When it comes to defining the difference between furniture refinishing and furniture restorations, you’ll probably find quite a few of them here. Refinishing, when used on wood furniture, refers to a method of light cleaning and superficial repair of the said furniture using substances that are present in your house. On the other hand, restorations (like sanding, finishing, or sanding and polishing) are more involved procedures applied to make the furniture completely new again. Restoring your furniture in this manner will not only improve its condition but also make it look better than ever.
The main difference between furniture refinishing and furniture restorations, then, lies in the fact that the former is meant to make things look brand new again while the latter is aimed at fixing what’s wrong with an item without having to resort to replacing it altogether. Take for instance, a coffee table that is suffering from wear and tear because of various stains. If you have a can of wax coating over it, all you’d have to do is apply a little bit of that to the surface and buff it up until you have a beautiful looking coffee table. However, if you were to go for a full refinish job, which means going for a complete stripping and repainting of the whole piece, you would be left with a coffee table that has been stripped to the point of being unusable – something you definitely don’t want to happen with your lovely table top.
As far as the materials used for furniture refinishing and furniture restoration are concerned, there is really no big difference between them. Furniture refinished using linseed oil, or some other similar substance, is often applied with a brush to make the surface look clean and clear. Furniture restorations, on the other hand, are done by actually removing the old finish and then carefully sanding the wooden surface to remove scratches and nicks.
Both methods of furniture refinishing or restoration process yield great results. There are actually some advantages to each one. For example, furniture restoration process yields a more natural and authentic look than the former method does. This however depends on the condition of the original finish that is why it is important to examine the condition of the wood involved in the original manufacturing process before taking any action about the restorations.
On the other hand, furniture refinishing is much cheaper than the real antique stuff. If you are planning to buy an antique piece of furniture like a pool table or a set of antique drawers, make sure you do a thorough research first. Check if it’s really made of solid wood. Check the wood’s quality by seeing if it is still intact and not just a piece of lead substitute. Antique furniture can be worth a lot of money but its value may drop significantly if it was not properly restored.
So which one do you prefer? Refinishing your antique furniture? Or buying an authentic antique piece from an auction or a curio store? It all depends on your budget and your taste. Remember though, that you must never compromise on the quality of your furniture just because you want to save some money. Visit www.northhoustonwoodrefinishing.com. for more details on furniture restoration.