle averages one year to complete. This wood-boring beetle is the most widespread in the United States.
Death-watch Beetles:
This furniture beetle is found mostly in the eastern half of the United States and it infests structural timbers as well. The Death-watch beetle is found throughout the United States. It attacks building timbers in poorly ventilated areas where moisture tends to collect. The name "Death watch" comes from the ticking sound that the adult makes inside infested wood that is audible during a still night. It is a mating call. Wood in structures and furniture infested by these beetles may go unnoticed until the round adult emergence holes appear in the surface. The characteristic pellets found in the frass and the consistency of the frass is useful in determining what species is infesting the wood. Infested wood can be removed and replaced with treated wood. Reducing the wood moisture content to approximately 12% slows the development of the larvae. The surface of unpainted or otherwise unprotected wood can be treated and the galleries injected with disodium octaborate tetrahydrate. This kills exposed larvae and prevents re-infestation when the eggs hatch and immature larvae begin to penetrate the wood. However, the most effective way to eliminate these infestations is to fumigate using sulfur flouride or methyl bromide.
Long-Horned Beetles or Round-Headed Borers:
Most representatives of this family infest and feed on dead or dying trees. However there are many that feed on living trees. A common source for these beetles indoors is from firewood brought indoors. Firewood should be used very soon after it is brought inside. The beetles of this family lay their eggs in cracks or crevices in the bark or on the surface of rough sawn timbers. The larvae are woodborers. Adults vary in size from 1/2 inch to 3 inches long, and can be easily distinguished from other beetles by their long, thin antennae that may be longer than the body; hence the adults are called long-horned beetles.
Old House Borers:
The Old House Borer is one of the most common from this family, with its larvae hollowing out galleries in seasoned softwood (pine). It is found in older buildings, but is more frequent in newer buildings, (in houses less than 10 years old). It is well established along the Atlantic Coast, but infestations have been reported as far as Louisiana and Minnesota. The life cycle of the old house borer ranges between three to twelve years, but can be longer if conditions are favorable.
Check your furniture for any infestations in all the nooks and corners including the underside. If any of your wooden furniture is infected, be sure to get the wood treated effectively. If you are buying Amish furniture online, be sure it is from a reputed vendor who pre-treats the wood to avoid any infestations for years to come. A little care can go a long way in avoiding unnecessary trouble.
Most furniture manufacturers of repute treat the wood suitably before converting it into furniture. Wood for Amish furniture is treated appropriately by the skilled Amish craftsmen. This is one of the major reasons why Amish Oak furniture and other Amish made furniture lasts for generations. Following are the four kind of powderpost beetles explained in detail:
True Powderpost Beetles:
The adults are very small, flattened and reddish-brown to black in color. Larvae are white, cream colored, shaped with dark brown heads. Larvae create tunnels in the wood and become pupae. As adults they bore out through the wood, pushing a fine powdery dust out. True Powder post beetles breed in dead and dried hardwoods such as the dead branches and limbs of trees. Old items of furniture and wood antiques are especially vulnerable to attack by the beetles. Damage is usually to the starch-rich sapwood of large-pored hardwoods such as ash, hickory, oak, walnut and cherry. Their diet is starch, sugar and protein in the sapwood of hardwoods Wood that is less than 6% moisture content is seldom attacked .The life cycle averages one year to complete. This wood-boring beetle is the most widespread in the United States.
Death-watch Beetles:
This furniture beetle is found mostly in the eastern half of the United States and it infests structural timbers as well. The Death-watch beetle is found throughout the United States. It attacks building timbers in poorly ventilated areas where moisture tends to collect. The name "Death watch" comes from the ticking sound that the adult makes inside infested wood that is audible during a still night. It is a mating call. Wood in structures and furniture infested by these beetles may go unnoticed until the round adult emergence holes appear in the surface. The characteristic pellets found in the frass and the consistency of the frass is useful in determining what species is infesting the wood. Infested wood can be removed and replaced with treated wood. Reducing the wood moisture content to approximately 12% slows the development of the larvae. The surface of unpainted or otherwise unprotected wood can be treated and the galleries injected with disodium octaborate tetrahydrate. This kills exposed larvae and prevents re-infestation when the eggs hatch and immature larvae begin to penetrate the wood. However, the most effective way to eliminate these infestations is to fumigate using sulfur flouride or methyl bromide.
Long-Horned Beetles or Round-Headed Borers:
Most representatives of this family infest and feed on dead or dying trees. However there are many that feed on living trees. A common source for these beetles indoors is from firewood brought indoors. Firewood should be used very soon after it is brought inside. The beetles of this family lay their eggs in cracks or crevices in the bark or on the surface of rough sawn timbers. The larvae are woodborers. Adults vary in size from 1/2 inch to 3 inches long, and can be easily distinguished from other beetles by their long, thin antennae that may be longer than the body; hence the adults are called long-horned beetles.
Old House Borers:
The Old House Borer is one of the most common from this family, with its larvae hollowing out galleries in seasoned softwood (pine). It is found in older buildings, but is more frequent in newer buildings, (in houses less than 10 years old). It is well established along the Atlantic Coast, but infestations have been reported as far as Louisiana and Minnesota. The life cycle of the old house borer ranges between three to twelve years, but can be longer if conditions are favorable.
Check your furniture for any infestations in all the nooks and corners including the underside. If any of your wooden furniture is infected, be sure to get the wood treated effectively. If you are buying Amish furniture online, be sure it is from a reputed vendor who pre-treats the wood to avoid any infestations for years to come. A little care can go a long way in avoiding unnecessary trouble.
From Desk To Dust
Isn’t it extremely unnerving to see your exquisite wooden furniture falling to bits due to an insect infestation? Wood boring beetles and other such insects can cause widespread damage to your furniture literally reducing it to dust. It is important to keep inspecting the pieces of furniture on a regular basis to catch the infestation in its initial stage before way too much damage has been done. Also, there are some preventive measures that should be undertaken. Below is an account of what you can do to protect your precious Amish furniture and other wooden furniture.
Inspection: The first step to management is deciding if there is an active infestation, or if you are seeing old damage. In an active infestation look for borings accumulating in piles near holes or on the floor below, beetles crawling on the wood, or you may hear a ticking sound that is made by some larvae. If there is no active infestation, treatment is not needed.
You should inspect periodically all exposed wood surfaces and probe them for evidence of internal damage. Evidence of attack is more common in attics, crawl spaces, unfinished basements and storage areas. To be certain that the infestation is active, there should be fresh frass the color of newly sawed wood, or live larvae or adults in the wood. . If furniture or other wooden objects appear to have active infestation, they should be isolated immediately by placing in a large sealed plastic bag.
Prevention: Most of the procedures that will prevent attack on wood before it is used are the responsibility of those who harvest, mill or store the wood. However those who use the wood should take precautions to reduce the chances of building an infestation into structures and furniture.
Steps to prevent beetles from infesting wood include the following. Wood should be inspected prior to purchase. Use only proper kiln or air-dried wood. Seal wood surfaces. Always use chemically treated wood (wood preservatives or insecticides). Using good building design such as ventilation, drainage and proper clearance between wood and soil will reduce the moisture content of wood creating less favorable conditions for beetle development. Central heating and cooling systems also speed up the wood drying process.
Control: The following points should help in discouraging powderpost beetle and other infestations. The first thing to do is reduce the moisture content to less than 20%. Rough-cut lumber should be kiln-dried to kill all stages of the beetle. The adult beetles will not normally attack un-infested wood that is sanded and varnished because they cannot find crevices in the wood surface into which they would deposit their eggs. Infested furniture can be fumigated in a fumigation chamber. Surface sprays containing borates will prevent newly hatched larvae from entering the wood. However, this technique is not effective on wood that has been varnished, waxed or otherwise sealed from attack by moisture. If practical, remove infested wood. If not use borate insecticides.
All the abovementioned control and preventive measures are taken by the Amish to give you only superior quality Amish handcrafted furniture. Each piece goes through a lot of processes to make them last for generations. The quality of construction is impeccable. They provide a great furniture experience for years together.
Inspection: The first step to management is deciding if there is an active infestation, or if you are seeing old damage. In an active infestation look for borings accumulating in piles near holes or on the floor below, beetles crawling on the wood, or you may hear a ticking sound that is made by some larvae. If there is no active infestation, treatment is not needed.
You should inspect periodically all exposed wood surfaces and probe them for evidence of internal damage. Evidence of attack is more common in attics, crawl spaces, unfinished basements and storage areas. To be certain that the infestation is active, there should be fresh frass the color of newly sawed wood, or live larvae or adults in the wood. . If furniture or other wooden objects appear to have active infestation, they should be isolated immediately by placing in a large sealed plastic bag.
Prevention: Most of the procedures that will prevent attack on wood before it is used are the responsibility of those who harvest, mill or store the wood. However those who use the wood should take precautions to reduce the chances of building an infestation into structures and furniture.
Steps to prevent beetles from infesting wood include the following. Wood should be inspected prior to purchase. Use only proper kiln or air-dried wood. Seal wood surfaces. Always use chemically treated wood (wood preservatives or insecticides). Using good building design such as ventilation, drainage and proper clearance between wood and soil will reduce the moisture content of wood creating less favorable conditions for beetle development. Central heating and cooling systems also speed up the wood drying process.
Control: The following points should help in discouraging powderpost beetle and other infestations. The first thing to do is reduce the moisture content to less than 20%. Rough-cut lumber should be kiln-dried to kill all stages of the beetle. The adult beetles will not normally attack un-infested wood that is sanded and varnished because they cannot find crevices in the wood surface into which they would deposit their eggs. Infested furniture can be fumigated in a fumigation chamber. Surface sprays containing borates will prevent newly hatched larvae from entering the wood. However, this technique is not effective on wood that has been varnished, waxed or otherwise sealed from attack by moisture. If practical, remove infested wood. If not use borate insecticides.
All the abovementioned control and preventive measures are taken by the Amish to give you only superior quality Amish handcrafted furniture. Each piece goes through a lot of processes to make them last for generations. The quality of construction is impeccable. They provide a great furniture experience for years together.
Finished To Perfection For Your Home
Wonder what converts joined pieces of wood into an exquisite piece of heirloom quality furniture? A lot goes into finishing a wooden furniture piece after it has been put into shape. The smooth finish with the bright shine is achieved after much effort and lots of procedures.
Here is how a wooden furniture piece is finished to perfection. Here is how the Amish Furniture gets its handcrafted heirloom quality.
Sanding:All unfinished furniture is sanded as smooth as possible before any finish is applied. This is the most important step and, to a great degree, determines just how perfect the finished project will be. Sanding is done with progressively finer grits of sandpaper, starting with medium or fine grades, and finishing with very fine. Rubbing is done with the grain to avoid scratches that may show through the finish. There are many different types of sandpaper available, but generally, open coat aluminum oxide paper is preferred for furniture, since it cuts faster and lasts longer. After sanding is completed, all dust is thoroughly removed. This is mostly done with a tack rag dipped into varnish that has been diluted with an equal amount of turpentine or mineral spirits and wrung until almost dry.
Bleaching:This procedure is necessary only if it is desired to lighten the wood's natural color, or to remove undesirable stains. Commercial wood bleach is used wearing rubber gloves and eye protection. The bleach is applied with a brush or sponge and allowed to dry overnight. Then it is sanded lightly with very fine sandpaper to remove raised grain. All dust is then wiped from the wood.
Staining:Stains are used to color the wood to emphasize its grain, to make one type of wood look like another, to create uniform color in a piece which is made up of more than one kind of wood, or to tint patched areas to match the rest of the piece. Most stains are used only over bare, smoothly sanded, clean, dry wood. Of the many types of stain available, the two most popular are penetrating resin stain and pigmented oil or wiping stains. Both these types of stains are available in a wide range of colors. Shades of the same type can be mixed to produce even more color variation. When an oil stain is used, a thin sealer coat is applied to the bare wood first. This gives a more uniform color effect.
Paste Wood Fillers:Open-pore woods, such as walnut, oak and mahogany, require the use of a paste filler if a super-smooth finish is desired. These fillers are available in neutral shades and different colors. The paste filler is brushed onto the clean and dust-free piece with a short, stiff-bristled brush. It is allowed to set until it loses its shine for about 20 to 30 minutes. The excess filler is removed with a rough-textured cloth and the piece is allowed to dry for at least 24 hours before proceeding further.
Finishing:There are many new, improved varnishes or clear coatings available for furniture finishing. Some are very pale for use on light colored furniture. Others offer resistance to foods and alcohol. Linseed oil finish is time-consuming to apply, but gives the wood a beautiful, mellow lustre. Although it is not highly water-resistant, this finish will withstand hot dishes. Also, it is less likely to show scratches than would a varnish finish. Often, this finish is applied directly to raw wood, but it tends to darken the wood in most cases. Every possible trace of dust is removed before applying the first coat of varnish with a good quality natural-bristle brush. The first coat of varnish is thinned with turpentine, mixing gently with a clean stick so that air bubbles are not formed. Successive coats are then applied as the varnish comes from the can. The varnish is allowed to dry completely for atleast 48 hours. Then it is lightly sanded with the finest grade of sandpaper or steel wool available.
Enameling:Enamel is also a good finish choice for inexpensive unpainted. Because enamels are available in a wide range of glosses — from elegant eggshell to the dramatic wet look — and in a rainbow of colors, almost any effect you want is possible. There are two types of enamel -- oil-based and latex (water-thinned). Usually, the oil-based type produces the best results on furniture. This type is available in both regular brush-on and spray formulas. Spray enamel is especially good for small projects and intricately patterned surfaces.
So after all these finishing procedures you get your Amish handcrafted furniture. All these and more efforts on the part of the artisans give you great looking furniture that lasts for generations.
Here is how a wooden furniture piece is finished to perfection. Here is how the Amish Furniture gets its handcrafted heirloom quality.
Sanding:All unfinished furniture is sanded as smooth as possible before any finish is applied. This is the most important step and, to a great degree, determines just how perfect the finished project will be. Sanding is done with progressively finer grits of sandpaper, starting with medium or fine grades, and finishing with very fine. Rubbing is done with the grain to avoid scratches that may show through the finish. There are many different types of sandpaper available, but generally, open coat aluminum oxide paper is preferred for furniture, since it cuts faster and lasts longer. After sanding is completed, all dust is thoroughly removed. This is mostly done with a tack rag dipped into varnish that has been diluted with an equal amount of turpentine or mineral spirits and wrung until almost dry.
Bleaching:This procedure is necessary only if it is desired to lighten the wood's natural color, or to remove undesirable stains. Commercial wood bleach is used wearing rubber gloves and eye protection. The bleach is applied with a brush or sponge and allowed to dry overnight. Then it is sanded lightly with very fine sandpaper to remove raised grain. All dust is then wiped from the wood.
Staining:Stains are used to color the wood to emphasize its grain, to make one type of wood look like another, to create uniform color in a piece which is made up of more than one kind of wood, or to tint patched areas to match the rest of the piece. Most stains are used only over bare, smoothly sanded, clean, dry wood. Of the many types of stain available, the two most popular are penetrating resin stain and pigmented oil or wiping stains. Both these types of stains are available in a wide range of colors. Shades of the same type can be mixed to produce even more color variation. When an oil stain is used, a thin sealer coat is applied to the bare wood first. This gives a more uniform color effect.
Paste Wood Fillers:Open-pore woods, such as walnut, oak and mahogany, require the use of a paste filler if a super-smooth finish is desired. These fillers are available in neutral shades and different colors. The paste filler is brushed onto the clean and dust-free piece with a short, stiff-bristled brush. It is allowed to set until it loses its shine for about 20 to 30 minutes. The excess filler is removed with a rough-textured cloth and the piece is allowed to dry for at least 24 hours before proceeding further.
Finishing:There are many new, improved varnishes or clear coatings available for furniture finishing. Some are very pale for use on light colored furniture. Others offer resistance to foods and alcohol. Linseed oil finish is time-consuming to apply, but gives the wood a beautiful, mellow lustre. Although it is not highly water-resistant, this finish will withstand hot dishes. Also, it is less likely to show scratches than would a varnish finish. Often, this finish is applied directly to raw wood, but it tends to darken the wood in most cases. Every possible trace of dust is removed before applying the first coat of varnish with a good quality natural-bristle brush. The first coat of varnish is thinned with turpentine, mixing gently with a clean stick so that air bubbles are not formed. Successive coats are then applied as the varnish comes from the can. The varnish is allowed to dry completely for atleast 48 hours. Then it is lightly sanded with the finest grade of sandpaper or steel wool available.
Enameling:Enamel is also a good finish choice for inexpensive unpainted. Because enamels are available in a wide range of glosses — from elegant eggshell to the dramatic wet look — and in a rainbow of colors, almost any effect you want is possible. There are two types of enamel -- oil-based and latex (water-thinned). Usually, the oil-based type produces the best results on furniture. This type is available in both regular brush-on and spray formulas. Spray enamel is especially good for small projects and intricately patterned surfaces.
So after all these finishing procedures you get your Amish handcrafted furniture. All these and more efforts on the part of the artisans give you great looking furniture that lasts for generations.
