Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Furniture Lingo: Standard Dining Tables

Next up in our Furniture Lingo series...Standard Dining Tables.

A standard dining table has 4 legs.

The standard height on a dining table is 30".
 
The standard width on dining tables is 38".
Since we build custom furniture we can of course go wider than that or more narrow if needed.
 
The length is, again, whatever the client needs. Typically clients choose the more standard measurements of 5' - 9' in length. We can of course go shorter or longer in length if needed. For clients wanting tables over 10' this may require another set of legs to avoid sagging; it depends on the design.
 **Always keep in mind the width of your chairs when choosing a table size. You want to make sure you chairs fit in-between the legs of your table comfortably. You always want to make sure the table will fit through whatever doors it needs to go through for placement in your home.
 
Chair height is 18". 
The standard height of the apron (the piece that connects the legs and attaches to the top) is 3-1/2 to 4" in height. This leave 6 to 6-1/2" from the bottom of the apron to the top of the chair seat to sit a person comfortably. Apron dimensions can be adjusted from the standard if a client desires.   
 
This is a 5-1/2' cherry dining table that has a Special Walnut stain and lacquered finish. The taper legs are 4" and the top is 2" thick with no router.
Standard apron measurements.
Shown with the Mission Chair - black distressed finish.
 
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We can also build counter height dining tables which are 36" in height. Counter stools are 24" in height. The same apron measurements apply here as well. From the bottom of the apron to the top of the chair seat you have 6 to 6-1/2" in space for a person's legs while seated.

This is a 5' x 32"w cherry counter height dining table with a Red Mahogany stain and lacquered finish. The taper legs are 3-1/2" and the top is 2" thick with no router.
Standard apron measurements.
Shown with the Single X-Back counter stools - black distressed finish.

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The top of a dining table can vary in thickness between 1" and 2".  Typically the more formal dining tables have tops with a 1" thickness and the farm style tables have tops with a 2" thickness, but as always...clients can choose whatever they want!
 
The standard overhang of a table top is 1-1/2" to 2", which can be seen in the photos above.
Again, since this is custom furniture we can accommodate a larger overhang if needed as seen on the table below.

This table has a cherry base with an old wood 1" thick top that has an overhang of 14", which is similar to a trestle table. Notice that this table does not have an apron either. We will talk about trestle style tables during another post!
 
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More table top options.
 
Clients can choose to have a router added to the top of their table if desired. 
We offer two types of routers: thumbnail and ogee.

 This 1" thick cherry top has a thumbnail router.

Here is a 2" thick old wood oval top with a thumbnail router.

*Notice how the two tables above have the same router, but have very different looks:
cherry vs. old wood and 1" thick top vs. 2" thick top.


This 1" thick cherry top has an ogee router, which has somewhat of an "S" design.
(Ignore the dust on this table! Our shop is covered in saw dust not matter how much we clean!)

Of course, clients can also choose to not have a router on their table top. 

This is an old wood farm table. Typically farm tables have 2" thick tops. This table does not have a router.

Here is a  stain and lacquered cherry table with a 2" thick top and no router.
 
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The decisions don't stop with table dimensions and top thickness...

Clients have a nice assortment of leg styles to choose from as well.
 
Leg sizes can range from 3-1/2" to 5". More formal tables with a 1" top usually look best with a 3-1/2" to 4" thick leg whereas your farm house tables with a 2" top usually look best with a 4" to 5" thick leg.

We do not purchase our legs from outside suppliers - we hand build/turn our legs. Our standard leg styles are: French (some say cabriole), square, taper and turned.

 Square leg.

Turned leg.
There are different variations of the turned leg as well, but the leg shown here is one of the more common.

Taper leg.

 French leg.
Notice that the apron on this table has been cut up to accommodate a little more leg room.
The gradual curve of the apron looks nice paired with the curve of the French leg.
 
Since we build our own legs we can go above and beyond by offering custom leg styles to clients who may want to venture away from the standard. 
Here are just a few of the custom legs we can do.

 This table features hand carved fluted legs in the 3-1/2" size.

This table features hand carved fluted legs in the 5" size.

 Here is a champford leg in a 4" x 4" size. This is a square leg with notches cut out on each edge.

This is a beefed up version of the taper leg.

 For those looking for a very formal look - this French leg features hand carving.

This French leg features a "bead" along the edges. The bead on the apron carries over onto the leg.
Notice the top and apron on this table is scalloped.
 
 
 
Who knew there could many so many choices when building a table! The sky is the limit when it comes to custom furniture, which makes it uniquely yours. Please contact us if you are in the market for a new table. We are happy to sit down with you and design the perfect table for you and your family.
 
You can visit our showroom in Acworth located at 4462 Bretton Court, Suite 5, Acworth, GA 30101. We are in the showroom on Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 to 12:00, but take appointments for other days of the week.  
770-917-9477
 
You can also visit our booth at the Woodstock Market. 
 
For a gallery of our work check out our website: www.naturespinefurniture.net
 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Furniture Lingo: Finishes

Next up in our discussion of furniture lingo: Finishes.

We offer 4 different finish options: wax, painted, stain and lacquered or stain and wax.

Wax Finishes
The wax finish is our standard finish and is the least expensive of the finishes. The wax comes in Antique Pine (also called light wax) or Dark Wax. A wax finish looks wonderful on all the wood types we offer. The wax we use is called Flag Wax and it is not sold in stores. On occasion we will use other brands of wax. 

With a wax finish water and heat spots are possible so we recommend using coasters, place-mats and trivets for protection. To clean a waxed piece of furniture simply  wipe down with a slightly damp washcloth. Over time a wax finish may dull a little and can easily be brought back to life by buffing the piece with a soft cloth or you can easily apply a fresh coat of wax.

 New pine kitchen island with the light wax finish.

 Old wood pedestal end table with the dark wax finish.

Old wood kitchen island with a light wax finish.

Old wood sofa table with a dark wax. This particular piece was waxed with a brand wax that comes out darker than the brand we typically use. 

Cherry TV Armoire with a light wax finish.

 Old wood trestle table with a dark wax finish.
Old wood trestle table with a light wax finish.

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Painted Finishes

Clients can choose to have their furniture painted any color. Once a piece is painted we can distress it (light, medium or heavy) to give it more character if desired. We apply a wax finish to all of our painted pieces to help seal and protect the paint. (Note that the wax finish has a brown tint to it; therefore, the wax will slightly change the color of the paint.) The care for a painted piece is the same as a waxed piece. Coasters, place-mats and trivets are recommended to protect the piece from possible heat and water spots. To clean wipe the piece down with a slightly damp washcloth. Although a painted finish looks great on all of our wood types, we recommend the pine wood for painted pieces. Of course we will paint the reclaimed wood or the cherry at the client's request.

 New pine buffet with a painted finish and heavy distress.

 New pine 2 over 3 chest with a painted finish and medium distress.

 New pine pencil post bed with painted finish and medium distress.

 Cherry server with painted finish and light distress.

Both of the Habersham buffets above are made from pine wood with painted and lightly distressed finish.


We also have a skilled artist and a skilled carver that can accommodate most custom painted and carved requests. All of this work is done by hand.  

 This pine buffet was painted with multiple colors. Once the piece was rubbed back with a high distress the different colors show through. This piece also has two hand-carved corbels.

 This is a painted cherry chest of drawers with a custom painted finish and light distressing. 

This pine server was painted with multiple colors and has hand painted designs throughout. The egg & dart molding at the top of the piece is hand-carved. (Picture taken before hardware was added.)

 This reclaimed wood pedestal coffee table has a beautiful base that features hand-carving. 

This cherry bath vanity not only has a hand carved design, but it also features a custom painted finish. This piece has lovely gold accents and if you look closely you can see that this piece has a crackle painted finish. 

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Stain and Lacquered 

The stain and lacquered finish is the more formal of all our finishes and is also the most expensive. The stain and lacquered finish looks beautiful on the cherry wood. We use Minwax stains and there are several colors to choose from. To view a chart of the available colors you can visit MINWAX online or visit one of the major home improvement centers. The lacquer finish protects against water spots; however, we recommend using trivets or place-mats for extremely hot dishes to avoid the possible chance of heat spots. To clean  a lacquered piece simply use a damp cloth to wipe down the piece.

* On a personal note: I have used Pledge-type products on my own lacquered furniture at home and have never had any issues with the product ruining my the finish. 

 King size cherry panel bed with a Dark Walnut stain and lacquered finish.

 Cherry server with a Special Walnut stain and lacquered finish.

 Cherry 3 over 3 chest of drawers with a mixture of Dark Cherry and Dark Walnut stain with a lacquered finish.

 Cherry day bed with a Dark Cherry and Dark Walnut stain and lacquered finish.

 Cherry china cabinet with an Ebony stain and lacquered finish.

Cherry panel bed with a Dark Walnut stain and lacquered finish. 

Cherry dining table with an Ebony stain and lacquered finish.

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Stain and Waxed

For clients who love the look of a stained piece, but do not want it to look overly formal the stain and waxed finish is a great choice. This option looks fantastic on the reclaimed wood. As with the other finishes coasters, place-mats and trivets are recommended for protection. To clean a stain and waxed piece of furniture you use a slightly damp washcloth.

King size cherry pencil post bed with Dark Walnut stain and wax finish.

 Square old wood coffee table with Dark Walnut stain and wax finish.

 Old wood coffee table with Dark Walnut stain and wax finish.

Old wood farm table and bench with a Dark Walnut stain and wax finish.

As you can see from the pictures above the Dark Walnut stain is our most requested stain color! 

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On occasion we will have clients that want to incorporate multiple finishes on one piece which always gives a unique look.

 This painted pine piece has a multi-colored painted finish as well as a stain and waxed old wood bead-board backing.

This triple arch cherry bookcase has a dark walnut stain and lacquered finish, but the bead-board backing was painted and then waxed.

This pine kitchen hutch has a painted and wax finish while the bead-board backing has only a wax finish.

 This cherry kitchen island is painted black, but notice the bead-board backing for the shelf is waxed. the top of this piece has been stain and lacquered.

This cherry dresser features two different colored stains and has a lacquered finish.

This old wood end table is made from old wood and has a painted and wax finish.


As you can see there are numerous options to choose from when it comes to picking a finish for your custom furniture. This can sometimes pose a problem to clients as they have a hard time picking out exactly what they want which is understandable with so may choices!

If you have any further questions regarding finish please give us a call. We are more than happy to discuss the different options with you so you can find what will work best for you and your family. 



Nature's Pine
4462 Bretton Court, Suite 5
Acworth, GA 30101
770.917.9477