Furniture Refinishing Calgary
Furniture trends go in and out of fashion, and your tastes may mature and change as well. Refinishing furniture is a great way to upgrade the existing furniture in your home instead of buying it new.
Why Should I Refinish Furniture?
You know what furniture refinishing is, but why should you decide to refinish your own furniture? Lots of people choose to refinish furniture for a variety of reasons, such as personalizing the furniture pieces more, saving money, and refreshing your pieces.
Custom Pieces
One of the greatest parts about refinishing furniture is that you are able to create a truly unique piece. If you are creative, you can have a one-of-a-kind piece that you thought up yourself. Even if you are not creative, you can have your custom piece designed and created by a professional. Your input and style are taken into account, but they will do all of the dirty work for you!
Save Money
Refinishing furniture that you already have is cheaper than buying new furniture pieces.
Instead of buying a new piece from the store, you will have to pay for supplies to refinish the furniture such as paint, fabric, or wood stain.
You may also have to buy certain tools if you do on have them on hand. However, this will still typically be cheaper than buying brand new furniture, and it will increase the longevity of your furniture.
Refresh Your Furniture
Refinishing furniture can refresh the look of your home and infuse it with new style– this being done by updating colours, finishes, upholstery, and more.
However, you can also refinish furniture in a less extreme way, in order to make it look new again. Refinishing can also help to make old, banged-up furniture with bumps or scrapes look new again. Furniture can be lightly refinished to cover up the scrapes and look the same as it had looked originally if you prefer to keep the look of the piece instead of going for another style.
How to Refinish Furniture
Refinishing furniture can be a fun and rewarding DIY project for crafty homeowners, or it can be completed by a trusted professional in order to create a truly custom piece of furniture that fits your personal style and home’s aesthetic.
Calgary Interiors has been making custom furniture in Calgary since 1962.
We know furniture.
As furniture professionals in the city of Calgary, we would love to be a part of your next furniture project or dream design. Fill out the form below and send us any information about the furniture you are looking to refinish, including pictures. We will look it over and get back to you ASAP.
Choose and Prep Your Piece
The first step is to choose what piece of furniture you will be refinishing, and then to prepare it accordingly based on the changes you will be making. For example, if your customization includes repainting or staining a piece, you will need to sand it down first. If you plan to leave the finish as is but want to reupholster the seat, you typically would not need to sand it down to make your changes.
You will also want to clean up the piece, as it has likely accumulated years of dirt, dust, or grime. You can actually clean furniture with soap or water as if you were doing dishes, and this will clean up the furniture so you are working with a blank slate. It also restores much of the piece’s original lustre.
Upholstery
Upholstered seats or couches, for example, can show much in the way of wear and tear over the years.
The patterns on an upholstered piece can also make it look dated. A print that may have been on trend when the furniture was originally purchased can fall out of style or look tacky and old-fashioned.
If the bones of the furniture piece are still good, you can simply remove the old fabric and have it reupholstered.
First of all, you will want to select the fabric you will be replacing the old textile with. When you remove the old fabric, you can use this to estimate the amount of fabric you will need to purchase. When purchasing the fabric for your project, err on the side of caution and order more rather than less.
Reupholstering furniture involves replacing the batting, attaching the fabric, and some light sewing and possibly stapling. It can either be done on your own, as a DIY project, or you can hire a professional to customize the furniture for you instead.
Be Aware
There are instances where it is better to entrust the refinishing to a professional instead of attempting to do it yourself.
You should always do your due diligence and research your plans before starting into any project. For example, if you are trying to refinish very old furniture without the assistance of a professional, you may damage the furniture and lessen its value.
In some cases, you could spend more money trying to do the project on your own than you would spend to bring it to a professional who has experience with furniture refinishing.
Depending on the scope of the work, it could be difficult for an individual who is untrained. It is wise to avoid biting off more than you can chew with a DIY project, but you do not have to compromise your vision, either– talk over your ideas with a professional who is trained to execute them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth it to refinish furniture?
Yes, refinishing furniture can be fun and rewarding, as well as a cheaper way to refresh the furniture and decor of your house. You can switch up colours and finishes without going out and buying furniture that is brand new.
Is it cheaper to refinish furniture or buy new?
Refinishing furniture is the cheaper option here. You can also customize the refinished furniture more than you could with new furniture– when buying new instead of customizing, you may have fewer options.
Does refinishing furniture decrease its value?
No, this is not true. However, if the piece is a period piece or significant antique, it is recommended that you preserve it rather than refinishing it.
Is refinishing furniture difficult?
Refinishing furniture can be easy to DIY, but depending on the scope of work, could be more challenging and may require an expert’s assistance.
