How do you choose a stain for your refinishing project?

Wood furniture is often put into different categories based on the type of wood used to build the piece. The value of wood is mainly based on its color, grain, and durability. However in the world of furniture refinishing, stain has become a great equalizer. Stain provides craftsmen the ability to turn any piece into something of beauty, regardless of the wood used to build it.

Wood is often stained for a multitude of reasons. Most often, stain is used to emphasize the wood grain and give character. The problem most run into though in a furniture refinishing project is deciding which stain is the best choice for their type of wood and the look they want to achieve for their furniture.

Furniture made of cherry, maple, mahogany, rosewood, and aged pine often look best in their natural color. On the other hand, light wood with poor grain detail can greatly benefit from stain. Choosing the right stain may seem difficult, but the type of wood shouldn’t be the only guideline for staining, your personal preference and style should be the ultimate deciding factor.

Jacksonville Furniture Refinishing and Upholstering has experienced craftsmen that are more than happy to answer any questions you may have about your furniture, and will gladly assist you in selecting the best stain for your refinishing project.

Sofa Trends

If you are considering updating the sofa in your living area, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, the sofa is the main piece of furniture every living room needs. Not only is a sofa a decorative piece, it must be functional. Sofas should be comfortable and large enough to accommodate your needs, but not so large that it overwhelms the room.

The second thing to consider when updating your sofa is the color or pattern. Choosing a sofa that is too light in color may not last through the normal wear and tear of family use. Also a sofa that is too bright may clash with other colors in the home. Neutral is always a safe option because it leaves room for adjustment, changing color schemes and decor is easier when the sofa can blend well. However, don’t fear patterns or color, just be sure that it’s something you can live with and work with.

The last thing to consider is the type of material on the sofa. Deciding if you want vinyl, leather, micro fiber, suede, etc. is an important decision. This decision is even more important if you are recovering your current sofa instead of replacing it completely.

Lucky there are people who can help with this. Jacksonville Furniture Refinishing and Upholstering is happy to help with fabric selection and guidance on your update. Call today to schedule a free in home estimate or visit our upholstery shop at 1240 Walnut St / Jacksonville FL 32206.

5 Decorating Secrets about Furniture from Top Interior Designers:

Using furniture to decorate a room is nothing short of a challenge, here are some tips that may help:

“Start your living room furniture plan with the best seat in the room and work from there.”
– DD ALLEN

“Never push furniture up against the walls. By pulling your seating arrangement in (Even just a few inches), you instantly warm up a space and create flow.”
– BETSY BURNHAM

“I have a lot of dogs, so I take the same fabric that’s on the sofa and make a blanket that covers almost its entire length. This way my dogs can lounge on the sofa, and I just take it off when I have guests.”
– CAROLYNE ROEHM

“When ordering fabric, add two yards to the final order. You never want to be stuck with a ruined cushion and a discontinued fabric on a piece of upholstery. Call it insurance against a rainy-red-wine day.”
– J. RANDALL POWERS

“Keep a minimum of 15” between coffee tables and sofas.”
– ALEXA HAMPTON

Choosing The Right Fabric For Your Needs

When the choice has been made to recover or reupholster furniture, one of the most important choices one must make is, what the furniture will be covered with.

When selecting fabric the following should be considered:

-Where the furniture will be located and its use.

– How much we want to spend on fabric.

– The type of fabric.

For instance, let’s say you were recovering patio furniture. In this case one would want to use a durable, weather resistant material. The sun and weather can cause fabrics to fade and look worn, it’s important to choose the correct fabric in order to avoid this.

Choosing leather fabrics to recover furniture can also be tricky. Leather can be expensive and comes in a variety of textures and colors. Faux leather and vinyl can be a less expensive alternative to leather and look just as nice.

Other fabrics such as suede, velvet, chenille, linen, and woven fabrics are also great choices for recovering furniture. Many of these fabrics come in a variety of colors and patterns.

The options are endless whether your picking outdoor fabrics, fabric for a sofa or any other piece of furniture, choosing the best fabric for your needs is up to you.

Restoring Antique Furniture

Compared to furniture being built today, antique furniture has become a classic example of craftsmanship. Taking a faded, maybe dust covered, piece from the past and restoring it can be a great way to preserve and make use of great furniture.

Antiques are often viewed as pieces that can’t be altered or changed, because of a fear that they will lose value. Often times we find ourselves saying this, however, if it’s sitting under boxes and covered with an old sheet in the garage how much value does it really have? If the furniture is sentimental and you aren’t planning on selling it, the quality of the furniture far outweighs the value of it as an antique piece.

Restoring and revamping an older piece of furniture is a great way to showcase a unique, and often times well built piece of furniture in your home. Jax Furniture Refinishing and Upholstering can take what was once a beautiful piece of furniture that lost its glow over time and make it shine again. Our craftsmen pay attention to the details and treat your furniture with care.

So instead of letting furniture you can’t part with sit and gather dust, let us make it new again.

Turn the old into something new…

Is it time for an update?

Buying furniture can be a time consuming and costly adventure. Furniture today isn’t being built the way it was in years past. Today’s furniture is being built to sell at low costs instead of quality. More and more we are finding that the older pieces of furniture have been built to last. So instead of throwing out the faded sofa from grandmas, or trashing grandpa’s lazy chair, let us make it good as new. Simply changing the fabric or adding new foam allows you to enjoy the quality and durability of the furniture while making it your own.

Our years of upholstery experience guarantees the best results. We specialize in the restoration of antique and fine furniture. We work with only the best materials, from fine fabrics and leathers to foam and hardware. Our team members are happy to help you choose the best material for your piece. Or, if you already have the material you would like to use we are happy to use that as well.

Take advantage of our special offer, call today to get $35 off your custom upholstering project!
Please mention this special when you call. $150 minimum required. Offer valid through 2/28/2013.

Why It’s Important To Leave It To The Professionals

We all have constants in our lives, things we rely on everyday, sometimes all day, without much thought to them, moment-to-moment. When those things are less than they should be, we tend to notice and want to fix the problem right away. Our homes and our cars tend to get a lot of our attention and care when something goes wrong, but what about our furniture?

It’s as much a part of our daily routine as anything but, when our furniture suffers damage, or excessive wear over time, our first thought is either to address the problem ourselves or, worse, let the problem go. If we choose that second option, we’re often left with a much worse problem down the road, and then the choice becomes fix something we know started small, or abandon our furniture altogether and be forced to replace it. That’s why, when it comes to refinishing furniture or addressing problems with damaged or worn upholstery, there’s a third option, the best option. Hire a professional.

Furniture refinishing and upholstery professionals have the experience and precision of craft needed to do the job, regardless of size or complexity, the right way. This can save you the time needed to try to fix the problem yourself, as well as allow you the luxury of choosing exactly what you want done with a particularly piece. Also, hiring a professional to maintain and repair your furniture will help it last longer and serve you better. That saves you money over time, and gives you better peace of mind in trying economic times.

So, the next time your hard-working furniture suffers damage, or could use a makeover, do the right thing for it. Hire a professional at Jax Furniture Refinishing & Upholstering in Jacksonville, Florida.

Get Inspired by Pinterest

There’s been lots of buzz about Pinterest lately and for good reason: Pinterest is the fastest growing social network with nearly 12 million users and counting! With this many people sharing visual inspiration, Pinterest is a designer’s playground when it comes to getting inspired. Even when it comes to reupholstering and refinishing your own furniture, there are tons of ideas to be found on Pinterest.

Discover The Hottest Color & Pattern Trends
If you explore the most recent pins on the Home Decor and DIY/Crafts sections of Pinterest, you’ll often notice color trends right away. Take a quick glance to see what colors and patterns people love. Take it one step further by re-pinning those images that inspire you to your own boards. Pinterest also shows you from where images are sourced, so you can see what other designers are doing, too.

Get a Case of “Why Didn’t I Think of That?”
Pinterest is full of images of particularly clever ideas to repurpose old items into new and fresh crafts. Whether it’s creating no-sew pillow covers or using a tablecloth as a base fabric, Pinterest opens your eyes to all the ways you can really get creative. Best of all, you can click individual images to be taken right to the source to see exactly how you can reproduce the inspiration you find on Pinterest at home.

Leave it to the Professionals
Even though there are plenty of great tips to be found when it comes to furniture refinishing and upholstery, sometimes it’s better to leave it to the professionals. Pinterest can definitely inspire you, but it can’t make your design project from scratch for you. Save time and make sure you get the job done right the first time. In fact, that’s where Pinterest is your friend: you can easily e-mail your pinboard of the look you’re going for right to a team member at Jax Furniture Refinishing & Upholstering.

What ways are you using Pinterest to stay design-inspired?

New Trends in Furniture Refinishing – Antique Refinishing

While there are an undoubtedly large amount of furniture finishing option available, some finishing options are much better than others in terms of quality, style and ability to fit into the natural style of the room. For suitable items, one of the best and most popular furnishing refinishing options is antique refinishing.

When to Refinish Your Furniture

Knowing the right time to refinish the furniture in your Jacksonville, Florida, home may be tricky, especially if you have never refinished your furniture before. To help get you started, here are some questions to ask yourself in regards to furniture refinishing.

• Do you have an antique or vintage piece of furniture that requires some work to its aesthetic appeal?
• Did you find a bargain piece of furniture at a garage sale that you’re looking to update?
• Are there rings or smudges on your antique furniture that regular polish won’t remove?
• Do you want to give your dresser or table a fresh coat of paint?

 
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then it’s time to invest in furniture refinishing services by Jax Furniture Refinishing and Upholstering. Our Jacksonville, Florida, craftsman are proud of the work they provide and they meticulous focus they put in every project. Our furniture refinishing technicians will never strip your furniture of its unique detail and qualities. We work hard to enhance its original look, never hide it. Our focus lies in fixing existing problems, restoring original shine, and removing any stains that destroys the look and value of the piece.

Why Refinish?

In addition to cost, there are environmental benefits of furniture refinishing. Furniture refinishing significantly reduces the impact of carbon on the environment. As opposed to buying new furniture, refinishing saves an estimated 124.08 tons of carbon dioxide per property. In other words, it takes 1000x more carbon dioxide to make a new piece of furniture rather than refinish it.

Contact us today to learn more about furniture refinishing services, or to schedule your free estimate.