Extra Fine Furniture Finish

¶ Extra Fine Furniture and Cabinet Finish.

¶ White Maple, Satinwood, Italian Walnut, Birdseye Maple, Mahogany, French Walnut, Holly, American Black Walnut, Circassian Walnut.

¶ These fine cabinet and furniture woods are usually finished in their natural colors and to retain as light a color as possible in order to preserve and enhance the natural coloring and shading of the grain figures. No oil is used because it darkens the color. No filler and little or no stain are used. A good working schedule to follow, for the finest class of finishing is: Operation 1: Sandpaper the wood to make it smooth and to start with the finest possible surface. Sandpaper with No. ½ and finish No. 00.

¶ Operation 2: Clean up thoroughly to remove dust from the pores of the wood and all grit, particularly from mouldings, cracks, etc. A good stiff duster brush will do the work and it should be followed with a clean up using a damp chamois skin. Operation 3: Shellac. Two thin coats of pure white shellac, cut about 2 pounds of shellac gum to 1 gallon of alcohol. Brush on thin and evenly. Let dry half an hour or more and sandpaper with No. 00 paper to remove all shellac except what is lodged in the wood cells. Use orange shellac for dark woods and white for light woods.

¶ Operation 4: Putty. Fill holes, cracks and bruises with white lead putty made with white lead in oil, dry colors, dry whiting and a few drops of japan drier. Color the putty to match the surface or a little darker as may be called for to make the most of the wood you are finishing. Wipe all putty marks off of the surface around the fillings so it will not cloud the finish. Let the putty dry hard.

¶ Operation 5: Sandpaper the surface lightly with No. 00 paper. Clean up with duster brush and chamois skin damp.

¶ Operation 6: Varnish. Four coats of extra pale cabinet or furniture varnish are needed. The first coat should be thinned about 25% with pure turpentine so it will sink and fill any pores in the surface and not bridge over as thick varnish may do. Each coat of varnish must be allowed to dry at least 24 hours and longer is much better. Each coat should be rubbed to remove the gloss and dirt nibs, using FF pumice stone and water on a felt pad. Note instructions on applying varnish by rubbing. The last coat of varnish should be fine rubbed and polished with rotten stone as noted in that chapter also.

¶ Operation 7: Waxing. As a rule these fine woods are completely finished with the first six operations. If a wax finish is wanted the wax may be put on after Operation 5 or 8, omitting all following operations. Two coats of wax are needed. Let the first coat dry and polish. Let it stand two days and apply the second coat and polish it with a pad, or a bristle brush to a hard lustrous surface. Such a finish costs less, looks well but is not very durable unless put on over a varnish finish.

¶ Operation 8: Stain. These woods are sometimes stained. A good quality water stain is best because it is most transparent and penetrates deepest. Apply the stain after Operation 2 and putty before Operation 3. When dark stains are used apply orange shellac, never white. The latter will bleach out in time and cause a white cloud under the varnish.

Next Page: Finishing Carved Wood.