Tag Archives: finishing

I See a Red Door…

This morning I added a coat of pitch black milk paint to my sack-back chair. After you strain milk paint, it’s a lot more like adding a colored wash than it is like painting. (It’s funny how my wife doesn’t even bother asking me what I want her old pantyhose for anymore.) As Michael Dunbar … Read more »

A Little Bit of Red

Early chairs , especially American ones , look best when they are painted. Like any good woodworker who is in love with his or her raw material, I’ve tried to make stick chairs without painting them. Some chairs, such as two Welsh stick chairs I built six years ago, look pretty good to my eye … Read more »

Janitorial Strength Alternative for a Fumed Oak Finish

In my elementary school, the janitor was a shadowy character who mostly stayed in the basement, in his private area next to the boiler room. Yet he was powerful enough to make everyone (even teachers and the principal) remove their shoes when he waxed the gym floor. And he had a collection of chemicals to … Read more »

Authentic Arts & Crafts Finish

Editor’s note: In the Summer 2008 issue we promised to reprint our article on an “Authentic Arts & Crafts Finish” from 2007. We just noticed that we neglected to post the article. So here it is! – Christopher Schwarz We discover a three-step process that looks great and is incredibly simple to apply. Simplicity is … Read more »