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Ah, Kirkland. Land of cozy homes, pristine parks, and furniture that's seen things. Like actual things. We're talking scratches from last year’s dinner party, the great wine spill of 2022, and that one time someone used a dining table as a trampoline (you know who you are, Kevin). But don’t worry—we’re not here to judge. We’re here to help.
Because guess what? Summer is almost over, and that means your furniture is about to go from "seasonal centerpiece" to "center of attention" when the cold weather rolls in and everyone’s stuck inside staring at your scuffed-up coffee table. So here’s the million-dollar question:
Why not refinish that beautiful, beat-up furniture before fall slaps you in the face with pumpkin spice everything and houseguests?
Let’s break it down.
Look, we get it. Summer in Kirkland is a whole vibe. You're grilling. You're out on the deck. You’re pretending your patio set isn’t falling apart under the weight of one more lemonade pitcher. But come September, that sunshine packs its bags and your attention shifts indoors. Suddenly, your furniture starts mattering again. A lot.
Refinishing your wood furniture now means:
You beat the seasonal rush.
You don’t panic when Aunt Judy announces she’s visiting next month.
Your pieces get the care they deserve—before it’s covered in flannel throw blankets pretending to hide the damage.
There’s still time to refresh and impress before the leaves hit the ground and your social calendar becomes “potlucks and passive-aggressive game nights.”
If you think refinishing is just rubbing some polish on your great-grandma’s end table and calling it a day, you’ve been watching way too many TikToks. Real furniture refinishing—the kind we do here at Stedman Design in Kirkland—is an art form.
Here’s the deal:
We strip the old finish (gently, with love, like peeling off a bad decision).
We sand it down like we’re revealing Michelangelo’s David underneath decades of dust.
We restore it using top-tier finishes that match your vision, your style, and your refusal to accept mediocrity.
This isn’t a makeover. It’s a resurrection. That dated dresser? Could be the next conversation piece in your hallway. That coffee table your cat scratched like it owed him money? We can make it shine like new. Or at least, like it didn’t suffer through 12 holiday seasons.
Here’s the sad truth: Fall is when people start seeing their homes again.
In summer, nobody cares. You’re outside, in the yard, at Lake Washington. But come October? Everyone’s indoors. You're binge-watching, hosting game nights, baking pies, and—yes—judging each other’s furniture.
And there you are with:
The table that looks like it lost a fight with a belt sander.
The chair that creaks like a horror movie soundtrack.
The buffet table with mystery stains you no longer question.
Why wait until you're trapped inside with this mess? Refinish it now, before the season changes and you’re stuck with a sad, flaky reminder of your procrastination.
We’re not some spray-and-go outfit operating out of a sketchy garage. At Stedman Design, we’re a legit woodworking shop based right here in Kirkland, WA. Run by C. Todd Stedman—a guy who walked away from the corporate world to return to woodworking because spreadsheets don’t smell like sawdust.
What makes us different?
Experience – We’ve been doing this long enough to know what real quality looks like.
Process – You’ll be part of the journey. From choosing finishes to receiving progress photos, we keep you in the loop.
Craftsmanship – We don’t cut corners. Unless you want us to cut corners—then we’ll do it with surgical precision and sand it smooth.
Your furniture isn’t just a “thing” to us. It’s a piece of your home’s story. And we treat it with the kind of respect you wish your houseguests had.
Good question, imaginary reader.
At Stedman Design, we refinish all sorts of things, including:
Dining tables that have hosted more meals than you can count.
Dressers that have survived toddlers, teens, and whatever phase comes after that.
Desks that lived through remote work and still have the coffee rings to prove it.
Chairs that “just need a little TLC” but are basically held together by nostalgia.
And if you’ve got a weird piece—like that half-barrel wine rack you found at a flea market in 2006—we’ll take a look. Odds are, we can make it look better than it did the day you impulse-bought it.
Glad you asked. Here’s why right now—yes, this very moment—is the best time to refinish your furniture in Kirkland:
Beat the rush – Everyone wakes up in October and panics. “Oh no! I need my dining table refinished before Thanksgiving!” You’re smarter than that. You’re reading this in summer.
Dry weather – Summer’s dry air helps with finish curing. Your pieces will look better and be done faster.
Prep for the holidays – Be the person who’s ready when guests show up. Let them sit around your table and say, “Whoa. This is nice. Is this new?” And you get to say, “No, just smart choices and local craftsmanship.”
Great question, Steve. On average, refinishing a piece takes 5 to 6 weeks, depending on its size, complexity, and how long it takes you to pick a stain color (some of you really struggle with commitment).
But don’t worry—we walk you through every step. And if you’re indecisive, we’ve got samples, suggestions, and the patience of someone who once refinished a 100-year-old table that had been used as a workbench.
To recap:
Summer’s ending.
Your furniture looks tired.
Fall is around the corner.
Stedman Design is right here in Kirkland, ready to bring your wood pieces back to life.
Whether it’s a dining table, a bench, or that weirdly sentimental rocking chair, refinishing now saves you from embarrassment, adds character to your home, and—let’s be honest—feels good.
So don’t wait until your Thanksgiving guests ask if the table came from a pirate ship wreck. Reach out to us today.
📍 Serving Kirkland, Seattle, and the greater King County area
📞 By appointment only – (425) 760-6563
🌲 Made with love, wood, and elbow grease
Stedman Design – Where every grain has a story. Let’s make yours worth telling.