One thing I’ve suggested to a few friends who were outfitting a man cave or game room on a limited budget was to take a look at unfinished bar stools. These can be a great way to stretch your dollar and create a unique look. Since they haven’t had to go through a paint, varnish or lacquer treatment, unfinished wooden bar stools will cost a little less and provide you with a sort of blank canvas to customize as you please. They can also look great in their unfinished state in a kitchen or a game room with wooden décor, and will look sweet out on the deck and in your garage as well.
Probably the coolest advantage to unfinished wooden bar stools is that you can paint, varnish or apply a funky finish to the stools yourself. This will enable you to totally customize the stools to match your décor while being a very fun and satisfying do-it-yourself project. And of course it will definitely help you save some coin.
Do It Yourself Bar Stools
Like I said, the big advantage to buying or ordering unfinished bar stools is that they can be painted, varnished or finished in a variety of custom ways to match the wood on your bar or the furniture in your room. This can help you create a cohesive look when matching furniture and décor is important, since it isn’t always possible for you to find furniture that matches your personal décor scheme. Starting with unfinished stools can enable you to create a perfect color match when going for a sports team theme or special school colors.
Another advantage to starting with unfinished bar stools is that you’ll have a very simple project that you can quickly do. Painting or varnishing an unfinished wooden bar stool is fairly easy and requires no special training or knowledge – only paint, some free time, a few tools and a willingness to do it yourself. This can be a great project on which to learn to finish furniture before you move onto more complex projects like tables. Prep work is minimal, and generally little or no sanding will be necessary before painting or varnishing.
An unfinished bar stool will usually come in a condition that is totally ready to use in its raw state. This means the stools can be used for weeks or even months until you are ready to finish them. Many of the unfinished wooden stools look good enough to be used as furniture as soon as you load them in your vehicle or they arrive on your doorstep.
A very basic, quality unfinished bar stool can be found online and ordered for less than $50, and most big box hardware stores offer a lesser-quality option for even less.
All in all, creating a unique and stylish addition to your home decor can be done easily, enjoyably and cheaply if you start with unfinished bar stools and put in a little effort.
UPDATE: I’ve found that the best pricing for quality unfinished bar stools can be found at Amazon. CLICK HERE to see the full selection available.
