Talking about furniture, a lady in the office recently procured a second hand cabinet. It was by her account a little worn, but solid wood. She didn't elaborate further so I don't know if it was pine or oak or mahogany or whatever, but it was definitely solid wood.

She painted it. I was slightly horrified, but I think I managed to look suitably impressed rather than question why.

I've heard it said before that men love wood more than women. I certainly hate the idea of covering up the natural beauty inherent in something that so obviously lived. I love the flow and pattern of the grain, the warm colours and the organic feel of it. Covering it in paint seems like a crime to me. I'd much rather rub it down and treat it with a suitable polish or varnish.

What do you lot think?

Depends on the wood and the treatment.
I'm writing this on a table that's naked but for the varnish... but as the table gets older, the varnish will make it go orange, and I may be forced to strip it and start again. So for pine, yeah, paint it, why not.
Bit of a shame for the more interesting woods though.

I love wood too. My (realistic) dream house has two 'living rooms', one which is all moden, minimalistic, stark light cream/black colour scheme etc. But the other would be a complete contrast - very old-fashioned - luxurious leather furniture with gratutious wood trim (not that 'wood effect' crap), wooden bookshelves, grandfather clock, barometer etc with things like TV etc hidden away.

I do love the look and feel of wood, and I doo abhor it being painted. In some circumstances, it's okay but by and large, you might as well buy some cheapo MDF-based stuff and paint that instead.

I love wood.

I used to merely like it but ever since I did my stint as a forester I've come to adore it.

My personal favourite is 30 season oak with a very light oil rub - the colour is exquisite

thread title very misleading somewhat....

My girlfriend is a natural wood person, so are most of her family.

Huh? Do you mean that men love wood more then women love wood, or do you mean that men love wood more than men love women?

Also, when you say wood... is that a euphemism?



So... many... one... liners... must... resist... urge... to... ohnoz... brain... melting... aaarrrggghhh!

*slaps J_V gently to bring him round*

No JJ, I don't think natural wood is a man thing, I think it's an "appreciation of natural quality" thing. There are some people who still think that bare wood is "cheap" because paint was considered a luxurious item that only the rich and prosperous could afford, so having wood painted was a sign of your wealth and stature (this from my pappy, who knows about these things, being both an antiquities expert and woodworker)

Unfortunatley, there are people who (through some mis-guided expectation) still think that painted wood is better than a well-oiled natural piece of furniture, I think the fact that in your experience it was a lady committing the crime was just co-inky-dink.

For my part, I much prefer a nice natural wood piece of furniture, the exception being sofas which must be deep, squashy and comfortable

And in Leather

Honestly? I'm not that keen on leather, particularly in the summer when it's hot I tend to stick to them and spend a lot of time feeling sweaty, I much prefer nice thick material cushioned sofas, deep seats and removable covers We have a futon for a sofa and I love it, we've arranged the matresses so that the seat area is nice and wide, very cushioned and we have soft, brusherd cotton throws over them which add a bit of luxury feeling.

I love wood, but not pine, I hate the stuff. Pine furniture (in my mind) often looks taky (sp), so go ahead and paint it...
But lovely dark woods should be treated with TLC.

I have to say the forum has been showing considerably more willpower than I thought it had, this thread not having descended into a morass of double-entendres already.

I've very much a wood person - my grandfather was a carpenter / cabinet maker and made some fantastic stuff which I have inherited. So pretty much all my 'hard furnishings' are plain wood rather than having say metal or glass components.

I think there is very much something about wood that it's not static. It acquires marks and weathers (even indoors) over time that gives it character that more inorganic materials never seem to have. The same to a degree is true of leather chairs and sofas. I have a leather 'suite' but it is a very woodey mid-brown in colour.

Jon

Wood is good.

Still trying to supress laughter here. Oh the things I cold say but I see JV has got there first.

My house is 1930s semi-detached. When I bought it all the original panelled doors had been covered in ply wood. The stair case had been boxed in so it was very dark and horrible. All the panelling was removed immediately the house seemed a lot more bright and cheerful.

I have stripped every door, door frame, stair case spindle, window ledge and stained and varnished it all. Seeing the sun come in and reflect on the cupboard doors under the stairs is a true pleasure. The original wood is amazing. I have replaced the 2 downstairs doors with glass panelled doors to let more light in and it works really well. I am hoping to restore the doors upstairs to their former glory too (one got damaged by an ex and the other needs the glass replacing). I even installed the former picture rail in the living room myself cutting all the corners and everything. I was quite chuffed with myself.

I had a statement from homebase one year and I'd spent about £1000 on sanding paper, stains and varnishes. It was worth every penny and all the hard work. I am now an expert with the hot air gun and nitromors.

ditto...