The Allure of Unfinished Furniture
75Wood is one of the basic materials in our life. It is strong, workable, resilient, comforting, and beautiful on top of that. Humanity has evolved with wood as one of our great tools and helpers. It has given us shelter, transport, warmth, and comfort. Is it any wonder why many people prefer to have unfinished wood furniture in their homes, so that they may directly see and feel this most excellent of materials? Some might wonder why wood is finished at all. The short answer is, to protect the wood from wear and tear. The sheer variety of finishes used throughout the ages and in different parts of the world is mind-boggling, and just one type of finish can and usually does have hundreds of different formulations and applications. The finish is an important part of woodworking and each woodworker has his own preferences and ways of doing things based on whether the aim is to protect and seal the wood, to give it a certain look and feel, or more often a combination of the two. With that said, why would one want to leave a piece of furniture unfinished?
A Life Record in Wood
It goes back to our love of the material. Which woodworker hasn’t caressed a piece of wood, admiring its grain and texture? And this is not limited to woodworkers- many people just have an intuitive love of this natural material. Putting a finish on it puts a barrier between ourselves and the wood, and for some, this detracts from our interaction with it. Wood is strong enough usually to withstand use even when unfinished, so why not leave it that way? Unless you are obsessed with keeping the wood in a certain state, unfinished is just fine. Woodworkers will leave a piece of furniture unfinished so that it develops what is called a “patina”, an outer layer that is just the wood naturally aging and reacting to the elements to which it is exposed. Those who find it distasteful to leave wood unfinished consider ‘patina’ and ‘dirt’ to be one and the same, though most are familiar with wood that has been left untreated and know that a dirty piece of wood and one with a patina are most definitely two different things. You can leave any piece of furniture unfinished, though some pieces are more suited to this than others. Pieces such as bookshelves, unfinished bedroom furniture, and cabinets which are generally touched less will have less need for a protective finish. Items most in need of protection are table tops and perhaps wooden chairs. The tops of dining tables are exposed to liquids and various oils which can degrade or at least leave stains on the wood. Most people will prefer that the surface of their table be relatively clean-looking. You may wish to finish the table or perhaps just use a table cloth for eating. If the wood is dense and hard, it should be fine to write on the surface without worrying about leaving impressions in the wood. Chairs are objects which are subjected to the most stress. We sit on them with all our weight, which they must bear in their joints. Still, depending on the wood, it is usually just fine to leave chairs unfinished providing you are careful not to spill things on them. Unfinished oak furniture may age better than unfinished pine furniture, but both should hold up well. You might especially want to leave chairs unfinished as handled areas of the wood will develop a great patina and become smooth, which many people feel adds more character to the wood. There’s a certain letting go associated with leaving wood unfinished, you have to enjoy watching the wood take on little nicks and scratches throughout its lifetime.
Natural Finishes
Of course, you can choose to finish with oil and/or wax too. This is a much better option than synthetic finishes such as polyurethane, the most common wood finish these days. Wax and oil will provide protection without creating an artificial barrier. They also tend to bring out the grain and darken the wood, oil more so than wax. These finishes will allow your wood to age gracefully, in contrast to polyurethane which must be completely stripped off if you want to repair damage and/or refinish. With oil and wax, you simply apply more. This way, you get the best of both worlds- protection while still seeing and touching the actual wood itself. These finishes also have the benefit of being easy to apply. The best commonly available natural oils is probably tung oil. Linseed oil has traditionally been used, but it is not a true drying oil and synthetic (and toxic) chemicals are usually combined with it to make it dry. You can also opt for an oil/wax mixture. There are many products on the market and it is best to do research to decide which finish you desire. Master woodworker James Krenov finishes his artful cabinets using wax only. Whether you choose a natural finish or leave your furniture unfinished depends on your relationship with the wood and how you want it to behave as time goes on.
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Dorotheen Strass 23 months ago
Just what I wanted to hear - I just need to wax my recently stripped old oak dining chair. This way I won't darken the wood any further (it was already darkened and stained originally) Tks