In a world of ‘fast furniture’ it can be easy to turn to a quick and cheap purchase to fix your immediate office/dining requirements. But your office and dining spaces are perfect opportunities to invest your time, creativity and money. It is fair to say using solid wood for your desk or table top is not the cheapest option in the market, but over the years it can adapt to your needs and hold it’s value; this post discuss how in the following ways:
Solid wood tops can be refinished
If your office space gets redecorated, your dining table gets damaged in some way or you just fancy a change; refinishing your top is always an option. Desk and table tops made from oak, pine, walnut etc can be refinished many times by yourself or a professional.
Refinishing is when you sand back a wooden top to remove the old finish and apply a new stain or finish to it. It involves stripping away the old finish, usually by sanding. Then a new stain or finish is applied. Sometimes sanding between coats of the new finish can be effective. A final step could be apply sealant to avoid stain from leaking, or polish depending on requirements.
Solid Wood Tops are more than happy to help facilitate a refinish of your table or desk top if you feel out of your depth. It can be picked up by courier or on delivery runs, and dropped back off the same way with the new finish applied.
Solid wood tops can be reshaped and resized
When your office gets demoted to the box room, your desk needs to be a different shape, or the table needs a corner rounding off to make the kitchen/diner more spacious… solid wood is your friend! MDF or cardboard filled tops cannot be cut down to a new size or shape easily (or sometimes at all).
Making a top smaller at home is possible, but maybe a little out of your comfort zone if you don’t have the right tools. Depending on how radical the changes are, you might be able to attempt it at home; especially if the finish is not stained or lacquered. A standard oil or hard wax finish can be reapplied on any fresh cuts to blend the colour.
Making a top larger, or turning a top into a new shape, i.e. an L shaped desk top is likely something that can only be done in a professional workshop, with access to clamps and even CNC machines etc.
Solid Wood Tops can arrange a resize or reshape of your desk top or table top. Again, it can be picked up and dropped off with the new size or shape. To make the top larger or turn it into an L shape would generally require the top to have been purchased via Solid Wood Tops in the first place, and would likely also require a full refinish.
Solid wood tops can be repurposed
Your luxuriously large desk top might better serve a growing family as a dining table, or maybe even two smaller desks. Sometimes just changing the legs to a top, sitting the top at a different height, or putting it in a different environment can completely change how you interact with it.
Sometimes a little more work is require, a little resizing or reshaping, perhaps refinishing with something more durable or water resistant etc. Whatever it is, you already have the most important fundamental feature, a good quality solid wood table/desk top to use at the foundation of the new project.
If you have any concerns on repurposing a solid wood top then please do get in touch. A table top can also be repurposed into a kitchen island converter/extender, learn more here.
Solid wood tops can be resold
If the time has come for you to part ways with the top for whatever reason, there will be many people who are very willing to take it off your hands. If your desk top is particularly unique, and you need to sell it soon after buying it, then there is a chance you won’t recoup the entire investment. However, if your top is within the usual sizes for desks or dining tables, and if you have held onto the top for a few years or more, the chances are the raw cost of the wood will have increased to such a point that you can move the top on to it’s new owners without too much trouble or cost.
Solid Wood Tops are also interested in buying back desk tops and table tops for refurbish sales, so feel free to give us an email with the specifics and some pictures of the current state, and we will be happy to give you an offer.
Invest in a solid wood top today
Commissioning a beautiful, hand made solid walnut, oak or pine top can definitely be classed as an investment. Even on the less expensive side (pine tops etc), it still requires an initial investment of your time: researching and deciding the best choices for your needs. Is it worth it? We think so! Hopefully the above information is useful when planning your project.
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