by Juanita | May 12, 2018 | Accessories, George's Furniture
George’s Furniture specializes in customizable hardwood furniture—but did you know we also make accessories that will light up any room in your home? From cutting boards, to hand turned wooden bowls, to keepsake boxes, our craftsmen’s careful precision and skills are unmatched.
Our gorgeous wooden bowls are hand turned using the following steps:
- Initial rough turning: this first step takes place while the wood is still wet (before starting the drying process). The rough turning is complete when the bowl’s thickness is about 1” all around.
- One year of drying: the wood then dries for an entire year. For the last four months of drying, the wood is brought into a stable environment (like your home) for the final drying time.
- Remounted to lathe: The rough turned bowl can then be remounted to the turning lathe. You will notice the slightly oval shape due to the drying process. By letting the bowl fully dry, you will have a bowl that keeps its perfectly round shape for life!
- Thickness achieved: Hand turning continues and, depending on the skill of the craftsmen, the bowl will be turned into a very narrow thickness all around—giving it a beautiful shape and feel. The turning isn’t quite finished until the craftsman takes varying grades of sanding paper to provide the smooth touch to the bowl.
- Final product: The final product is then rubbed with a food-safe finish made for items such as butcher blocks and salad bowls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL4anCcr2dA
Visit our Lancaster County showroom today to see a variety of solid wood accessories, created and customized by our skilled craftsmen!
by Juanita | May 5, 2018 | Customization, George's Furniture
Are you looking for a perfect Mother’s Day gift? Give mom the gift of George’s Furniture this Mother’s Day.
There are several ways in which you can make this Mother’s Day very special with us:
- Schedule a tour of our woodshop so mom can see our skilled craftsmen in action.
- Visit our showroom to see a variety of options that your mother can choose from.
- Your mom will have the option of various natural woods and high-quality, water-resistant finishes to choose from. All of our furniture is customizable, from our gorgeous extension table to our rocking chair with matching slanted footstool.
Visit George’s Furniture for the perfect Mother’s Day gift this year! Call 1-800-799-1685 to schedule a tour today!
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.
by Juanita | Apr 5, 2018 | Customization, George's Furniture
At George’s Furniture, each handcrafted, hardwood piece goes on a thorough journey before taking its place in a customer’s home. We begin by harvesting native trees and slow-drying the rough sawn lumber in house. Our kiln reduces stress cracks which occur when accelerating the drying process. The slow-drying process also prevents loose joints, splitting, and warping. Our craftsmen are extremely careful in caring for every single piece of furniture produced in our woodshop.
Lovingly Handcrafted, From Start to Finish
Once the wood has been slowly dried, construction takes place. From start to finish, our talented craftsmen take particular care in creating each chair, table, stool, etc. by hand. Our furniture is cut, lathed, and sanded by hand to the exact specifications from our customers.
Hand Staining
Before final inspection, your hardwood furniture is assembled and taken to our special staining station. 
Our craftsman hand rubs your specified color into the wood of your choice.
Spray on First Coat of Finish
Once the stain has dried thoroughly and completely, the piece is taken into the dust-free spray booth where two coats of premium-quality clear, water-resistant finish are applied to all sides of the piece—including top, bottom, outside, and inside—sealing and protecting this long-lasting piece from moisture and other elements when exposed to natural wear throughout its lifetime.
Dry – Hand Sand – Second Clear Coat
The first coat of finish is dried and sanded, and the second coat is followed by a close inspection to ensure smoothness and full coverage.
Our Most Popular Finishes
- Natural black walnut blend (black walnut heartwood and sapwood) pictured
- Cherry wood with cinnamon stain
- Cherry wood with dark mahogany stain
Each piece at George’s Furniture is carefully inspected to make sure it meets our high standards. Call us today to take a tour of our furniture store in Lancaster, PA! Tour our woodshop and showroom so that you can see our furniture making process in real-time—as well as the finished products!
by Juanita | Feb 15, 2018 | George's Furniture, Team Bio
Meet the President
Before becoming the President of George’s Furniture, Chris Horst spent ten years in the automotive engineering industry in the 90s and early 2000s. He has now been working for George’s for 12 years. Chris married George’s daughter, Juanita, in July of 2000 and became part of the family business. In 2008, Chris and Juanita decided to take over the family business causing a change in careers for Chris.
Learning Woodworking
During the first three years, Chris learned the craft itself. He trained directly with a master craftsman and developed a passion for woodworking and the beauty of hardwood furniture.
Chris says, “Knowing what goes into each piece gives you an appreciation for the skill and craftsmanship that is needed to design and craft a dream piece of furniture for our customers. Our customers become part of the business and a part of our family.”
Chris loves to see the customers’ reactions when they see their handcrafted furniture for the first time. It makes all the hard work that goes into each individual piece well worth it.
Favorite Design
The project Chris enjoyed the most was designing and building a special bookcase for a small apartment which allowed cables to run through the unit, hidden by the woodwork and attached to the apartment wall for stability.
In His Free Time
In his free time, Chris teaches a homeschooled Physics class once a week. He also enjoys reading and taking trips in the outdoors—including camping, biking, and hiking.
