Laminate Veneer vs Solid Wood Furniture

As you shop for Amish furniture online you might find yourself at a bit of a loss as to what the different types of wood are. In this case, we’re going to be talking about laminate veneer and solid wood furniture, both of which have their place in the furniture industry, but both of which are from entirely different ends of the quality spectrum. We will start by taking a look at laminate.

Laminate Veneer – Not the Best for Amish Furniture Online

The first thing you’ll notice with laminate veneer is that it tends to be much cheaper than many of the other options on the market, so what does that mean exactly? Well, first of all, it’s not really made from wood. Veneer not only looks manufactured, it is of slightly lower quality than the solid wood used in Amish furniture. Now, with that being said, as a manufactured wood, veneers are accompanied by a durable core, usually medium-density fiber. Ultimately they will have a shiny surface made to emulate the wood grain of a solid wood piece but they would not pass as such with a close visual inspection.

While a product that is not made of wood might seem to be at a disadvantage, there are a few advantages to consider. It is cheaper, it is easier to clean, and it is relatively low maintenance. There are cons, however, for example, it is made of lower quality, the refinishing options are limited, and there are very few variations in the patterns. You just won’t get the natural randomness that you would with real wood grain.

Solid Wood – The Material used in Amish Furniture

Solid wood is an outstanding furniture option but if you’re here reading this then you already suspected that. It is considered to be the best material when purchasing any Amish furniture online or in stores. There are plenty of great benefits, for example, the classic aesthetics which work well with any décor. Additionally, it is much more durable than laminates or veneers, making it very desirable among those who are furnishing their home for the first time.

Finally with solid wood Amish furniture you have the potential for restoration which is something that you would not have a laminate or veneer. A scratch or ding can be fixed, and you can even pain solid wood furniture to completely change the overall look. Being able to change the furniture to meet your evolving lifestyle is one of the greatest perks and definitely one you should take into account when you are purchasing furniture.

The differences between the two are quite clear and you should do your best to make sure that you have the best furniture for your environment in the right style. Take a look at our store today and get your area furnished.

 

Designing a New Office? Here’s what you Need to Know About Choosing Furniture

We’re coming up on 2018 very fast and there is no reason you shouldn’t want a new office for a new year. You might be planning on redesigning the entire thing, or you might be planning to completely rework your entire office or maybe you’re just planning to replace a few pieces of furniture. No matter what the plan is, you need to make sure that it all matches and that it’s in place to last for a very long time. Let’s go over some of the things that you’ll need to know about Amish furniture before you really get into it.

Amish Furniture Needs to Match the Room

When we say it needs to match the room we have several different meanings:

Color – When people go out and buy Amish furniture they often pay no mind to the color but there is actually a significant difference and you can see it clearly under the stain. The stain does play a part in whether or not the piece is dark or light, but the tone of the wood is the determining factor in what the piece looks like and how effective it will be in the existing setting.

Style – If you’ve been reading our blog posts then you already know that there is a significant difference between the Mission and Shaker styles, so choose carefully. Remember, Mission style Amish furniture for sale is usually much more plain while Shaker style is more ornate.

Pay Attention to the Size

The best Amish furniture looks great but if you don’t size it properly you’re going to find that it takes up far too much space making your office non-functional or too little space which makes space look ridiculous. It is important to find a healthy medium and to make sure that you’re measuring the space out before you commit to buying any new furniture. The right size furniture can make your space much more functional!

Choose the Right Pieces

There are many great Amish furniture pieces out there and when you’re outfitting your office you will need to choose carefully. Pick from desks, end tables, chairs, and much more, all of which are designed to help you and your office to reach their maximum potential. Check out our inventory today and start building your ideal work environment!

 

What is a Butterfly Leaf Dining Table?

When you are working on putting your living room together space is often one of the toughest things that you will need to take into consideration. Small dining spaces are going to require interesting solutions, especially when you’re shopping for Amish furniture, which is exactly why a butterfly leaf dining table is going to be one of the best solutions you can go for. These tables are created with the highest quality craftsmanship and can last a lifetime, just like any other Amish furniture online that you might buy. So, what is a butterfly leaf table? How will it help you to alleviate your space issues?

Amish Furniture Facts: What is a Butterfly Leaf Table?

Amish Furniture Butterfly Leaf TableThe first thing you need to know is where the ‘butterfly leaf’ table gets its name from. When it’s opened in place it appears to have wings, just like a butterfly, and the center seam allows for folding. Butterfly leaf tables are among some of the most popular Amish furniture for sale and they are far more reliable than some of the big box furniture that you are bound to find. Amish craftsmen have invested well over a century into perfecting the mechanism required for changing the shape of the table and expanding it. When you are installing a leaf, you simply need to pull the ends of the table apart and then lift the top half of the leaf open.

Available in All Shapes and Sizes

As you head out to any Amish furniture store and look into butterfly dining tables you will quickly notice that they come in various shapes and sizes. In addition to that they are sold in varying styles including:

  • Trestle
  • Legs
  • Pedestal

Surprisingly, all of these different styles can come in the form of a butterfly leaf and in small spaces it really is the best option. As you are using it in your home, you can simply add a single leaf and have space for two more adults – perfect if you have guests coming over or if you are adding more people to your family. You will also find these tables to be very useful if you are moving to a home with less space but you still wish to bring your furniture with you. They are easy to work, easy to use and they look just as beautiful as any other table on the Amish furniture market. Butterfly leaf tables are an outstanding investment for you, and definitely, something that you should be looking into if you want to bring both beauty and functionality to your house.

Look through our extensive inventory and find a butterfly leaf table that suits your dining room; there are lots to choose from and they’re all bound to make your living room a little bit more complete.

 

Three Reasons to Consider Storage Beds for your Rooms

Choosing a bed for your room is no simple matter especially when you are looking at Amish furniture online. You need to make sure that you are choosing something that goes along with your current style and most importantly, you need to make sure that it’s large enough to accommodate your needs. What many people overlook when buying a bed, however, are the storage options.

Amish Furniture – Storage Options for your Bed

Amish furniture storeShoppers in Washington and all over the country are looking for one thing: more space in their bedroom. You tend to accumulate so many things over the years but you never seem to have a place to put them. Don’t worry, you might have run out of room in your closet and maybe in your dresser, but your bed is ready to welcome you with open arms.

Reason 1: Headboard Storage

A typical storage bed will have two areas in which you can store items and the first that we are going to talk about is the headboard. Generally, the headboard is going to be open allowing you easy access to any items that you might store there. There are however headboards that come with closeable and even lockable doors if you want your items to be a little bit more secure. In the headboard, you can store nightly medications, books, your phone, and much more.

Reason 2: Frame Storage

The bed frame can also house quite a few storage options, and in most cases, you will have drawers on either side. These will be sliding drawers which run along the length of the bed and offer ample storage for blankets, extra clothes, and other items that you simply have no space for elsewhere.

Reason 3: Decluttering your Life

Storage beds are a convenience but they can also declutter your life. Do you have blankets laying around your room? Do you have items that have been sitting in the corner for the last six months? You can solve that entire problem by getting a good storage bed with four drawers. Once closed, the bed operates just like any other, allowing you to sleep and keep your bedroom uncluttered. There are plenty of benefits to going with the storage route and you can find plenty of different types out there to keep your room in order.

Do you want to know more? Our Amish furniture store always has great storage bed options in stock along with all of the accessories and accent pieces you’ll need to make it look great. Head over today and start decluttering your life with a storage bed!

 

Outfit your Bed and Breakfast with the Best Amish Furniture

Amish FurnitureIf there was ever an adequate place to outfit with Amish furniture it would be a bed and breakfast. Throughout the United States, the bed and breakfast stand as a monument to a simpler time and one that isn’t quite gone yet. You can think of a bed and breakfast as a sort of hotel with a more personal touch. In fact, many of them look more like a home than a hotel once you get inside. Guests will normally be housed in private bedrooms that feature private bathrooms, or they might be in a suite of rooms. In some cases, the bed and breakfast will feature a single bathroom shared by the rest of the guests, but the bottom line is that it’s more of a home than a lodging.

While a bed and breakfast need to conform to the typical health standards in the area, you will notice that they are much more customized to the personality of the owner. You will see personal photos, art, decorations, and more as you walk through any bed and breakfast in America. These differ significantly from hotel chains as they are devoid of the blandness of corporate-owned chains. If you are planning to establish a B&B or are thinking of updating yours, then you should definitely buy Amish furniture to get it started.

Buy Amish Furniture Online for your New B&B

Buying Amish furniture online is a great first step and something that you should definitely consider doing if you want to bring that custom, home feeling to your B&B. Your immediate question is going to be what elements Amish furniture can bring to your establishment and we would counter with ‘what can’t it bring’? First of all, Amish furniture is made using techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation with the methods perfected over time. These are pieces of furniture that aren’t pulled off of an assembly line, and they won’t fall apart in just a matter of years. Amish furniture is designed to last a lifetime!

Choosing a Theme for your Bed and Breakfast

Amish furniture for sale isn’t cut and dry; it comes in many different forms and several different styles. One of the biggest mistakes that people make, even when outfitting their home, is to choose pieces with contrary style and they end up clashing. To put it simply: you don’t want a budget living room in your B&B. A consistent theme throughout each room will help guests to feel more at ease and will give them the impression that you are highly organized – it’s a great way to bring out the best in your space and your decorating skills.

High-Quality Furniture for Every Situation

From beds, all the way to dressers and tables, there is a piece of Amish furniture for sale to meet any occasion. Start shopping now and make sure that your B&B is up to the challenge of hosting guests.

 

Occasional Tables for Every Room

Amish Occasional tablesWhen you’re trying to work Amish furniture into your home design there are a few things that you absolutely need to do, the first being to make sure that you’re doing an overhaul of every single room. The problem that many people tend to run into, is that they finish their living room and then they ‘save the rest of the house for later’. It might be a decent plan on some level but what if you never get around to it?

In addition to that, you need to finish off your decorating efforts by adding accents to every single room. We don’t just mean tables and chairs – today we’re talking about occasional tables which come in many different styles and are the perfect way to punctuate your design job.

Occasional Tables – The Perfect Amish Furniture for the Living Room

The Amish living room is one of the most popular spots in the home for occasional tables and you should keep that in mind when you want to buy Amish furniture online. These are accent pieces that could come in the form of:

  • Coffee Tables
  • End Tables
  • Console Tables
  • And more

In a living room, these tables are indispensable pieces of Amish furniture as they can hold drinks, lamps, reading material, television remotes, and much more. Most often you will see a living room accent table placed between love seats or at the ends of the couch. The possibilities are endless and it won’t be long before you have a perfect living room setup.

Set Up the Bedroom

Amish Furniture for the Living RoomPart of searching through Amish furniture stores is finding good pieces for your bedroom. By using occasional tables in your bedroom you can bring out the best in both looks and functionality. For example, did you know that end tables make outstanding night stands? When you’re shopping for one you should always make sure that it is a bit taller than your mattress so that it is functional and visible from the bed. For example, if you have a clock on your nightstand, you will want to be able to see it.

In the Office

Both home and executive offices are going to need occasional tables but you don’t need us to tell you that. In an office, you could add a console table to your desk which expands your storage space, or you could go so far as to add an accent table to your waiting area to make it more functional. Either way, you’re making a huge difference in your office and will show your clients or customers that you’re really on top of things. It doesn’t matter if you’re a lawyer, a doctor, or a real estate agent, your office can truly benefit from this Amish furniture.

Occasional tables are a great way to expand the functionality of your home or office and to top it all off, they look great. Browse our inventory and buy Amish furniture to meet your needs today.

 

 

Plan A New Furniture Arrangement for the New Year

The end of 2017 is upon us and we all know what that means: it’s time to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions. So what are you planning? We think that setting up a new furniture arrangement would be a great idea, especially if you want to use Amish furniture. We have three great ideas that are going to help you get to where you want to be as the new year rolls around.

Choose Some New Colors when you Buy Amish Furniture

If you have ever spent any time really looking at furniture then you might already know that there are different color undertones on the wood grain. Generally, you will want to match up the wood grains as much as possible when you are outfitting your home with new furniture, and if you really want to change up the look of your home then it would be a good idea to try a different color. You would be amazed at how much a color difference can brighten or darken an entire room.

Choose a New Wood Type

Amish furniture for saleJust as with choosing a different color, choosing a new wood type when you buy online Amish furniture can completely change the look of your living area. You have plenty of choices whether you go with maple, cherry, or even oak. Remember that some wood types are much sturdier than others which can significantly alter your choice. For example, an oak bed will be able to take more damage than a cherry bed, but it tends to have a much different appearance. It will be up to you to decide what you want and what attributes are most important to you when you’re looking into Amish furniture for sale.

Change the Theme

As you look into where to buy Amish furniture you will probably start to notice that it all follows different themes. There are living room sets that have their own theme, and the same goes with kitchen furniture. Most people stick with a specific theme throughout the entirety of their home and if you wish, you can change it up and even go for different themes in each room. If you want this to be your new year’s resolution then you will need to do quite a bit of work and research. Maybe you want to change it a little bit or maybe you want to change it around entirely. Whatever your end goal is, you have a lot to do and it will all be worth it to fulfill your new year’s resolution.

With Amish furniture, you can completely change your home around and give it an entirely new look. Check out our store and start planning a brand new design for a brand new year.

 

Painting Ideas for Wood Furniture

When you invest in Amish furniture you know that you want it to last, but you also know that can be a tall order if you don’t take care of it. Because you have furniture that is going to last for generations you’re going to come to a point where it needs to be repainted and refinished. That said, we’re going to go over a few of the steps that you need to take before you paint. It will be a bit of extra work but the results will be worth it, especially if you have already gone out of your way to buy Amish furniture.

Wood Furniture Painting Ideas

Start by Sanding your Amish Furniture

You will want to start by sanding the furniture piece despite what tutorials online might say. If you choose not to sand then you might find yourself trying to find where to buy Amish furniture online very soon. Sanding is a must, so make sure you go over it with 150-grit sandpaper. Just remember that you’re not trying to gouge the surface; you want the furniture piece to be a bit rough so that the primer has something to hold onto when you get to that part.

Check for Residue

No matter how careful you are there is a strong chance that you’re going to get a residue buildup on your furniture and you need to make sure you’re rid of it before you sand or paint. Use a tack cloth to wipe down the chair! Make sure you’re not using a paper towel as these are too abrasive and could cause damage to the chair.

Start Painting

Wood FurnitureYou’re finally to the part that you’ve been waiting for – the painting! To pain your chair you will want to use a foam roller (as opposed to a brush) an apply three thin coats of semi-gloss latex paint. You will want to wait for six to eight hours between coats, so this isn’t going to be the fastest process. In addition to that you may notice some dripping or residue from the piece between coats and if this happens then you should proceed to sand again. Not only will this get rid of the residue, it will continue to give the paint something to grip onto between each coat.

Add a Layer of Protection

Once you have finished painting you will need to move on to the protection phase. You will want to use a foam roller to place a thin Polycrylic coat across the surface of the paint and make sure that you are doing so lightly to smooth out any bubbles that might form under the roller. You will also want to wait at least 72 hours for it to dry.

Painting your Amish furniture requires quite a few steps but doing so will help to ensure that it lasts for many years to come. Follow our instructions and get started!

 

 

How Do I Protect and Care for My Amish Furniture

Congratulations on your investment in the quality of Amish furniture! After you have finished admiring your piece, if that ever happens, you might find yourself wondering how you protect this solid wood work of art so that it lasts you for years to come. One of the benefits of Amish furniture is the durability and strength of the finished product. Also key is the ease of upkeep, it takes very little to routinely care for solid wood furniture. Another lasting benefit is the ease in repairing everyday wear on your Amish furniture.

Trust Your Craftsman

Amish furnitureThe Amish have been perfecting their hand manufacture of furniture for generations. They source only the best products, using old growth hardwoods that are perfectly seasoned and hand finished with all natural products for a lasting sheen. The materials are almost always all locally sourced, grown by Amish farmers, milled by Amish millers, each family along the way with generations of experience under their collective suspenders. The patterns most commonly used by the Amish have been tested and refined for centuries, these traditional patterns have made the cut and been tweaked for better performance by seasoned professionals. They use solid joinery such as dovetailed joints to join their pieces and the wood is quarter sawn or plain sawn which makes for a sturdier finished product.

Get into A Routine

One of the natural benefits of the materials used in Amish furniture manufacturing is that they lend some water resistance to the finished product. No natural wood product is completely impervious to water, especially if left sitting but Amish furniture does resist most common spills. Simply wipe them clean with a soft rag making sure to get all of the spills. A damp rag dusted over the wood at least weekly is the majority of the upkeep you will need to keep your furniture looking its best. Regular wipe downs with a natural oil will lend shine to your furniture while also cleaning it and adding a bit more moisture resistance.

Repairs

The best way to avoid having to do detailed repairs to your furniture is to prevent them. But as with all of life, accidents do happen. To maintain the integrity of your pieces, it is important that repairs are handled as quickly as possible. Anything that cuts into the finish of your furniture, scratches, nicks, some types of dents, should be handled with natural waxes and oils to restore the wholeness of the finish and protect from moisture digging deeper into your piece. For longer marks and broken parts, it would be best to consult with a local woodworker or Amish craftsman. With the minimum of care and upkeep, your Amish furniture should last long enough to be handed down to future generations.

 

Why Does Amish Furniture Use Old Growth Wood?

The Amish are meticulous in the sourcing and crafting of their furniture. They only use the best, seasoned, old growth hardwood in their pieces. They utilize patterns that have been handed down through the generations and perfected over time. Each piece is handmade under the careful eye of a seasoned craftsman. Amish furniture has become popular because it is not only beautiful but durable and heirloom quality. Most of those attributes relate directly to the use of old growth hardwood.

Amish Furniture Doesn’t Get Much Tougher Than This

Old growth wood is among the toughest of woods on the planet. The mechanisms that enable a tree to survive for decades and even hundreds of years, each season adding growth and bulk to its form, makes for a fiber that is desirable for its durability. These trees are denser and have often been cultivated by generations of the same family. Milled in the quarter sawn or plain sawn methods, Amish furniture withstands decades of hard use by an active family while still retaining its form and luster. When a building made of old growth wood is torn down, the wood is a hot commodity as it can be repurposed make more times before it has no life left in it. This is one of the reasons that reclaimed barn wood pieces are so popular.

Rot and Bug Resistant

Due to the rigid structure of old growth wood, the tough fiber that has stood through countless seasons of the changeable weather common in Amish settled areas, it is less prone to rot. The same softness that makes new growth wood pliable makes it susceptible to taking on moisture and swelling. A well-seasoned piece of old growth wood has an intrinsic resistance to water–no wood is completely rot proof but old growth wood attempts to be. Another benefit of the rigid structure of old growth wood is that insects such as termites have a hard time finding a purchase in this wood. It would take a mighty determined infestation to chew through a piece of old growth wood furniture and as insects, like most of nature, tend to take the path of least resistance, they are going to go for softer woods that are easier to consume and digest before they will attempt something as unyielding as old growth wood.

Heirloom Beauty

Amish ShowroomLast but not least of the reasons the Amish utilize old growth hardwood in their furniture is the natural beauty of the wood and heirloom quality of the finished pieces. The Amish believe in hard work but they see no reason for extraneous work when simple would do just fine. The dense fibers of the old growth hardwood add a unique shimmer and sheen to each piece of furniture, giving it a unique, yet uniform appearance. Amish furniture was likely made originally to furnish the homes of large Amish families and needs to last through the years. Through this process, the craftsmanship was perfected and Amish and non-Amish alike reap the benefits.