Furniture
The Furniture
Most of our furniture is crafted by local Amish Craftsmen. The result is a beautiful blend of the Amish culture, combined with more contemporary and traditional designs. Due to weather patterns and nature, no two trees are alike; texture, color and density of grain vary within a single tree. This causes the acceptance of stains and sealers to vary also; this we call "Nature's Mystery" in Solid Hardwood. Knots and swirls will appear in the grain. These naturally occurring patterns are not to be construed as defects, but rather perceived as; "The Personalized Touch of Elegance and Beauty of Nature's Mystery in Solid Hardwoods."
Although we make every effort to bring you the very best in style and quality, there will be instances where "Nature's Mystery" will decide the character of your "Uniquely Personalized Piece of Furniture."
So, due to the nature of the wood, stain colors are not guaranteed to be the same as the samples. Solid wood furniture naturally responds to changes in temperature and humidity by expansion and contraction. These natural responses are not defects, and do not necessarily affect the strength of the furniture.
All our furniture is protected by numerous layers of a hardened "Catalyzed Conversion Varnish" which is heat and water resistant, but not necessarily heatproof. Please allow the finish to cure for twenty one days prior to heavy use. During this time, do not set warm items on the furniture, and prevent prolonged exposure to water.
By following these guidelines you may rest assured; the furniture you purchase today will be here for tomorrow's generation.
Every effort should be made to keep your solid wood furniture away from direct heat sources such as hot air outlets, wood stoves and radiators. Never place on top of or in front of baseboard heaters.
Keep the humidity in your home between fifty to sixty percent, with moderate temperatures.
Cleaning
Cleaning your solid wood furniture is easy, simply dampen a soft cloth with water to collect the dust and dirt; wipe & dry with a soft cloth.
Do not use "Pledge" or any silicone polishes, as it may build up on the wood finish if used over an extended period of use. For fine scratches we suggest "Old English Furniture Polish."
Assembling
Most items arrive assembled. In certain cases a 1/2 inch wrench or socket is required to assemble items such as Amish table pedestals, feet, and/or legs. Items such as Amish hutches, and mirrors for Amish dressers may need to be attached with a Phillips screwdriver.
Return Policies
All returns must be as good as new and accompanied by a receipt within 30 days of purchase. A 70% restocking fee will be accessed on custom pieces.
Flexner on Finishing Blog
Because of its advantages, silicone-oil-containing polishes have almost the entire market share, so I quickly determined that it was a waste of time trying to talk people out of using these polishes. Instead, I devoted myself to teaching methods of dealing with the fish-eye problem when refinishing.
You can usually tell you’re going to have a fish-eye problem in your finish when you apply a wet coat of stain.
If you’re not staining, brush a wet coat of mineral spirits (paint thinner) on the surface. You’ll see if there’s going to be a problem.
Here are the three easiest ways:
Clean the oil out of the wood before beginning to apply a finish.
There are two ways to do this. One is to wash the wood several times with a petroleum-distillate solvent and wipe off the excess after each wetting. It’ll help to turn the cloth a lot, and you could use acetone, but it evaporates very fast, so you’ll need to move fast. You’ll slowly thin the oil and lift it off the wood until there’s not enough oil left in the wood to cause a problem. The other method is to wash the wood with a strong alkali such as TSP, ammonia or lye. The alkali will destroy the oil. But, of course, it may also darken the wood and raise the grain, and these chemicals can be rather dangerous to work with. So I prefer the first method.
Block off the oil in the wood with a first coat of shellac.
A first coat of shellac (right half) is usually effective at blocking the silicone oil in the wood so it can’t affect the finish.
You can continue with more coats of shellac, of course, or you can switch to another finish once you have the wood well sealed.
Add silicone oil to your finish.
This will reduce the surface tension of the finish enough so the new finish flows out without ridging. Once you have added the silicone oil, which you can buy from many suppliers, you have to continue adding the silicone oil to each subsequent coat. Search for “fish-eye flow out,” “fish-eye eliminator,” or “Smoothie” online to find suppliers.
There are many sources for fish-eye eliminator. Look online to find some near you or by mail order.
Begin by adding an eye-dropper full to about a quart of finish and adjust from there depending on the contamination. For water-based finishes, add an emulsified silicone oil from a supplier of water-based finishes.
You can imagine that the contamination in the wood can vary. I’ve known some people, for example, who applied a silicone-oil polish to unfinished wood for years to give it a little shine. In situations like this, you’re going to have to work very hard to get a good finish on this wood. You may very well have to use all three techniques.
I’ve gone through periods in my shop when I’ve sealed everything with shellac before spraying lacquer, or when I’ve added “fish-eye eliminator” to all my lacquer coats, whether I knew there was a problem or not just to ensure there wouldn’t be. I’ve known many other refinishers who have done the same.
In the end, it’s up to the refinisher, whether professional or amateur, to know how to deal with the fish-eye problem. It’s a hopeless task to try to get people to stop using these polishes.
Most of our furniture is crafted by local Amish Craftsmen. The result is a beautiful blend of the Amish culture, combined with more contemporary and traditional designs. Due to weather patterns and nature, no two trees are alike; texture, color and density of grain vary within a single tree. This causes the acceptance of stains and sealers to vary also; this we call "Nature's Mystery" in Solid Hardwood. Knots and swirls will appear in the grain. These naturally occurring patterns are not to be construed as defects, but rather perceived as; "The Personalized Touch of Elegance and Beauty of Nature's Mystery in Solid Hardwoods."
Although we make every effort to bring you the very best in style and quality, there will be instances where "Nature's Mystery" will decide the character of your "Uniquely Personalized Piece of Furniture."
So, due to the nature of the wood, stain colors are not guaranteed to be the same as the samples. Solid wood furniture naturally responds to changes in temperature and humidity by expansion and contraction. These natural responses are not defects, and do not necessarily affect the strength of the furniture.
All our furniture is protected by numerous layers of a hardened "Catalyzed Conversion Varnish" which is heat and water resistant, but not necessarily heatproof. Please allow the finish to cure for twenty one days prior to heavy use. During this time, do not set warm items on the furniture, and prevent prolonged exposure to water.
By following these guidelines you may rest assured; the furniture you purchase today will be here for tomorrow's generation.
Every effort should be made to keep your solid wood furniture away from direct heat sources such as hot air outlets, wood stoves and radiators. Never place on top of or in front of baseboard heaters.
Keep the humidity in your home between fifty to sixty percent, with moderate temperatures.
Cleaning
Cleaning your solid wood furniture is easy, simply dampen a soft cloth with water to collect the dust and dirt; wipe & dry with a soft cloth.
Do not use "Pledge" or any silicone polishes, as it may build up on the wood finish if used over an extended period of use. For fine scratches we suggest "Old English Furniture Polish."
Assembling
Most items arrive assembled. In certain cases a 1/2 inch wrench or socket is required to assemble items such as Amish table pedestals, feet, and/or legs. Items such as Amish hutches, and mirrors for Amish dressers may need to be attached with a Phillips screwdriver.
Return Policies
All returns must be as good as new and accompanied by a receipt within 30 days of purchase. A 70% restocking fee will be accessed on custom pieces.
Flexner on Finishing Blog
Because of its advantages, silicone-oil-containing polishes have almost the entire market share, so I quickly determined that it was a waste of time trying to talk people out of using these polishes. Instead, I devoted myself to teaching methods of dealing with the fish-eye problem when refinishing.
You can usually tell you’re going to have a fish-eye problem in your finish when you apply a wet coat of stain.
If you’re not staining, brush a wet coat of mineral spirits (paint thinner) on the surface. You’ll see if there’s going to be a problem.
Here are the three easiest ways:
Clean the oil out of the wood before beginning to apply a finish.
There are two ways to do this. One is to wash the wood several times with a petroleum-distillate solvent and wipe off the excess after each wetting. It’ll help to turn the cloth a lot, and you could use acetone, but it evaporates very fast, so you’ll need to move fast. You’ll slowly thin the oil and lift it off the wood until there’s not enough oil left in the wood to cause a problem. The other method is to wash the wood with a strong alkali such as TSP, ammonia or lye. The alkali will destroy the oil. But, of course, it may also darken the wood and raise the grain, and these chemicals can be rather dangerous to work with. So I prefer the first method.
Block off the oil in the wood with a first coat of shellac.
A first coat of shellac (right half) is usually effective at blocking the silicone oil in the wood so it can’t affect the finish.
You can continue with more coats of shellac, of course, or you can switch to another finish once you have the wood well sealed.
Add silicone oil to your finish.
This will reduce the surface tension of the finish enough so the new finish flows out without ridging. Once you have added the silicone oil, which you can buy from many suppliers, you have to continue adding the silicone oil to each subsequent coat. Search for “fish-eye flow out,” “fish-eye eliminator,” or “Smoothie” online to find suppliers.
There are many sources for fish-eye eliminator. Look online to find some near you or by mail order.
Begin by adding an eye-dropper full to about a quart of finish and adjust from there depending on the contamination. For water-based finishes, add an emulsified silicone oil from a supplier of water-based finishes.
You can imagine that the contamination in the wood can vary. I’ve known some people, for example, who applied a silicone-oil polish to unfinished wood for years to give it a little shine. In situations like this, you’re going to have to work very hard to get a good finish on this wood. You may very well have to use all three techniques.
I’ve gone through periods in my shop when I’ve sealed everything with shellac before spraying lacquer, or when I’ve added “fish-eye eliminator” to all my lacquer coats, whether I knew there was a problem or not just to ensure there wouldn’t be. I’ve known many other refinishers who have done the same.
In the end, it’s up to the refinisher, whether professional or amateur, to know how to deal with the fish-eye problem. It’s a hopeless task to try to get people to stop using these polishes.
