by Juanita | Jan 17, 2020 | Ava Lee's History Corner, Coffee End Table, Customization
Birth of quality furniture
George first began his business in 1972. He made furniture in an old dairy barn wood shop and marketed it at a small stand in Lancaster County. The Gurnsey Barn, was a local venue for country music and local theater nestled along the tourist stretch of Route 30. It was there that George met many tourists and his customer based expanded throughout the east coast.
Wood Shop Tour began
While the customers loved the quality they also wanted to watch the furniture building process. So, in the late 1980’s, George transformed on old 5 car garage, on the farm, into a showroom. The wood shop and showroom together invites the public to watch the craftsman building wooden heirlooms. Tour the wood shop and discover the thought and the skilled design each piece of furniture receives. The craftsman signs and dates his carefully created heirlooms.
Bus, motorcycle, airplane
Many people visiting Lancaster County enjoy the excursion through the rolling farmland of western Lancaster County. They tour the wood shop and purchase solid wood furniture created to their specifications. Although customers often come by car, motorcycle or tour bus, some more adventuresome ones have arrived by bike. They follow the many historical bike routes throughout the county. One couple even landed their small plane at a local airport 5 minutes from George’s Furniture to place their order for furniture.
So with access to the internet, Georgesfurniturepa.com contains videos about how our furniture is made. Explore the many samples of quality furniture, to inspire new furniture design. Although the website contains a lot of pictures to view, it is only a small sampling of the furniture we make. Each piece of furniture is carefully designed, allowing for the natural wood to adjust to moisture changes. Then it is assigned a skilled craftsman to build. The final step is the application of the craftsman’s signature and dated. Bring in your own ideas and George’s craftsmen will bring those dreams to a reality.
by Juanita | Nov 8, 2019 | Ava Lee's History Corner, Office, Tables
Pentagon commissions expanding conference table
“West Donegal woodworkers crafts table for Pentagon.” Lancaster News Paper headlines announced a local family-owned business received a commission, an expanding conference table, from the Department of Defense. See complete story.
Quote to Completion
It all started with a quote. Tipped off by a current customer/employee, the Department of Defense commissioned George’s Furniture to design an expanding conference table. The table measures 8 ft in length however, it expands to 12 feet, allowing for the flexibility in meeting sizes. The Pentagon accepted the and the fun commenced. Assigned to a skilled craftsman, the conference table continued its journey to completion. Lancaster News papers heard the news. A Lancaster County business making a table for the United States government! They were ecstatic. A reporter was quickly assigned, however, the photographer barely snapped enough pictures before the craftsman finished building the table.
Unique Delivery
Meanwhile, delivery preparations were finalized, clearances submitted and specific instructions confirmed for transporting the table to its final Pentagon office location. At the security gate, government employees carried the heavy oak conference table into the complex.
Grand Tour
As a result of a department meeting going overtime, the delivery which Chris and Anthony thought would be short, turned into a 3 hour ordeal. During a three-hour grand escorted tour around the Pentagon, they explored the many hallway displays and the inventory room that keeps track of everything from toilet paper to combat tanks!
Back to work
Once the meeting finished, Chris and Anthony assembled the conference table. Firstly, the men secured the legs and the hooked the cabling into the two receiver boxes. Secondly, they placed the four table leaves into their storage cabinet to quietly wait for the next large meeting. Lastly, they gave instructions about how to properly operate the table.
Currently the table’s handcrafted strength and natural grain quality shines for everyone assembled. Gather around George’s tables for your next family or business gathering. Contact us.
by Juanita | Apr 26, 2018 | Customization, Furniture Care, George's Furniture, Rocking Chairs, Stools, Tables
Caring for your piece of George’s Furniture is not like caring for just any piece of furniture. The finish used on each of our pieces is a durable, high-quality finish—and it is the best we have found for the following reasons:
NO MORE WATER MARKS
High Quality, Catalyzed Water-Resistant Finish
- The finish is both heat and water-resistant
- You do not need to use coasters for hot and cold drinks.
- Warm dishes will not make white rings on the table (however, when taking items directly from the oven, stovetop, or microwave, a hot pad is suggested)
- A good rule is:
If it is not too hot for your fingers, it will not harm the table.
Weekly Care
- Furniture can be washed with a damp cloth.
- Duster spray may be used (however, sprays that contain wax may cause an undesirable build-up over a period of time)
Occasional Care
- Polishing or to remove fingerprints, use a good grade furniture polish. Our favorite is Old English Lemon Oil, but Guardsman is also a good choice!
Note Worthy
- The finish will have a chemical reaction if it comes in contact with rubber cement, airplane glue, or similar products.
- Permanent magic markers and cigarette burns cause permanent damage to the finish.
- The finish will scratch and the wood will dent, so be careful not to slide heavy objects across the table, counters, dressers, etc. A staple or even a hard crumb could cause a surface scratch or indentation.
- This is solid wood furniture, and it can be refinished.
Damage Repair
Made in 1983. Refinished like new.
If the damage is a deep scratch or dent and the finish is broken, the damage can be minimized.
- First, soak the dent with a water saturated washcloth for several hours.
- Then, while protecting it with a damp washcloth, apply a steam iron to the dent and process will help swell the dent out to the original level.
- Please call us for advice on this process.
Restore to New
Having been in business more than 50+ years, we have families who bought a table when their children were small. Then, when their family grew up or the table passed to the next generation, they brought the table back to us and we refinished the tabletop to look as good as new.
If you have any questions, please call us! Our furniture is built to endure the test of time. A great heirloom to be shared over the generations.
by Juanita | Apr 19, 2018 | Customization, Forestry Management, George's Furniture, Rocking Chairs, Stools, Tables
We often get asked what makes our furniture last so long. Many of our customers own George’s Furniture heirlooms that have been passed down to them—or they themselves plan on passing their pieces down to their children and other family members.
There are several reasons as to why our high-quality, hand crafted furniture is built to last right here in Lancaster County.
Built from strong solid hardwood
Wood is a resource that keeps on giving. Pennsylvania forests are managed and cared for to strengthen and increase sustainability and the quality of our products.
Constructed with the ability to adjust to moisture changes
Between seasons and different climates. When the furniture is sitting in your home, the wood continues to move as the seasons change or the pieces move with you to different climates—but you’d never know it. Our furniture is assembled to allow for this movement without affecting its construction.
Crafted by one craftsman with precision and seasoned skill
We do not have assembly lines. The craftsman who makes your furniture onsite will sign and date every masterpiece. Each craftsman takes pride in the personal work that goes into each piece they build—from start to finish. This goes a long way in controlling the overall quality and beauty in your own piece of furniture.
Quality control at multiple points throughout the building process
The initial build of your furniture is by one the craftsman. While being hand stained, each surface of the furniture is checked closely. Final assembly includes hardware and possible lighting. We personally deliver our furniture; this allows us to check it while blanket wrapping it for delivery with one final check at your home while you’re present.
Time tested joinery methods
Our gift to you through our joinery methods is a promise for long-lasting construction. Craftsmen are trained to know the “feel” of a solid joint during assembly.
Durability and life of furniture is taken into account at the design stage before building starts
Each piece is reviewed together by both a designer and a craftsman—and continues throughout the building stage. Our designers enjoy working with you to create your own unique piece for your home.
Maintained temperature and humidity in the wood shop and finishing room
Temperature and humidity levels are monitored throughout the year to keep the wood in a constant stable condition from the building stage, and through to the finishing stage. The wood or furniture never leaves the building between building and finishing. We use humidity control in the building throughout the year.
High grade sanding materials
We use the highest grade of sanding materials to give the perfect surface for receiving a consistent stain. Sanding materials are never overused and our craftsmen have the experience to know when enough sanding is enough.
As you can see, a lot of time and care goes into each piece of custom furniture is made here at George’s Furniture. Contact us today or stop by our beautiful Lancaster furniture store showroom!
by Juanita | Apr 12, 2018 | Customization
One of the major characteristics of George’s Furniture pieces is the natural beauty of the hardwood we choose for each piece. Our wood is harvested from native trees at just the right time each year. From slow-drying in our kiln, to constructing each piece by hand by our experienced craftsmen to your exact specifications. Throughout this meticulous assembly, precise hand sanding ensures proper fit and finish.
One way in which our customers customize their handmade pieces is by choosing the type of wood they’d like to use to match the look and feel of their home. While we have a beautiful variety of woods to choose from, the most popular choices are our natural black walnut blend, black walnut, cherry, and red oak.
The natural black walnut blend is natural walnut using both the dark inner wood with the lighter outer wood section revealing a beautiful color combination. The center part of the tree (heartwood) is dark brown in color, while the ten (10) outer layers of sapwood are a light off-white color. Our craftsmen choose the boards that have both the sapwood and heartwood grain of the walnut tree. As we carefully arrange the boards to create a unique natural flow of grain, the beauty of this particular wood just shines.
Our black walnut is air dried. Air drying is less stressful on the wood itself, keeping the natural beauty of color variation. This particular wood choice is usually finished with clear water-resistant finish, to let its natural beauty exposed without staining. Black walnut has a flowing, feathery grain.
Cherry wood is naturally lighter red in color with a beautiful flowing grain. We typically stain this gorgeous choice of wood, and our customers have approximately 15 different stains to choose from—from light red to dark red, and everything in between. This rich looking result is very popular among George’s Furniture customers.
Finally, red oak has a distinct, bold grain. Again, while it’s naturally light golden in color, our customers are able to choose from about 15 different stains for this hardwood choice. The stain highlights the darker part of the grain. Also important to note is that red oak is 15% heavier.
Stop into George’s Furniture today to customize your dream furniture! You can even schedule a tour of our woodshop.