by Juanita | Dec 2, 2023 | bedroom, Coffee End Table, Entertainment Centers, Furniture Care, Georges Difference, Hutch, RV accessories, RV Furniture, Tables, Wedding Registry
You’ve surfed the web hours on end, looking for quality handcrafted solid wood furniture. Countless articles and pages from numerous furniture companies across the country use similar terms such as handcrafted furniture, hardwood construction, and custom build. Companies make bold claims that their furniture is the best. But it begs the question.
What makes their furniture the best? How does their furniture differ from competitors’, or even what makes good furniture? These are excellent questions. There are many aspects portraying the world of furniture that contribute to a piece being truly outstanding.
At Georges Furniture, we don’t aim to meet the regular standards for constructing furniture. We strive to rise above and beyond in our manufacture of excellence and quality.
In the following paragraphs, you will learn about the numerous ways we take our game to the next level.
Dining Table to Fit any number of parties
If you have a large family, extension tables are a familiar term. As the name insinuates, it extends, allowing you to seat more members of the family so everyone can partake in a wonderful meal. Many tables extend to fit two or three leaves, but this limitation leaves much to be desired. That’s why we make our tables to extend to fit anywhere from six to sixteen leaves to accommodate even the largest dining rooms.
Where to store all those solid wood leaves
Now, it is common knowledge to those who own extensions tables that storage for these wooden table leaves is a necessity. Many resort to slipping them beneath beds or stuffing them into cramped closets, but for solid hardwood leaves, these conditions are not ideal. What is uncommon knowledge is that wooden boards need to breath. Wooden leaves breath to regulate their moisture levels and prevent mold from setting into the grain. As an added layer of protection against excess moisture, we always coat both sides of the leave with a catalyzed conversion varnish. Furthermore, it is best to store leaves upright to prevent bowing and warping from gravity’s pull. Read More.
Leaf Storage Solution
In the early stages of extension table development, the issue of leaf storage quickly rose to the forefront of our minds. Some manufacturers even built storage areas within the table itself, but that kind of storage is limited. Instead, we took what we knew about proper leaf care and, after testing different prototypes, landed on a revolutionary piece of furniture so unique that it created a category of its own. The leaf storage. We designed this new piece of furniture to meet every requirement set in front of us. See the storage options.
Walnut Blend on Table with clear water resistant finish repelling water.
No More Water Marks
If you’ve ever accidently left your glass of water on your coffee table without a coaster, you understand the frustration of lifting the glass and finding a watermark stained on the wooden surface. You promise you won’t forget the coaster next time, but what if I told you remembering a coaster wasn’t necessary? With our furniture, it isn’t. We finish every piece of furniture with a water-resistant catalyzed conversion varnish to protect the grain from the marring effects of watermarks. Inside and out, front and back, even the parts unseen are protected against hard use and floods of water.
100% Solid Hardwood – No waste
Are you tired of searching for quality furniture, only to find most pieces include particle board or plywood in their construction? With our furniture, this is never an issue. We use solid hardwood in every inch of our furniture. Even scraps left over from the furniture making process are chopped up and fed into our furnace to heat our slow, air-drying kiln, enabling us to preserve the richness of our Black Walnut wood. The furnace also heats the woodshop, providing a comfortable atmosphere for our craftsmen.
Moving Chairs
Chairs take the prize for being the most used piece of furniture in your household. Whether you’re enjoying a meal around the kitchen table, working on math homework, or reaching for the cookie jar on the top shelf, the first thing you search for to aid your plight is a sturdy chair. No matter what your daily lifestyle looks like, you depend on chairs more than you realize. To ensure our chairs meet expectations, we make our chair rungs with eight sides. The eight-sided rung design is stronger and lasts longer than the more commonly available turned rungs. Each rung is precision sanded and properly sized to fit into a thick seat. So, the next time your guest leans back in their chair, you can enjoy the meal knowing you won’t be reaching for the wood glue for unexpected repairs. We even designed stackable chairs for ease of storage.
Guaranteed Authentic Quality – Signed and Dated
We’ve talked a lot about quality, but how can we guarantee it? Many companies nowadays make use
of assembly lines to manufacture their product at the fastest rate possible. While this technique is great for efficiency, it often has its drawbacks. One of which is the downgrade of quality. We don’t believe in assembly lines where every person has one job and one job only. Each of our expert craftsman construct a piece from start to finish, paying close attention to every detail. Once finished, they pen their signature and the date of completion on a concealed section of the piece. You can rest assured that the piece you commissioned from us is of the highest quality possible.
Space Saving Solid Hardwood Drawers
Drawers are a necessity included in nearly every piece of solid wood furniture, but have you ever pulled the drawer out to find an abundance of space behind it, unused and empty? That space is prime real-estate that you could be using, plus it quickly becomes a black hole, stealing your clothing to be lost for an eternity behind your drawers.
At Georges, you’ll never have to worry about unused space. Every drawer we make fills the space perfectly, giving you the most storage possible for that extra blanket, another pair of socks, or maybe even that candy you’ve been hiding from the kids since Easter. Even the bottoms of the drawers are 100% solid hardwood matching the outside of the cabinet. Whether drawers are in a dresser, nightstand, armoire, hall table, hutch or chest of drawers, the drawers will serve with strong heavy-duty full extension hardware for decades to come.
No Creaky Beds
Looking for a bed that’s truly one of a kind? Our custom designed handmade bed rooms are just what you need to take your sleep to the next level! Made from the finest solid hardwood and featuring strong hardware and bed slats, these beds are built to last a lifetime.
Remember those creaky sounds of the bed rails and floor boards as you try to quietly sneak out to the bathroom at midnight. How about that new king or queen mattress that requires extra support for their warranty to be maintained. Georges uses strong bed rail hardware to secure the solid wood side rails into the headboard and footboard. Two strong metal hooks feed into a metal plate giving the bed rail a secure fit. Each of the under bed slats are made out of strong oak 1 inch think boards. The king and queen beds slats have a center support leg to hold the weight of a large mattresses. Explore our bedroom gallery.
Functional Cove Crowns
Hutches stand proudly as a signature piece in the dinning room. They often display delicate pieces of fine China or store your fancy plates for special occasions. These mammoths of the furniture community are also known for their noble stature and royal crowns. To most manufacturers, the coved crown, the top rim of the hutch, is simply a novelty. It adds decoration to enhance the furniture’s appearance.
The crown extends above the top of the hutch, leaving a ton of unused space to collect dust. In contrast, George’s crowns are functional. We never leave valuable space vacant. The roofs of our hutches extend all the way to the top of the crown, giving you more functional storage within the piece to use at your pleasure. Read more.
Custom Design
We take pride in creating unique and beautiful furniture pieces that are tailored to your individual style and needs. Our skilled designers work closely with you to design and craft custom solid wood furniture. From rustic to modern styles, we bring your vision to life with exceptional attention to detail and craftsmanship. Our custom handcrafted furniture is not only beautiful but also functional, practical, and long-lasting. Whether you’re looking for a statement piece for your living room, entertainment suite or a custom dining table for your home, our team is dedicated to delivering a personalized experience that exceeds your expectations.
Easy Access Side Doors
Another neat aspect, specific to our curio cabinets, is the inclusion of side doors. While other companies build cabinets with only front facing doors. The side doors incorporated into our builds enable a painless installment of the shelves, relieving you of the awkward battle to insert them from the front. The side doors also make it easier to display your large collectibles that never seem to fit through any opening. As an added bonus, our shelves also come with precut plate grooves, perfect for displaying your favorite platters.
Choosing the Right Office Furniture
The shift from going to work or working from home has changed over the years. What are some items to consider when creating a functional space for home office or an executive suite. First measure your space. What size will best fit best with space to move around. Next plan for growth. Will you entertain clients or small meetings? Ergonomics and budget are valuable considerations. Each piece of office furniture is designed to fit the space and style while enduring years of hard use.
How to Clean & Care for Your Solid Wood Furniture
The finish used on all of Georges Furniture is a durable, catalyzed conversion varnish and the best we have found. No need for Coasters and a complete table cloth to cover and protect the table.
- Weekly Care – Use a damp cloth to wipe off the furniture. Use of duster spray is ok: however, avoid sprays that contain wax because they may cause undesirable build-up to form on the finish.
- Occasional Special Care – When you polish your solid wood furniture, or want to remove fingerprints, use a good grade furniture polish. We use Old English Lemon Oil. Guardsman is also good.
- See what things to avoid and what to do for dents and scratches. Here.
Lets Review
Why George’s solid wood furniture stands out among other furniture. Each craftsman signs and dates your custom made 100% solid hardwood heirloom furniture. Each is protected with a clear water-resistant conversion varnish. Be mesmerized by the natural grain of the ever growing extension table. Each table is designed to meet your everyday table size, 4-6 people and extends up to 12 feet, even to 21 feet. Store the desired number of table leaves in a leaf storage cabinet for the next dinner party. Lively conversation will continue into the night while sitting on strong comfortable chairs. Our chairs are made to withstand even leaning back in the chair.
Georges hutches, dressers and all cabinets contain solid hardwood drawers – even the bottoms – and strong full extension drawer hardware. The cabinet tops extend all the way to the top of the crown and can have easy access sided doors. Strong bed rails prevent squeaky beds and footed slats support the mattress extending its life.
Desks and office suites provide custom designs with long extension 
file drawers, adjustable shelves and raised paneled sides. Surround your office with natural wood desks, bookcases, conference tables and filing cabinets.
See for Yourself
Come and explore a wood shop tour where solid wood furniture is made the old fashion way by hand, crafted by one craftsman. The furniture is custom made to your specifications, with 100% solid hard wood. Be amazed by the ability to share your unique ideas with talented designers and see your dreams come true. Enjoy years of quality as the natural grains of walnut, cherry oak and maple hardwood furniture serve and endure the rigors of home life. Our showrooms and woodworking shop display solid handmade heirlooms for browsing. Explore George’s difference in construction and protection of natural hardwood furniture. In the meantime, see for yourself by watching our wood shop in action. YouTube channel Our customer reviews.
by Juanita | Aug 27, 2022 | Ava Lee's History Corner, Coffee End Table, customer experience, Forestry Management
Recently Carl and Chris Geeseman returned to our showroom after three decades of enjoying the furniture built by George. Like so many of our customers, they wanted to share the memories of George. The memories started back in the 1970’s. Carl worked for Highspire lumber yard. Lumber yard typically cut the trees in the forest and transport them to a sawmill. They are looking for straight long trees. A good veneer log needs to be clear of bark, metal, knots, and blemishes.
Forgotten hammer
Metal is a big concern for logs that come from a residential area where metal hardware, bullets or even a forgotten metal screwdriver, hammer or animal trap discarded in the fork of a tree. Each year the tree grows a metal object will become embedded into the wood and unable to be withdrawn. The metal object will leave a scar and their minerals will seep into the wood. Not only does metal scar the wood it destroys.
Scars and destroys
Along comes a saw blade, cuts through the metal, or goes around the hook and the expensive blade loses its teeth or even destroyed. Metal can shut down a sawmill resulting a loss of time and money. Bandsaw blades are 12 feet long and 1 ft wide. They are razor thin and thousands of dollars. Lumber jacks look at the outside bark for marks or scars that shows healing from metal objects or use metal detectors to find metal. Think twice before hooking a wash line, swing, or sign to a tree. They are alive and growing.
George’s treasure pile
Highspire lumber piled their cut offs like bark, knots, rotten wood etc. aside and sold the straight boards to their customers. George loved to come and rummage through the cut off pile looking for unique knots, grain twists, chain saw wedges, rotten tree butts and odd shaped pieces of wood for his next project. Walnut and cherry were his favorite. Some cross cuts turned into coffee tables, end tables, Lamp bases, or even crosscut critters (a crosscut with a hole in the middle from where the hollow tree healed itself.)
Filling the House
Carl and Chris Geeseman started their furniture collection in 1980’s with a table set, dry sink and hutch. Next a bedroom set. Later as the family grew it was time for the kids’ room, a single bed, dresser and child’s play table and chairs. Then another bed, chest of drawers and nightstands. Next it was dad’s turn with a nice rolltop desk with finished back and swivel desk chair. As the family grew so did the table. Time to order more table leaves.
Resourceful Brothers
During family get togethers Carl and his brother would haul their table leaves to the other’s house. Since both brothers had tables from George’s, the table leaves fit together nicely. A curious situation happened. I discovered a leaf storage box with two different colored table leaves in our shop. The two brothers completed their 8-leaf table set by ordering 4 leaves each. Now the hassle of loading up the table leaves in the car was no longer needed. All 29 people crowd around the table and enjoy the comfort of family. A fun game the Geeseman children play is lining up the little child’s chairs and playing school bus.
Sharing the quality
That is not all the furniture in the Geeseman household. 2 high chairs served the growing family. Chris said that their kids sat in the high chairs so long until they no longer fit in between the arms. Chris stopped using the high chairs when she got tired explaining to the kid’s friends why the kids still sat in high chairs. The high chairs have endured 3 kids, and 5 grandchildren. Other items like rocking chairs (child and adult), quilt rack, cradle, Jewelry box, benches and round end table found their way into the home. There is room for more. Maybe a new bed.
Explore, Watch and Design
Join the Geeseman family and many customers over the 50+ years in their experience with Georges fine craftsmen and quality handcrafted furniture. Everyone worked with our designers to create the perfect piece that meets every need and endures hard use of family and friends. Begin creating your unique living space, designed, and built right in Lancaster County, PA. Explore ideas on our website, watch the wood shop in action (YouTube) and see what possibilities await discovery.
In the mean time, we have created this handy checklist on how to spot high-quality furniture. Down the checklist here so you know what to avoid in your furniture shopping. An informed mind will bring great results.
Download your Guide to High-Quality Furniture
by Juanita | Jun 2, 2022 | Ava Lee's History Corner, customer experience, Customization, George's Furniture, Tables
Our customers discover Georges Furniture by many different ways. Whether they find a brochure In Lancaster County, searched for quality furniture maker online, see the handmade furniture in a friend’s home or listened to the excited story of a satisfied customer, the furniture amazes them each time they enter the showrooms. What beautiful furniture, wonderful craftsmanship!
Explore handmade furniture
The Amsterdam family was no different. They came to see the wood shop tour and discovered the unique features of handcrafted, custom, and signed by one craftsman furniture all in one place. At the end of the tour they responded,
“Our house is full of furniture, however if we ever need furniture we know where we will come.”
Flooding Devastation
Two years after their visit, Hurricane Sandy hit the Eastern seaboard of the United. The family watched in terror as the water arose, filling the first floor and proceeded up the stairs to the next floor. Their furniture did not survive the flooding. Once the hurricane moved northward, the cleanup began.
Return to George’s
Once the clean up finished and their house ordered, it was time to look for furniture. As promised, the Amsterdam family came to the showroom with a unique request. “Will you help us fill our house with furniture?” I never thought I would be an interior designer, but they spread out the floor plan on our dining table and we proceeded through each room. First was the dining room then the master bedroom. I worked with each family member deciding the perfect design and options.
Which furniture to make first
Several hours later came the challenging part. Which room to make first. Dinning, master bedroom, teens bedroom, living room or den. Out of necessary, the dining table and chairs won along with the bedroom furniture. We updated each other as the house neared completion and ready for delivery.
Home restored
Over the next couple of years, we filled their house with custom handmade furniture designed to their desires. The furniture will serve the family for decades to come. Want to join in the discovery of quality craftsmanship, visit Georgesfurniturepa.com or visit our showroom and wood shop.
How to detect Quality
To help you start the process to high-quality, handcrafted furniture, we created this handy checklist to spot high-quality furniture. Download the checklist here so you know what to avoid in your furniture shopping. Then call us when you are ready to design your own customer, handcrafted piece.
Download you Guide to High-quality Furniture
by Juanita | Nov 24, 2021 | Ava Lee's History Corner, customer experience, George's Furniture, Georges Difference, Tables
“I love that this table belonged to my grandparents!” Can you believe this solid wood kitchen table was actually created for her grandparents?! Now Karly gets to gather her family around this same table! And it is in amazing condition!
A Custom Kitchen Table Just for Them
In 1978, Cyrus and Florence Keefer were designing their new house in Middletown, PA. They dreamed of a joyful home making memories with their children. That’s when they realized they really wanted a solid wood kitchen table as the centerpiece for family meals, homework, board games & late-night chats. Their next obstacle? Finding a table that could meet their needs.
As Cyrus & Florence considered their needs, they knew they could not just pick up a kitchen table from a furniture outlet store. They really needed a customized solid wood kitchen table just for them & their family.
Enter George’s Furniture, Lancaster, PA. When Cyrus & Florence reached out to George, they knew they definitely wanted a kitchen table made from black walnut wood. Lucky for them, George’s Furniture specializes in black walnut wood. When they visited George, they shared their vision for the kitchen & even saw George’s woodshop in action. That is when they decided on a trestle table & chairs to fit their eat-in kitchen space.
1st thing to know about this solid wood kitchen table: It is completely custom designed for Cyrus & Florence’s kitchen & made out of beautiful black walnut wood.
Black Walnut Wood: Perfect for this Kitchen Table
Once the gorgeous solid wood kitchen table was installed in their home, it quickly became the gathering point for their family. In fact, Cyrus started a Sunday night tradition of preparing sandwiches, his specialty, for the whole family & any of their guests who visited too.
Sadly, Cyrus passed in 1980. But in their loss, his family appreciated the memories they had with their father gathered around that beautiful kitchen table. In time, Cyrus’s daughter Lori & son-in-law Kurt Siffin inherited the solid wood trestle table & chairs set.
“The table was a sentimental piece of furniture… a pleasant reminder of our father and family home,” recalls Lori. “The table has aged well. The memory marks have added character to the table. It is a piece worthy to be passed on.”
In the Siffin home, the kitchen table again brought the family together for meals, games, & memories. Even through several moves, this family heirloom witnessed birthday parties & celebrations, soup nights in the winter, & lunches in the summer.
When Lori & Kurt Siffin finally downsized to their current home in Long Neck, Delaware, the solid wood trestle table & chairs went into storage, but not for long.
2nd thing to know about this solid wood kitchen table: Using the black walnut wood for this kitchen table meant it kept its beauty & strength through the 2nd generation of the family. 
Solid Wood Kitchen Table Lasts Generations
Because of the sentimental value of the table as well as the high quality of the black walnut wood, the Siffins thoughtfully stored the table properly to preserve its quality.
After 2 years in storage, Karly Siffin, granddaughter of Cyrus & daughter of Lori, gave the trestle table new life in her home. From Philadelphia, PA, Karly moved from her small apartment into a townhome in Manayunk, PA. Now this family heirloom can again serve family & friends in Karly’s kitchen. “I love that this table belonged to my grandparents. It is very special to me,” says Karly.
3rd thing to know about this solid wood kitchen table: When you work with George’s Furniture to custom build your dream furniture, you can trust that the quality will truly last your family for generations. It is well worth the investment.
Each customer of George’s Furniture enjoys the ability to pass their heirlooms from one generation to another. The exceptional, high-quality construction and strong, protective finishes allow George’s furniture to survive decades. Join the many satisfied customers and begin your family traditions of gathering around a table and enjoy the beauty of handcrafted solid wood furniture.
by Juanita | Mar 6, 2020 | Ava Lee's History Corner, Events, George's Furniture
A Calamitous Night
George’s Woodcrafts had just turned 20 years old. George Martin’s efforts had grown a custom, solid wood furniture-making business that employed about 8 full-time craftsman. George and his family had retired for the night on April 28, 1989. Suddenly, the dog started barking and someone began pounding on the door, frantically ringing the doorbell. George bolted for the window and then yelled, “The woodshop is on fire!” “Call the fire department!” “Get the vehicles out!”
Fire Devastation
Many fire departments responded to the fire. The firemen called it an “all-nighter”. Obviously, the wood shop contained a lot of fuel for the fire. The firemen were able to save some wood stored in the lower level of the barn as well as the wood piles stored outside but the rest was a total loss—machinery, patterns, lumber in the barn, and finished furniture in the storage area waiting to be delivered to customers.
During the fire, I (Ava Lee) went to find George. He was sitting on an upside down bucket between the lumber yard and the burning barn. He looked at me and said, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord”, a quote from Job in the Bible.
Clean-up Crew
Over the next two days, neighborhood farmers and men from churches in the area came with machines and chain saws to help clean up the ruins. Women brought food to feed the hungry workers. The Brotherly Aid Insurance Company came immediately to assess the damage and quickly gave approval to release funds allowing the rebuilding process to begin within days of the fire.
A Craftsman Turns General Contractor
Following the lead of one of our craftsman, an experienced builder, our entire team of craftsmen became carpenters as they helped to build a new woodshop where the old woodshop once stood. No one was injured in the fire or during reconstruction process. The new roof rafters were set on a drizzly day in May,1989, a month that held a record-breaking 10 inches of rain. Within 3 months of the fire, one wing of the woodshop was built and we were back to crafting solid wood furniture! Our craftsman rebuilt the furniture that was lost in the fire, while work continued on the rebuilding the rest of the shop.
A New Shop Brings Efficiency, a New Kiln, a Showroom, and More!
George often said, “I was happy with the shop in the dairy barn. When God took away that one, He must have wanted me to have a new one.” The new one is more efficient, and more conducive to giving shop tours. The new shop includes room for a showroom and a wood-drying kiln on the first level.
We’d love for you to stop in! Come by and check out our shop and view our gorgeous solid wood, handcrafted furniture!
