on Apr 11th, 2010Treating An Unfinished Pine Wardrobe

One of the cheapest types of free standing wardrobes available is a pine wardrobe and if you want to start with a completely blank canvas you can pick up an unfinished pine wardrobe for very little cost. Quite a lot of furniture stores not only stock fully treated and finished wardrobes but also a collection of unfinished stock for those customers who want to perform their own treatment when they get it home.

IF you want to perform your own stain treatment on an unfinished pine wardrobe you will have the opportunity of taking the wardrobe from a clean state and turning it into something else. When you are still in the store you should make sure you examine the wardrobe completely. This means taking a close look at the construction to ensure that all joints have been properly done and that the fixings are solid.

When you have taken possession of the wardrobe you will have to give it a thorough sanding to ensure that it is in a state that is fit to be stained. Unfinished pine wardrobes are sanded before and after construction but the job may be a little rough so you will need to go over it again to satisfy yourself that the job is complete. This means that by the time you get to the end of the job you will have worked your way down to a fine grade sandpaper to get the smoothest, softest finish possible.

If you have never used the stain that you intend on applying to the wardrobe before, it is advisable to apply a small amount to an unobtrusive area first. If the stain looks too dark you can dilute it by adding some water. When you are satisfied that the stain looks as you would expect you should begin to apply by brushing with the grain of the wood. It is important to complete the staining job in one go rather than overlapping various areas, otherwise the job will look patchy and unattractive.

Staining an unfinished pine wardrobe is only one of the many different types of finishes that can be applied. A wax or lacquer finish is also very effective, as is a distressed or lime washed finish. The attraction with buying one of these blank canvases is that you can start with two identical looking wardrobes and, when you have finished with them, they may end up looking nothing alike.

Related Articles

Pine Wardrobes For the Rustic Look
Pine Wardrobes and What To Look For
About An Antique Pine Wardrobe

on Apr 9th, 2010Wicker Wardrobe

One of the popular styles of finishes for bedroom furniture is wicker and this extends to the doors of a bedroom wardrobe. Wicker is a natural looking finish that also provides texture that may be picked up and replicated elsewhere in the room. The bedroom is a place where you spend a lot of your time, it’s the place you come to relax and wind down so the furniture you place in the room should be something you appreciate and find soothing. Your bedroom furniture wardrobe made from wicker would add a nice touch to the room.

It is quite common to find wicker wardrobes in the rooms of hotel resorts and never fails to create a feeling of total relaxation. By using wicker in your own home you should be able to bring that same feeling into the bedroom or living room to enjoy on a daily basis, even with fitted bedroom wardrobes.

A particularly effective way to incorporate wicker into the bedroom through your wardrobe is to replace the solid wood door of your existing wardrobe with a wicker insert. This is a job that would not be terribly onerous but it would result in a façade that would be much more interesting and detailed.

That being said, a wardrobe that is made entirely of wicker will also add tremendous depth and appeal to the room. The most likely way in which this kind of wardrobe will be manufactured is with a solid wood frame that has wicker panels to form the sides and top. Buying an unfinished wicker wardrobe allows you to give it your own personal touch with a lacquer or painted finish.

White Wicker Wardrobes

The most commonly seen type of wicker wardrobes are those that have been painted white. White wicker wardrobes can be used in a variety of situations, they look particularly effective in a child’s nursery but they also create a casual elegance in other bedrooms. There is a certain casualness about the look of white wicker and white wardrobes are useful in all kinds of styles of rooms.

A white wicker wardrobe placed in a bright, airy bedroom will work with a range of other bedroom furniture items. However the most common way to integrate it into the room is with other pieces made from bamboo or rattan. The overall tone that you would be going for would be one of casual elegance and white wicker achieves this every time.

It is possible to buy a white wicker wardrobe for only a small cost. Furniture made from wicker is generally quite light in weight yet there is a durability that will ensure the wardrobe will last for many years. The reason why your wicker wardrobe (or any other furniture made from wicker) lasts so well is because the materials are woven tightly together to form the wicker patterns.

Wicker Is Natural

When you buy wicker furniture you can feel comfortable that you are buying a product made from natural resources. Wicker is sourced from natural fibers such as bamboo, rattan, reeds or willow, plants that are in abundant supply and not stripped from old-growth forests.

Cleaning the wicker detail work of your wardrobe is not overly labour intensive. As part of the regular cleaning cycle it should take nothing more than a quick vacuum using a brush connection over the entire surface area to remove and dust that has become trapped in the crevices of the wicker.

This is just one of the many types of wardrobe furniture that can help to make your home one of great envy.

on Apr 8th, 2010Fitted Bedroom Wardrobes

Fitted bedroom wardrobes are available from most quality home furnishing stores as well as specialist wardrobe suppliers. You may choose to buy the wardrobe and have the trained professionals come and install it for you or you may prefer to go the DIY option and install your fitted wardrobe yourself.

The installation of these units are generally an easy task for those with any kind of handyman experience, so installing your own fitted wardrobes should not be a task that is too daunting. There may be warranty implications if you choose to do it yourself.

One of the big drawcards to installing fitted bedroom wardrobes is the fact that you get to design the entire unit from top to bottom, inside and out. For most people the thought of this much control and freedom is hugely appealing.

The options available to you are many, not only in the materials that you can use of the exterior features but also in the design layout of the shelves, hanging space and drawers. If you feel as though you need more hanging space than shelving then you are free to design your wardrobe that way. If you prefer to add a lot of shelf space at the expense of some of the hanging space then this will be up to you as well.

You can buy fitted bedroom wardrobes in all kinds of finishes from solid wood to expensive looking lacquer and modern laminate. Translucent sliding doors, frosted glass paneling or the ever popular mirror doors are also viable options, as are the more exotic such as Japanese style paneled doors or perhaps a more artistic painted finish. Whatever you choose your new bedroom wardrobes will play a large part in setting a new tone in the bedroom.

It is possible to get as plain or imaginative as you like, the choice is up to you. Some fitted furniture companies can assist with the design of the exterior and help out with suggestions on what might work in certain sized rooms and what will look too much. Make sure you seek out the advice of the experts who will have fitted and installed many wardrobes in the past.

When it comes to the interior of the fitted wardrobe you should be faced with a large amount of storage space to fill. Fitted wardrobes usually take up floor to ceiling and wall to wall space. The amount of storage space that this equates to is just staggering, particularly if you are used to cramming all of your clothes and personal belongings into a smaller stand-alone wardrobe.

To make the most of the space that you will be getting you can talk to a wardrobe storage designer who will help you with the layout of your new wardrobe furniture.

The main point to consider when deciding on a fitted bedroom wardrobe is that the room will be a little smaller, the bed and remaining furniture will still have to fit in and the décor will be dependent largely on the new wardrobe. Take your time in deciding on an exterior look so that your bedroom will be an even more welcoming place to lay your head down at night.

on Apr 8th, 2010A Mirrored Wardrobe Is Worth Considering

There are a lot of different factors worth considering when it comes to buying a new wardrobe. Some of them will have been thought of while you may overlook others. The wardrobe doors should be one of the prime considerations because the doors represent the face of your wardrobe.

When buying a new wardrobe, regardless of whether it is a fitted or stand-alone wardrobe, it is well worth considering making it a mirrored wardrobe. There are a number of different design features that can distinguish your wardrobe furniture from the everyday so that it will have its own character and add charm to the room.

The most commonly seen mirror wardrobe may be a built-in or fitted wardrobe where the entire exterior door surface comprises a mirrored finish. This is a great way to add light to the room plus it will help to give the illusion that the room is actually larger than it really is. There are a number of mirror tints that you can choose that will subtly alter the color of the mirror if you want to match other pieces in the room.

These mirrored wardrobe doors are usually sliding doors that have been designed to smoothly open and close, taking the added weight of the mirror with ease. For something that looks a little different there are also fitted wardrobes with mirrored doors that are hinged swing doors. Because they are a little less common they provide an interesting point of difference over the other types.

Not all people want to install a fitted wardrobe in their bedroom but this doesn’t mean that the wardrobe can’t feature a mirrored finish. There are many different types of oak or pine wardrobes where a mirror can be added. The mirror will be nowhere near as imposing as that on the fitted wardrobe but if the wardrobe is positioned appropriately the mirror can catch the light at certain times of the day to improve the brightness of the room to the full extent.

You may find stand-alone wardrobes containing a mirror either in the center of the wardrobe or on one or more wardrobe doors.

Another version of a wardrobe that can make full use of a mirror is a walk-in wardrobe. Admittedly this situation is a little different because the wardrobe is located in an entirely different room but the type of mirror and its position will make a big difference to the functionality of the space. How the mirror is positioned as well as its size are just as big factors in a walk-in wardrobe as they are with a fitted or stand-alone wardrobe.

Other wardrobe articles:

Your Choice of Wardrobe Doors
The Purpose of Mirror Wardrobe Doors
Types of Sliding Wardrobe Doors

on Apr 7th, 2010Made To Measure Wardrobes

In terms of free standing wardrobes you generally have two choices when it comes to the types of wardrobe furniture you are going to buy: pre-fabricated and made to measure. The most common type of wardrobe is the pre-fabricated one where we might walk into a furniture showroom and pick out the wardrobe from the floor display depending on factors such as size and design. We basically try to get a best fit style and size and take it home in the hope that it will match the rest of our furniture.

The alternative option is to visit a cabinetmaker to order a made to measure wardrobe. If your storage needs are unique, the size of the required cabinet is unusually large or small or the shape has to be designed to fit a specific space in the home you might want to get the wardrobe made for you.

Obviously, made to measure wardrobes are going to cost more than the wardrobes that are produced in larger numbers. A made to measure, custom built wardrobe is going to be a unique, one of a kind piece of furniture that is handcrafted by an expert craftsman and so you will be paying a premium for this kind of service. The resulting wardrobe should be a solid piece of furniture that is going to last for a long, long time.

The big advantage of buying a made to measure wardrobe is the control that you will have over ever facet of the wardrobe design and construction process. You can add all of the decorative features that you want to the outside while also ensuring that the interior contains the kind of storage features that will serve your needs. If you need a larger area for shoe storage then you can ensure that this will be built in.

A made to measure wardrobe is the type of furniture item that you would class as a luxury item. Many people would consider the purchase of a wardrobe as the sort of thing you would spend an afternoon over. However, by spending extra time and money over the task you can turn your new wardrobes into more than just a place to store your clothes and other belongings. This kind of wardrobe could become the feature piece of the room around which the rest of the design would depend.

Taking the made to measure option is possibly only the choice that those at the top end of the market might be willing to make. If you have no other option because of the complete uniqueness of the area that you want to turn into storage space then make sure you have done your homework beforehand to ensure you get a cabinet that completely meets your needs.