FEELING GROOVY

A coat of paint on wood is called a finish in woodworking parlance. Hence, from here on out, whenever I call the word finish, I refer to that myriad, often dizzying selections of wood stains, protective coats, and finishes of a woodworking project.

Wood finishes can be colored paints. Paints are the sturdiest, most hard-wearing, practical finish there is. They are easy to apply too. If it is a piece of outdoor furniture you want to protect, go with paint. It is thus for the same reason that we paint our houses’ exterior walls to protect them against the weather's harsh conditions.

Let me mention too that there is also a lot of great-looking painted furniture. Thus, a topcoat of colored paint shouldn’t be discounted as an option. I see folks spruce up their kitchen cabinets with bright-colored paints. They are a bit glitzy for my taste, yet I know many like them too. However, for this article, I will focus on clear protective topcoats instead.

There are only two reasons why we put a coat of finish on the wood. We want to protect wood against stains, coffee spills, scratches, and UV sun damage. Secondly, a clear coat finish would make the wood look great. I am not into wood finishes, for they are entirely different skills set. But if anything, I find it extremely rewarding to see the wood grains snap to life in the soft amber shade as soon as I apply the finish, plus a nicely finished piece is pleasurably tactile.

Choosing for a clear coat wood finish can be a daunting task. The choices are downright nauseous. You go to a hardware store, and the array of options will swamp the unsuspecting customer. But here’s how they are all organized. Clearcoat finishes are grouped into two: LAYERED finish and OIL finish.

PROTECTION AND APPEAL:

A LEGION OF CHOICES:

LAYERED FINISH:

Layered finishes are the likes of polyurethane and lacquer. These kinds of wood finishes stick on top of the wood. They do not get into the wood fibers. As the name implies, a layered finish works by creating a thin layer of protection on top of the wood. Reapplying a second and third coat means putting in a second or third layer of additional protection to the wood. One can see these kinds of finishes on parquet tiles and floors. You can have a clear gloss (often mirror-like) or matte finish for this kind.

The only drawback for layered finishes is that they can feel plasticky, rubbery, or just plain put on.

The second category of finishes is oil. Oil finish categorizes the likes of linseed, tung, and Danish oils. They penetrate the wood grains. And until they thoroughly saturate the wood fibers, they offer less to no protection at all. But when saturated, the oils within will disallow coffee spills, water, or moisture to be absorbed. It is like saying, “Man, we are all packed and teeming. There is no place for you here. Move away.”

OIL FINISH:

Projects finished with oils can be very tactile and woody to the touch. They might offer lesser protection than the layered finish, but that is the only tradeoff I can think of.

I will use the layered finish if a project, say a dirty kitchen table, has a bigger chance of roughing use. If this is the case, I will apply at least three layers of a good kind of polyurethane. They can take a beating, and they won’t easily dent.

MY PREFERENCE:

But remember that polys do not dry fast. A coat of PU can take six hours to be tacky dry. Hence, a three-layered coat of PU could take three days of delay. This delay is like waiting for the Second Coming.

However, if I am to make a TV stand, a computer monitor riser, or a console table, I’d use Danish oil. They’ll come up to just enough sheen that isn’t flashy yet groovy to the feel.

--- NEXT BLOG POSTS ---

Get our weekly newsletter:

DOUGLAS REY B. BERIDO

drberido@yahoo.com | Kagudoy Road, Basak, Lapu Lapu City, Cebu, The Philippines