Town guide / Cheshire market towns
Old pine furniture for a Congleton house
Congleton sits on the River Dane beneath Bosley Cloud, a market town whose mills once worked silk and other textiles, and whose streets still show that industrial past.
i.
The houses
Brick terraces built for mill workers stand alongside Victorian villas and a good deal of newer housing on the edges of town. In the terraces, rooms are compact and stairs narrow; in newer houses, rooms may be larger but ceilings lower and the heating constant. Pine copes with both, though it is softer than oak, so it marks more readily and its colour can deepen with light over the years.
ii.
Pine furniture in that setting
Much old pine was painted when it was made, and the stripped, waxed look many people now expect is often a later treatment. Neither is wrong, but it helps to know which you are buying. Ask Sara whether a piece has been stripped or still carries old paint, and check its depth carefully, since pine dressers and cupboards can be deeper than they appear in photographs.
iii.
Buying from Caernarfon
There is no Life: Full Colour outlet near Congleton. Sara works from Caernarfon, a long way west by the A54 across Cheshire to Chester and then the A55.
Buying works the same way from anywhere: find a piece, ask Sara about it by the enquiry form or on 01286 400155, and buy through Creative Caernarfon.
Visiting and delivery
Life: Full Colour is based at 9 Segontium Terrace, Caernarfon LL55 2PN. Ask Sara whether delivery or viewing is possible for a particular piece.
Pine furniture listed on Creative Caernarfon
One-off pieces: ask Sara whether a listing is still available.
iv.
Questions for a Congleton buyer
A great deal of it was. Pine was a cheaper timber and was often painted to protect it or to imitate more expensive woods. Many pieces have since been stripped back to bare wood. Some buyers prefer surviving paint and others the stripped finish, so ask Sara which applies to a particular piece.
Pine dents and marks more easily than oak, and over time those marks become part of its character. For a kitchen table or dresser in daily use, that wear is usually welcome rather than a problem. If you want to keep a surface crisp, keep hot pans and wet glasses off bare waxed wood.
Check whether the dresser separates into rack and base, as many do, and get the dimensions of each part. Then measure the front door, the hallway width and any turn into the kitchen or back room. Sara can give you the sizes of a specific dresser if you ask about it.
Pieces are listed on lifefullcolour.uk, and the business is based at 9 Segontium Terrace, Caernarfon. To see a specific piece in person, ask Sara on 01286 400155 or through the enquiry form whether a viewing can be arranged. Purchases are completed through Creative Caernarfon.
In many Welsh farmhouses the dresser, or dresel, was the main piece in the kitchen, built to hold and show the household's plates and jugs. The open rack was for display, the base for drawers, cupboards or an open pot board. Today it suits crockery, glasses, books or a collection.
It does, slowly. Light turns pale pine honey coloured over the years, and waxing deepens it further, so a piece by a window will age faster than one in a dim corner. Many owners enjoy the change, and moving ornaments around now and then keeps the colour even.
Yes. Food cupboards were made to store food, and they still suit dry goods, tins, glasses and crockery. Wipe the shelves and let the cupboard air for a few days first, keep anything damp or oily off bare wood, and check that ventilation holes or panels have not been blocked over.
Both mark. Paint chips and shows scratches as bare patches, which some owners like, while stripped waxed pine takes scuffs that a little wax can soften, and claws matter mostly on lower panels and feet. Ask Sara which finish a piece has.
Pine is fairly forgiving, but steam and cooking grease build up on open shelves. Keep the dresser a little away from the cooker and wipe the rack with a dry cloth. For a greasy mark use a barely damp cloth and dry the wood at once.
It often is. Pine is plain, practical and approachable, and a small chest, cupboard or table will fit most rooms. It marks readily, which makes it easy to live with if you do not mind wear, so start with one piece.
Old racks were made for plates and jugs, not heavy dishes in quantity. Spread the weight across the shelves, put the heaviest items on the base and look at how firmly the shelves sit in the backboards. If a shelf bows, take weight off it rather than testing it further.