Stained Finishes for Hardwoods

¶ Stained Finish: New Interior Hardwoods, Oak, Ash, Chestnut, Cherry, Walnut, Gum, Birch and Maple.

¶ Operation 1: Clean up the wood with duster brush and putty knife, making .sure all dirt and grease are removed. Sandpaper any rough places.

¶ Operation 2: Stain. Use an oil, spirit or water stain. Let it dry and if the grain of the wood has been raised by the water or spirit stain sandpaper it down smooth, using No. ½ paper. Let the stain dry twelve hours or more before sandpapering. Then clean up after the sanding operation.

¶ Operation 3: Putty. Pill all holes, braises and cracks with lead putty made from white lead ground in oil, dry whiting and a little japan drier. Add dry colors to make the putty match the stained wood, making the putty a trifle darker because the wood will get darker with age and when the finishing coats are added.

¶ Operation 4: Filler. Open-grain woods like oak, ash, chestnut, walnut, etc., require filling usually, but not always, with a paste filler. Some finishes call for unfilled grain. Birch, maple and cherry are close-grain woods and usually are filled enough with a coat of shellac which is rubbed close, removing all shellac except what remains in the pores of the wood. The shellac is used very thin, about a two-pound cut. Care should be taken not to use a white bleached shellac on dark stained woods. It will in time show up in a white cloud under the varnish. This has occurred often when white shellac has been used on mahogany. Use white only on light colored finishes, a mixture of white and orange on medium dark finishes and orange or brown on dark finishes. Some finishers use paste filler on birch, maple, cherry, walnut and gum after making it quite thin. See mixing fillers. Usually, but not always, the filler is colored to match the stain. But the filler for gray stains is usually white or light gray, while the filler for mahogany is usually very dark brown, nearly black. Allow any filler, except shellac, to dry at least twelve hours. Sandpaper lightly and clean up with a cloth dampened with benzine to clear up the grain.

¶ Operation 5: Shellac. Brush on one thin coat of shellac. Let it dry, sandpaper and dust off the surface clean. This will seal up the stain against rubbing up or bleeding when the varnish coats are put on.

¶ Operation 6: Varnish. Apply one to four coats of first class interior varnish. Let each coat dry hard before another is put on. And if more than one coat of varnish is used each undercoat should be rubbed lightly, but enough to remove the gloss and dirt nibs with No. 00 sandpaper or steel wool. Then clean up the surface, cracks and corners before brushing on another coat. Use a duster brush and a damp chamois skin for the clean up work. Thin the first coat only of varnish about 25% with pure turpentine.

¶ Operation 7: Rub dull. If a dull finish is wanted rub the last coat of varnish with grade FF pumice stone and oil or water on a felt pad. Then wash up with benzine and rub the surface to a dull lustre. Or use a flat-drying varnish on the last coat and no rubbing is necessary.

¶ Operation 8: Wax. The wax may be applied immediately after Operation 4 or 5, or over one or more coats of varnish. Apply the wax, let it dry fairly hard and polish with a weighted brush or. electric polishing machine. Let the first coat dry two days and wax and polish again to a hard surface. See more details on waxing. (Note: When a finish with open pores, like Jacobean oak or mission oak is wanted, omit the filler and add one more coat of shellac, which with one or two very thin coats of Tarnish is sufficient.)

Next Page: Stain Finish for Soft Woods.