Choosing a Spray Gun
As I’ve explained many times in Popular Woodworking, you can achieve a near-perfect finish using a rag or brush: You can apply a wipe-on/wipe-off finish such as oil, wiping varnish or gel [...]
Revive or Restore a Finish?
Discover how (and when) to give old, deteriorated finishes new life. As finishes age, they deteriorate. First they dull, then they begin showing small cracks (called “crazing”). The culprit of [...]
Wiping Varnish
In the November 2011 issue, Bob Flexner submitted this excerpt from his book "Wood Finishing 101," along with the article on wiping varnish. It is a useful document that you can post in your [...]
Filling Pores for an Elegant Look
Improve the Protection of Oil Finishes by Applying Another Finish on Top
Oil and oil/varnish-blend finishes are not very protective against moisture because they are too thin; they can’t be built thicker because they don’t harden well. But these finishes are very [...]
Blotching in Cherry: How To Avoid It
Cherry is a beautiful and easy-to-work wood. But it is a problematic wood to finish because it has a tendency to blotch, even with just a finish applied – no stain. Everyone working with cherry [...]
Bar Tops and Restaurant Tables: What’s the Best Finish to Use?
We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations. A local company was hired to finish some restaurant tables and called me to ask [...]
Staining Birch Plywood: Is It Possible To Avoid Blotching?
A friend emailed me with this question: “What do you use on birch plywood to get it to take a stain evenly without blotching? My first solution was to not use birch plywood if the plan is to [...]
Methylene Chloride Strippers Have Now Been Removed From The Consumer Market
It’s finally happened. On Nov. 22, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its official removal of methylene-chloride paint and finish strippers from the consumer market. [...]
Finishing Tip: The Airplane Landing Technique
When brushing a finish or paint onto large flat surfaces such as tabletops or cabinet doors, use an airplane-like landing motion with your brush when making contact with a surface near an edge. [...]
How To Avoid Dry Spray When Spraying The Insides Of Cabinets
If you have ever sprayed the inside of a cabinet, or even a deep drawer, with a fast-drying finish such as lacquer or catalyzed lacquer, you have surely experienced dry spray settling on the [...]
Secret Formula For A Wipe-On Finish: I Don’t Have One
A former student of mine from 10 years ago emailed me with a question about what he remembered was a formula I had come up with for a wipe-on finish. He had looked in his notes but couldn’t find [...]
