Heat Marks on Catalyzed Varnish Finishes: These Can Be Impossible to Remove
I got a call from a long-time client asking me to come by and see if I could fix the heat damage to her dining table. I was actually quite...
Bubbles in a Finish: How to Avoid Them or Deal With Them
One of the most frustrating flaws in a dried finish is bubbles. The trick is to avoid getting them in the first place. If you can’t do this, you need...
Thinning Oil and Varnish: It Can Seem Confusing
Recently, I had an exchange with a friend who does woodworking as a hobby, and the exchange made me realize that the need to thin oil and varnish, especially varnish,...
How to Make Cherry Look Old: There’s No Good Way
It would be hard to find a question in woodworking more often asked and more often inadequately answered than how to make cherry look old without blotching. How many magazine...
Tricking Furniture Appraisers: I Love These Stories
Maybe it’s because of the decades I spent restoring old and antique furniture, so I realize how difficult it can often be to match new parts to old. Or maybe...
How to Finish a Table Made of Hickory
I got this question from a friend and thought I should share my answer on the blog because it addresses several issues. Here’s the question: I was reading about finishing...
Methylene Chloride – Part 2: Some Retailers Take Certain Paint Strippers Off Their Shelves
In 1946 a fellow named William M. Barr invented a new paint stripper based on the solvent, methylene chloride. It quickly took off in the marketplace because it was a...
Matching Colors: The Easiest and Most Foolproof Way I Know
One of the most difficult tasks in wood finishing is matching the color of a new part you have installed in furniture or cabinets to the existing color on the...
Tips & Techniques for Fantastic Oak Finishes
Like a movie star, oak possesses natural good looks. Unlike a movie star, however, oak is easy to work with—even during finishing. Oak’s distinctive grain pattern (see photo below) is...
Painting Over Peeling Paint: You Must Remove it First
This is pretty basic, but here goes anyway. When you have a situation of peeling paint, you have to remove it before applying fresh paint, or your efforts will be...
How Wood Conditioners are Giving Washcoats a Bad Name
Over my career making and restoring furniture I’ve found washcoats helpful now and then when staining wood. A washcoat is a finish, any finish, thinned with two or more parts...
Methylene Chloride Proposed Ban: Misguided Policy
Am I the only person who thinks the EPA’s proposed ban on methylene chloride in paint strippers is a big and unnecessary overstep by government? Ever since the EPA announced...
