Finishing, The Process

Sanding

            As you build a piece, regardless of what it is and how good your equipment is, you are going to end up with flaws in the wood.  These flaws occur from milling the wood, moving it around, storing it in the shop, and of course while it was in the Lumberyard where you got it from.  Now if you just start putting a finish on, you are going to highlight those flaws.  A great piece of work can quickly look like garbage if you don't deal with these flaws.  The only way to get rid of those flaws is to sand them out.

           Rule number 1 when sanding is to always sand in the direction of the grain.  The number 2 rule is to use sand paper in progressive manner.  What I mean by this is to start with a sand paper that is course enough to remove the flaws.  As a rule of thumb you will start with a 80 grit or a 100 grit paper. (the lower the number the courser the sand paper)  Next you will want to sand with a finer paper, such as 120 grit and work your way up.  There has got different schools of thought on where to stop or how far up to go in the grit.  I usually go up to a 220.  

          When do you stop sanding with the paper you are using?  Well the best thing I can tell you is that you will learn that with experience.  But if can no longer see the flaw that you were trying to remove then you will want to change to the finer grit paper to remove the sanding marks of the courser paper.  So on and so forth.  

         When you are checking the wood for flaws there are a couple of things you can do.  You can look at the wood at a low angle to see if you see any flaws.  You can also use mineral spirits as an aid to see the flaws. But be prepared, because these will not always reveal the flaws.  I like to run my hand across the wood lightly and feel for the flaws.

Staining

         The first question you need to ask is what is the wood going to look like with out a stain?  To answer this there are 2 basic things you can do.  One is to apply a liquid onto the wood such as paint thinner.  If the wood is not dark enough then you will want to apply a stain.  Choose the color of stain you want.  Please keep in mind that different woods will react differently to the stain you apply.  What I mean by this is that some wood will soak the stain up (absorb the stain more than others).  This can result in a darker color that you may have been looking for.  So make sure you conduct a test stain on a piece of scrap that has gone through the same sanding process that you have completed on your project.  Again there are different schools of thought on the type of stain one should use.  There are those who suggest that you use Gel stains unless you are finishing quality hard woods such as Oak,  Walnut and Mahogany.  If you are staining pine, cherry or other soft woods you will probably want to use a pre-stain conditioner.  This will help prevent a blotchy look.  Gel Stains are also suppose to help reduce the blotchy effect.  I use an oil based stain.

         You can apply stain in a couple of ways.  The first is using a clean lint free and dye free rag.  The other is by using a bristle or foam brush.  I personally use a high quality brush on a large project and the rag method for smaller projects.  Regardless of which method you use you will want to wipe of the excess stain before it dries with a clean lint free rag.  Make sure that you maintain a wet edge while applying your stain.  This will prevent a double application of stain being applied making your finish looking bad (you will end up with a darker are where it was doubled up).   If your stain dries to hard to wipe off, before you can wipe of the excess, you can reapply some stain to that area and wipe it off right away.

Finishing

          In almost all cases you will want to place a protective coat on your finished project.  This finish coat will protect your work from water stains, minor scratches, dirt and such.  There are more finish choices than you can shake a stick at.  Which one to choose is a whole new article (which will be written when I can get to it.)  If you are a first timer at finishing I would suggest an Oil based Polyurethane to you.  It provides a durable finish in just 2 or 3 coats and I find that it is a little more forgiving than the water based poly.  

Applying Polyurethane

         When you decide to apply a polyurethane you will want to use a good quality bristle brush or a foam brush.  There are those who will tell you to use a brush about 2 inches wide.  I say use a brush that will work for the piece you are finishing and that you find comfortable in using.  Using a bristle brush does require clean up, where as using a foam brush it does cut that clean up process out of the picture because the foam brush can just be tossed.  To apply the Poly brush in the direction of the grain if at all possible.  As you brush on the poly and you see bubbles, go ahead and lightly run the brush over it again to "POP" the bubbles.  Don't go crazy when all the bubbles don't get popped out the majority of them will POP on their own after you have got out most of them.

        After applying  your first coat of poly, following the manufactures directions, and it dries, you will want to sand it.  Use a 280 grit or finer paper smooth to the touch.  I use 000 steel wool for this step.  Next remove the saw dust using a tacky cloth or a shop vac.  I use a clean towel then a vacuum with a soft bristle attachment.  Make sure that you don't sand through the first coat of poly.  Then apply your second coat. So on and so forth until you get get the amount of poly you desire on the piece.  

The Environment

        When ever you apply a finish regardless of it's type, you will want to have as little dust in the area as possible.  So unless you have dedicated finishing room this is very hard to accomplish.  You will need too clean as best as you can.  Vacuum and dust your shop area as best as you can.  The more time you spend in ridding the area of dust the better your finish will turn out.  You can also make your self a finishing tent out of plastic.  

        I also must encourage you to use some type of breathing devise that is rated for fumes and keep the area well ventilated.  I hope that this helps you all out.  Any questions about this article or any other please contact me at  Messmanswoodworking@cox.net.