Wood Finishing

Wood Finishes

What Are Wood Finishes?

Wood finishing refers to the process of protecting the wood’s surface or making the wood’s surface more beautiful. Most woods are not perfect. The blemishes or imperfection of a wood may be natural or due to transport. So, the purpose of finishing is to cover up the blemishes and imperfection, so as to project beauty and protection. The extent of finishing can range from minimal to elaborate.

Factors Determining Wood Finishes

The kind of finishing to be used or applied on a particular wood or completed project is very much dependent on the following factors:

• The kind of wood
• The color scheme of the wood or project’s environment (that is, what is the color scheme of the surrounding where the wood or completed project will be placed)
• The expected durability of the finishing
• The budget

The kind of wood will likely dictate the type of finishes to be used. In other words, when it comes to finishes, woods are segregated into various groupings for different finishes. Not all finishes are suited for all kinds of wood. The selection of finishes is also determined by the wood grade. The choice of finishes for the cheaper or lower grade wood is often limited to paint or enamel. These are the grades that had not been selected for grain, figure and color at the mill.

Consideration of the color scheme of the environment where the wood will be placed is more of a question of beauty and harmony, matching and contrast. This is very much a design consideration and aesthetic factor. So, this is also an issue of taste and subjective view of things.

The durability expectation is determined by the end uses of the wood or project. If the end use of the wood is not subject to repeated human use or force, staining, waxing or oil coat is probably more than sufficient. However, if the wood to be finished is the flooring, then a totally different approach is required. Finishing wood floor will likely call for staining, shellac, and three varnish coatings in order to be durable. However, most practise only two layers of varnish coats.

Wood Finishes – Surface Preparation

Now, let’s take a look at the sequence of finishing. The whole process of finishing begins with surface preparation or treatment by:

• Sanding (which can be by hand or power tools)
• Scraping
• Planing
• Filling holes, pores or imperfections with filler substances

Wood Finishes – Color Treatment

After the surface material imperfection is taken care off, the next part of the finishing process will be color treatment. This procedure may involve staining, bleaching, ammonia treatment and other techniques. Certain woods do not respond well to the staining process, resulting in blotching on the wurface. To go around this problem, the wood and surface is coated with some form of conditioner or shellac before the actual staining.

Wood Finishes – Coating

Following the staining procedure, the surface is coated using different chemicals or substances. The choice of coats include:

• Shellac
• Wax
• Paint
• Varnish
• Lacquer
• Oil

Sometimes, the procedure of coating may also produce imperfection. In such cases, the surface needs to be smoothen again using sanding, followed by another layer of coating. This process may be repeated a number of times depending on the anticipated quality of the final finishes.