Wooden furniture can start to fade after years in direct sunlight or frequent use. Many times, people want to do what they can to salvage their wooden furniture and bring it back to its original beauty and functionality. Some wood furniture is worth the effort of restoring by refinishing it, while others may have simply run their course. Check out this guide on how to tell wood furniture is worth refinishing to help you determine if you should refinish your wooden furniture or let it go.
If the piece is painted or not
If your wooden furniture is painted, then there are higher chances that the wood has preexisting issues. Most people don’t paint solid wood furniture unless the wood has structural or cosmetic issues they are covering up. Refinishing wood furniture that is damaged or unsightly in some way is almost never worth the effort. Finishing wood furniture involves varnish, which is colored but not opaque, meaning you will be able to see all of the blemishes previously covered by paint.
What type of construction the piece has
Take a good look at your wooden furniture piece. Evaluate if the piece was well constructed or not. Pieces that were handmade are typically made with more careful and solid construction than mass-produced pieces, but it is worthwhile to check. Pieces with solid construction are typically worthwhile to refinish, while pieces that were mass-produced or are less carefully crafted may have simply reached the end of their life cycle.
How difficult the job will be
Even if your solid wood furniture piece is not painted and well-constructed, you still may want to consider how difficult refinishing it will be. If your piece is a solid wood office desk, it may be worth refinishing, as there may not be a lot of difficult carvings and such to maneuver around. If you have a more intricate piece and you don’t have a lot of experience refinishing wooden furniture, you may want to hire a professional to refinish it for you. This will ensure the work is done right and the piece isn’t ruined.