As a furniture craftsman and the leader of our manufacturing facility, experience has shown that unsealed furniture only leads to a poor quality product later. From warp-age, cracking, water rings, cleaning issues to splintering just to name a few issues you might want to consider.

In addition, stains and clear coat sealers bring out the grain and beauty of the wood. Years ago I started working with Reclaimed wood aka barnwood, I simply stained it and finalized it with a good furniture wax. Well I was not pleased when I started seeing it quickly retain water rings. After this, we now stain and seal our furniture. If we are going for a natural look on Reclaimed wood, we may skip the staining and simply add a non gloss sealer.

Reclaimed wood is lumber that has been reused from a prior source. For instance, wood recovered from an old barn, building, boat, pallets, etc. are all forms of Reclaimed wood.

Reclaimed wood really started primarily from an old delapedated barns, my favorite source. However, now I am finding that builders are using just about any source of used wood and calling it Reclaimed.

The problem by using just about any used wood such as pallets is that it could contain chemicals or other harmful substances. In fact, I have seen factory carts old and new smell like oil. The reason being is that the wood was soaked in creosote.

If you are looking for Reclaimed wood furniture, we highly recommend that you know the source of where the Reclaimed wood is coming from. This is especially true when coming from outside the USA. You never know what is in or on the wood that you are getting from outside America. I suggest buy American Made rather than purchasing low cost Reclaimed wood furniture imports.

Most American made Reclaimed wood furniture is built from an old barn or building rather than rail road ties as found in the imports. Besides, this gives you more value, peace of mind and American history.

However, after getting the opportunity of seeing Antique Factory Carts and Reproduction factory cart coffee tables  in person, I had my disapointments!

The first was price. The antique factory carts were introduced with price tags over a $1000. This eliminated most people from being able to afford a factory cart coffee table.

The second was quality. I was not impressed by the restorations being done with these factory carts. It is not common for the wheels to be cracked and patched with epoxy or the wooden tops deteriorated.

The third was smell. I was shocked that many of these factory carts, including the reproductions were smelling like fresh oil. I went to a furniture store in my area, sat down on a nice leather sofa and there in front of me was a reproduction factory cart coffee table. I could not bare the the rail road oil smell that was giving me a headache. It was terrible!

The fourth was movement. Shouldn’t a coffee table sit still? No really? Who wants a coffee table to move and pivot every time it is bumped or you put your feet on it? I think people don’t realize how annoying a moving coffee table will be until they get it home.

The fifth is size. Most of the carts are huge. Super long and sometimes deep. Most of these carts are not meant to fit in an average sized home that is for sure.

So here is a real solution:  Factory Cart Coffee Tables By: I.A Decor

Antique Factory Cart Coffee Tables

The Best in Factory Cart Manufacturing

It is built using primarily old Reclaimed barn wood, the wheels lock so it does not move, it is dimensionally practical, does not smell like oil and it is excellent quality.

Another advantage to the I. A Decor factory cart is the options of rust or raw metal and custom sizing.

Another neat feature of the I.A Decor Factory Cart Coffee Table is that each of the carts are uniquely numbered, dated and signed. They are gorgeous and functional too!

Unfortunately, the word Reclaimed for furniture is very broad. You really never know where the wood comes from these days. When it was barnwood, you knew it was from an old barn primarily from America. However, Reclaimed wood furniture is popping up from other countries on the USA market from such places as China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and other foreign countries.

So before you get all excited about the Reclaimed wood coffee table, end table, bed, nightstand, dining table, be sure to find out its origin.

In fact, I have seen a number of reproduction pieces such as factory cart coffee tables smell like it just came from a rail road track exerting an strong oil smell.

Another concern of imported Reclaimed wood furniture is the potential hazardous materials that it brings into the USA. Lead paint, foreign bugs to other hazardous materials may be on your imported Reclaimed wood piece of furniture.

In conclusion, know the origin of your Reclaimed wood furniture as many companies leave this part out of the details. Keep in mind, most American made Reclaimed wood furniture boast American made.

Here at I.A Decor, we build Reclaimed wood furniture from turn of the century barnwood.

See more at http://www.iadecor.com

In the dead of winter when it is cold outside, the orange glow adds a sense of warmth and relaxation. The Mica lamp also has the antique style hurricane shade effect. In fact, it is so realistic that I overheard a customer in my retail store location mention to a friend that it is lit by a candle.  Shhhhhh! Don’t tell anybody but the lamp actaully uses electricity and a light bulb.

The accents of pine cones throughout the lamp add a very elegant yet masculine look.

The Mica lamp is a nice quality. I highly recommend it to those looking for warmth and elegance. It compliment your Cabin or rustic decor.

For more information or to purchase visit:

http://www.iadecor.com

http://www.iadecor.com

Where do you start?

This can sometimes be the hardest part of it all.  Do you just go out and start buying items to fill space? In my opinion this is a shotgun approach and you might find that you end up with a bunch of goods that you may wish you did not get.

After years of running our retail store, I found that it is best to start with a focal point or an inspiration piece.

To Start With Find An Item That Jumps Out At You

Perhaps you start with a lamp that has a look or theme such as pine cones, bears, elk, a specific style, etc. Or you might start with a sofa line or curtains. By starting with an inspiration piece, it will help you create a flow towards a particular direction and help you blend the room or rooms to it.

A Happy Place

The overall goal should be to create a ‘Happy’ place. In this weary world we need a place not to just call home but to have a place to relax and look around and feel truly good with a warm fuzzy feeling. This will help relieve stress and rejuvenate.

Buy But Choose Wisely

There is a natural Dr. that I really respect… Dr. Schultz.  Something he said in the past really impacted me. He basically said that we should not be Pack Rats. Too many things creates a stressful and unhealthy environment. I believe he is right.

Think about this for a moment. When we have too much stuff we have to clean or dust it, we trip over it and much of which ends up back in the land fill.

So here is my thought. Rather than clutter up a room,  spend your time  and money looking for quality items that will last long-term and really add to your room. Search not only for aesthetics but also for functional items. Key in on a few items, hence quality rather than quantity.

See more at http://www.iadecor.com

Be sure to visit our main website for unique furnishings and decor items: http://www.iadecor.com