The term flat pack is probably the most widely used and actually came from Europe. This type of furniture grew in popularity in Sweden due to the Ikea Company. One of its employees, Gillis Lundgren, a Swedish draughts person came upon the idea while trying to fit a table in the back of his car. He struggled to achieve his objective, and decided to break the legs off the table, thus re-assembling them at his destination. He later discussed with his company the practicalities of what he’d done, and without hesitation, the company embraced his idea, and this became the concept for Ikea.

The benefits of this idea appealed to not only the retailer, but also the consumer.  The merchant could not only buy ready-to-assemble furniture that was in flat packages, but found his costs incurred for storing was also reduced, as he no longer had to fill his warehouse with bulky items.

Not only was the benefit of a cheaper product passed onto the retailer, but also the ease at which he could take the product home. Because of the size, most items would easily fit in a family sized vehicle, thus avoiding the restraints imposed from a delivery company, who very rarely decide on a delivery date or time, which a customer can agree on.

Although the term ready to assemble means precisely that, meaning, you get the product home and assemble it, and enjoy.  Many companies however including Ikea often leave the items untreated, so that one does have the choice to stain and finish to match existing furniture. This is especially the case in the garden department where you will find outdoor furniture left untreated. Depending on what part of the world you live in, you can apply a preservative that is adequate to your particular climate.

When buying flat pack furniture, generally it’s a straight forward process of taking out the contents, and assembling them together according to the manufacturers instructions. However one should be prepared for the often inevitable which is upon assembly you may find an item missing. This isn’t so much as a problem, but more of an inconvenience. These pieces are generally designed with specialized fixings that are only available from the place it was purchased from, and more often than not, needs a return trip to the store. So before undertaking any assembly of this type of furniture, be sure to do a complete inspection of the items boxed, against the items listed with the assembly instructions.

There may come a time whereby instead of buying unfinished items, you may have a piece that you’ve had for some time, or maybe it was passed down to you from a relative, but has started to show signs of wear and tear. As long as it is made of solid wood, you no longer have to put up with looking at a piece of furniture that no looks old and worn. With the right tools and time and patience, you can revive it to its former glory.

Before you do so, there is one very important thing to consider. Is the furniture so unique that it could be considered an antique? If it could fall into this category, you may wish to seek professional advise, as any work you commence on it could have a negative affect in terms of it’s ability to be of a monetary gain. But I’m sure if the piece you’re considering renovating was an antique, and unique in its appearance, care would certainly have been taken throughout the years.

For the purpose of this article, I’m assuming that the furniture to be worked on is a nice piece, made of solid wood and that you have no desire to part with it, but unsatisfied with how worn and tired it looks.

Whether it was originally painted or varnished, you need to strip the finish. The easiest way would be to apply paint, or varnish remover. There are a number of brands readily available, and most of them can be found in your local hardware store. These solvents generally consist of certain chemicals such as acetone, methanol, but contain other ingredients, but these are the most common. Upon application you leave for a specific amount of time, leaving the product to chemically react with the finish. It can then be scraped off with ease by way of a scraper. These are also readily available. Depending on the toughness of the finish you’re removing, you may have to repeat the process until you can see the natural surface of the wood.

Once you have removed the majority of the varnish/paint, it needs to be wiped down with surgical spirit to remove the residue that was left behind from the stripping agent.
Once clean, it now needs to be sanded down Depending on the severity of the wood, requires a certain grade of abrasive paper, but generally 80-100 grit will suffice. Using a bench, or palm sander, apply an even gentle pressure along the wood. Let the machine do the work. Always making sure to sand along the length of the grain, and never across. By doing the latter, you will end up with deep scratches, which will take longer to remove. So sand in the direction of the grain.

Using 300 grit, repeat the process. By going down in stages, you gently, consistently remove any scratches left from the scraping, or the sander. Once your happy with the finish, the furniture needs to be dusted off, and once again wiped down with a surgical spirit.

You are now ready to apply your choice of finish.