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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
Oxalic Acid: A Very Useful Bleach
One of the most useful products in wood finishing that doesn’t get a lot of attention is oxalic acid, often labeled wood bleach. It’s useful for removing black water stains...
Stripping Paint That Had Been Applied Over a Finish
My wife loves watching house restoration shows on TV. The other day she mentioned to me that the paint on every surface the host had stripped in this one house...
Aerosol Finishing: Here Are the Basics
A finishing topic that gets far too little coverage is aerosol finishing. Aerosols are widely available in four common finishes: lacquer, oil-based polyurethane, water-based finish and shellac. [...]
The Problem of Sanding Scratches Showing Through a French Polish Finish.
Here’s a situation you may have experienced if you do much French polishing. A woodworker friend emailed me with this problem. He had been French polishing a tabletop, and no...
Watco Danish Oil Problem: A Strange One
A woodworker friend emailed me with a problem. He had turned a face-grained bowl from what he described as “grainy” walnut. To finish it he was using Watco Danish Oil,...
