The Complete Guide To Wood Finishing

WOOD finishing today is a commercial art. With the greater
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appreciation of interior decoration by the great middle classes has
come the realization that interior wood trim constitutes the frame of
the picture, so to speak. Consequently the selection of color and
texture of the finish for wood trim is being done with the same care
that is exercised by the artist who chooses a frame for his painting.
The tendency to consider the wood finishing in homes and public
buildings simply as one element of a decorative scheme, along with
the several others, such as walls, floor, furniture, drapes, rugs and
accessories, is a wholesome development which is making interiors
truly beautiful.
The wood finisher, whether he be house painter and decorator,
furniture worker or arts and crafts artisan, is confronted with an array
of finishes calculated to confuse even the most experienced unless his
working methods are based upon a sound knowledge of the most
modern stains, fillers, varnishes and other materials. Then there has
been a steady change in the kinds and grades of woods used for
buildings, cabinets and furniture, calling for complete knowledge of the
characteristics of present day woods.
And to make the wood finisher's task even more difficult the
specifications by architects and customers change constantly to keep
pace with styles in furniture and decorations of standard, period and
novel designs. The wish is always for something new and different.
So the wood finisher must keep up with the procession in pursuit of
style and vogue.
The matter of cost of producing finishes is usually the controlling
factor, especially when surfaces to be finished are very large or are
many times repeated, as when made up of hundreds of rooms in large
office, hotel or similar structures. Then the cost of an extra coat or an
extra sanding of the surface, for instance, may mean the difference
between profit or loss on the job.
In this book the author has aimed to discard the old and obsolete
materials and methods which are too costly in labor to be practical in
this day of high wage scales. Only such materials and methods have
been cited as are equal to present day demands for both practical and
artistic finishes.
Table of Contents
I. WOOD FINISHING IN GENERAL. ........... 4
II. PREPARATION OF NEW AND OLD SURFACES. . 8
III. STAINS IN GENERAL .................... 15
IV. FACTORY PREPARED STAINS. ............. 16
V. WATER STAINS ........................ 18
VI. STAIN BRUSHING AND PROCEDURE ....23
VII. PREPARING WOOD TO TAKE STAIN EVENLY.....25
VIII. THE MIXING AND USE OF WOOD FILLERS. . 31
IX. VARNISH AND SHELLAC ................. 39
X. VARNISHING, RUBBING, POLISHING ........46
XI. VARNISH DEFECTS AND THEIR CAUSES ..... 64
XII. LACQUERS ....... 79
XIII. WAX FINISHES AND OIL-RUBBED FINISHES...84
XIV. SCHEDULES OF WORKING OPERATIONS. .... 88
XV. WOOD & DESCRIPTIONS OF CHARACTERISTICS .......100
XVI. BRUSH GRAINING ......................131
XVII. DECORATIVE WOOD FINISHES BY GLAZING AND
HIGHLIGHTING ...................133
XXVIII. REPAIRING DAMAGED FINISHES ..........137
CHAPTER I
WOOD FINISHING IN GENERAL
THE wood finisher's ideal must necessarily be simply that of making
the most of what he has to work with, producing the maximum of
beauty and serviceability under the circumstances. For no two jobs are
alike in all respects and he is seldom consulted in the selection of the
wood before erection.
In undertaking a job of interior wood finishing there are four factors
which must be considered: the kind of wood, the color decorative plan
for the room, the durability of the finish expected^ and the cost or
investment of money to be made.
The kind of wood to be finished determines broadly the character of
the finish to be employed. We may say that in common practice woods
are finished as indicated by these groups:
Stain Natural
Mahogany Gumwood
Hickory Redwood
Chestnut Cedar
OakMahogany
Ash Walnut, American Holly Walnut, American Walnut, Circassian Bass
,
Paint or Enamel Pine, white Pine, yellow Pine, Oregon Fir Spruce
Butternut Oak, white, red Cottonwood Rosewood Cherry Cypress
Cherry Rosewood Gumwood Birch, select Chestnut Birch Gumwood
Ebony Redwood Cypress Satinwood Fir, select Cedar Redwood
In addition to the kind of wood, the grade has much to do with the
selection of the finish. The ...