Finishing Equipment

Wood finishing refers to the process of embellishing and/or protecting the surface. The process starts with surface preparation, either by sanding by hand (typically using a sanding block) or power sander, scraping, or planing. more...

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Imperfections or nail holes on the surface may be filled using wood putty or pores may be filled using wood filler. Often, the wood's colour is changed by staining, bleaching, ammonia fuming and a number of other techniques. Some woods such as pine or cherry do not take stain evenly, resulting in "blotching". To avoid blotching, a barrier coat such as shellac or so-called "wood conditioner" is applied before the stain. Gel stains are also used to avoid blotching.

Once the wood surface is prepared and stained, a number of coats of finish may be applied, often sanding between coats. Commonly used wood finishes include wax, shellac, drying oils (such as linseed oil or tung oil), lacquer, varnish, or paint. Other finishes called "oil finish" or "Danish Oil" are actually thin varnishes with a relatively large amount of oil and solvent. Water-based finishes can cause what is called "raising the grain" where surface fuzz emerges and requires sanding down.

Finally the surface may be polished or buffed using steel wool, pumice, rottenstone and other polishing or rubbing compounds depending on the shine desired. Often, a final coat of wax can be applied over the finish to add a slight amount of protection.

French polishing is not polishing as such, but a method of applying many thin coats of shellac using a rubbing pad, yielding a very fine glossy finish.

Different tools used to apply wood finishes include rags, rubbing pads, brushes, and spray guns.

The processes involved, and even the terminology for the materials used are quite different in Britain from those in the USA. For instance, the process of replicating the look and feel of traditional French polished wood is more commonly done in the UK by "pulling over" precatalysed lacquer, whereas in the US a "rubbed" finish is more common. Also, Americans seem to be more casual in their approach to wood finishing, using products available from local hardware stores whereas in Britain supplies are more often ordered via the manufacturer's representative and are for "Professional Use Only" with no instructions on the tin.

Comparison of different clear finishes as used in America

Choosing a clear finish for wood involves trade-offs between appearance, protection and durability, safety, ease of application, reversibility, and rubbing qualities. The following table compares the characteristics of different clear finishes. "Rubbing qualities", a term of art, indicates the ease with which the finish can be sanded between coats. It does not indicate a method of application such as brush or rag.

Read more at Wikipedia.org