Most of us have or have had some piece of pine furniture before. After all it is a very cheap and versatile wood that grows quickly and is easy to use. Unfortunately that is also the reason why solid pine furniture has become ubiquitous and undervalued in design terms. Acres of knotty red pine in a room is very uninspiring in spite of the fact that this is a great wood for furniture. However, if solid pine furniture is all you can afford there are ways to transform it into something unique and beautiful.
Wood Treatments
The modern Scandinavian look is a much better option if you like the look of wood in your home. Using a wood bleaching treatment you can create a blonde effect that is much lighter and still keeps the appeal of a wood grain on your pine furniture. The benefit of a lighter wood grain is that your pine furniture is not going to dominate in the room and make it seem smaller or darker. Also try to but pine furniture that has a closer grain and less knots. This gives you a wood with more intrinsic strength and quality.
If you want a lighter look for a bedroom you can give your pine bedroom furniture a limed effect. This looks like a thin layer of white paint that accentuates the grain but removes the dark look of the wood completely. It’s possible to buy this wash treatment in DIY stores. They come in different colours too.
Painted Pine Furniture
This is a most attractive option as painted pine furniture ha a long history. Depending what style you are looking for you can use different paint effects. For more traditional designs a clean painted look can be perfect or if you prefer, use distress techniques to give your furniture a lived quality some texture and character. If you want to be more artistic and make a feature piece, use decorative painting like stenciling or decoupage.
For modern styled pieces, pine will always have a relaxed informal feel as opposed to razor sharp lines. To give a sharper look, use plenty of undercoat and a matt or high gloss finish. In effect you are masking the wood so make sure that you paint the unseen parts of your bedroom furniture such as the inside surfaces of drawers etc. to maintain the effect.
These are just a few suggestions for updating and improving your pine furniture so you can have the best new looks for your interior without having to buy designer furniture. In fact, anything you do to your furniture will make it completely unique and therefore very special.
