Woodwork Finish

You have completed the construction of your project but it looks and feels like raw wood. Where do you go from here? Let’s look at some various methods of finishing that project. First we need to determine what kind of things will potentially damage the wood. Is there a possibility of water stains, dust, and heavy wearing traffic? Do you want a different color from the raw wood? Do you want a glossy finish?

There are surface finishes like shellac, lacquer or varnish and penetrating finishes like oil. Shellac is very glossy and over a period of time creates an amber color to your project. It is fast drying, but is subject to water stains and spots. Lacquer is usually sprayed on, is fast drying and creates a hard long lasting surface but is flammable. Varnishes (traditional and Polyurethane) are very durable but can be more difficult to apply due primarily to the extended drying time involved. And of course there is the traditional oil finish. It is easy to apply, dries quickly, and develops to a beautiful patina over time.

You need a nice smooth surface for applying the finish. That requires sanding. Depending on the project and its surface configuration, flat or contoured, you may utilize a power sander or hand sanding. Orbital sanders work the best for finishing because they do not leave gouges or scratches on the surface. You need to progress through multiple sanding operations, progressing from a coarse (120 grit sand paper) to a finer (320 grit sand paper) to obtain that smooth surface. Round over any sharp edges by hand sanding and remove the dust between steps. You may dampen the surface slightly to raise the fibers toward the final sanding.

You may change the wood's natural color by applying a stain to the surface. Stains are oil and mineral spirit solutions containing pigments. You can mix lighter and darker colored stains to obtain just the color you like. Sample staining on a piece of scrap wood is recommended.

Build it, sand it, stain it and apply the finish coats. You have just completed that masterpiece of your own.