Howdy all! Are you ready for a new week? I definitely feel ready after a much needed slow and relaxing weekend. Last week was crazy busy, with new hire activities, events, and training. Thankfully, this week should settle back into a regular routine and I can begin adjusting to our new schedule. Although I missed the Friday Five last week (so sorry! :() I hope to be able to be back here more regularly going forward.
To paint or not to paint… Have you ever stared at a piece of furniture and wondered that? I know there are wood purists out there (my husband being one of them ;)) that believe the most beautiful finish possible for furniture is wood by default. On the same token, painting furniture is THE thing right now. People are painting furniture left and right…. How do you determine when to keep the wood, or bring on the paint?
The first thing to consider is the condition of the wood. Is it scratched/stained? Has the finish wore off? If you need to restore the wood in any way, you should take that effort and time into account. Sometimes the wood is too far gone, and it’s much easier and time efficient to paint. Refinishing the wood can involve stripping, sanding, staining, and sealing: this can be long process.
Second, do you like the wood? This may seem like an obvious consideration, but some people won’t paint-even when they dislike the wood color-simply because it’s wood. I’m sure others may tell you different, but here’s what I think…. if it’s yours, you walk by it all the time, and use it everyday, you deserve to like the way it looks. And if a coat of paint could make it more pleasing to you, you should paint it!
Another important consideration is, how much wood is already in the room? While everyone has their different styles, I personally appreciate wood the most when it is accented with a white/light background. Meaning: if there is an overpowering amount of wood furniture in a room, it isn’t appreciated to it’s full potential. Now, I’m not saying you should go paint half of your bedroom set, so the other half is better showcased…… I’m just saying, consider it… 😉
Personally, I’ve only painted chairs and shelves thus far. But, I know that when the time comes to purchase more furniture, I will be keeping these things in mind when considering whether to love on the wood, or paint.
