For many people, including myself, and I assume you too, the solution to a broken product is to just buy a new one to replace it. It is easy, simple, and fast although costly. Unfortunately, it seems like many of us do not seem to realize that repairing might actually be simpler and much cheaper. This is especially true for home furniture. It may be a much better idea to refinish and decorate instead of buying entirely new furniture that costs thousands of dollars.
However, refinishing is not necessarily always the best option. In certain situations, it might be better to just buy a new product. Yes, that might cost more, but it is going to save you a lot of trouble. Nevertheless, the question right now is whether you should refinish instead of purchasing new stuff.
As I said, all of this depends on your situation. To help you figure out what exactly you should do, I decided to write this article and to give you the reasons why you should consider refinishing.
A better option if you do not have the money right now
I think it is pretty clear to everyone that repairing old items is much more affordable than buying completely new ones. This is true for any kind of product. For furniture, it is especially true.
But, how can you figure out which direction should you go? Should you just go to the salon and make your purchases or should you go to the hardware store to get the right tools to repair your stuff? A tough question, but you can easily get an answer from your wallet (bank account).
How does your financial status look like? Do you have the money right now to spend it on chairs, tables, and sofas? If your plan was to spend your money on something more important or something completely different that I guess it makes a lot more sense to try refinishing instead of the more expensive alternative.
It is good to save money either way
A bad financial situation is not the only reason why you should consider the DIY option. Unnecessarily wasting money when you do not have to, is never a good idea.
Let me give you an insight into how much money you could save. To do some proper refinishing on wooden furniture, you will need several tools. A DIY project such as this one requires some sandpaper, wood stain, paintbrushes, and a few other things that will not cost you over $100. If you go for the more expensive options, you could spend $150 maximum. This is quite cheap. It is also good to consider that you will be able to use the same tools for repairing several different items.
To replace certain elements in your home such as tables, chairs, cabinets, shelves, drawers, etc., you will most probably have to pay over $500. This is going to be $500 for the cheapest options. In other words, you will not be getting any quality at all and the items you pick will not be the most visually appealing.
Not every piece of furniture is made to be refinished
Now, it is important to understand that not every piece of furniture you have at home is good for refurbishing. For example, elements made out of plywood are not exactly quality, so there really is no reason why you should try to save it or save money there. It is probably best to just buy something else. Of course, if you own something expensive from the past, has sentimental value, or is a family heirloom it makes sense to try and return it to its original shape.
The smartest thing to do is to always invest in higher-quality furniture made out of cherry oak wood as suggested by nfoutlet.com. Not only are these much more stylish, but will also last for years and years. So, by buying higher-quality today, the next time you will need to replace it, you can just refinish it. Think of it as a long-term investment.
It is better for the environment to refinish
It is not a secret that the planet’s environment right now is not in the best shape. We all know that. All the factories, cars, motorcycles, cigarettes, and everything else is continuously destroying the atmosphere, endangering all living life. This is why it is so important to be environmentally friendly nowadays. Even the smallest green steps you take are very important.
One of those small steps is recycling. Reusing the materials, or in this case, the furniture we already have. By doing this we can all reduce the number of resources we waste.
Difficult to get a modern/minimalist look without new furniture
One of the main reasons why refinishing is not that popular these days is probably because everyone is interested in modern and minimalist styles and designs. The minimalist design makes a room seem much larger while also making it look cleaner. It is a style that anyone can fall in love with.
Unfortunately, a lot of traditional bookshelves, drawers, chairs, tables, china holders, shelves, etc. were simply not made with such a style in mind. No matter how much you change it and which color it is repainted in, it still will not get that modern and minimalist look. So, if you do not plan on redecorating your home with a traditional style, you should probably just start buying new furniture.
Do a test run
If you cannot seem to make a decision, there is one thing you should try. Like I already mentioned, getting refinishing tools is not expensive at all. You could probably even get the right stuff for just $50. So, since it is so cheap, why not do a test run and try to refinish a certain piece of furniture? See if it comes out good. If it is good, you can continue your DIY project. If not, you can go ahead and buy new stuff.
As you can see, the answer to whether you should refinish instead of buying is not straight forward at all. It all depends on your situation.
