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| Q. What are wood finishes? |
There are two basic sorts. These are:
- Surface Coatings: Finishes that coat the wood surface and dry by a chemical change.
These include Varnish, Lacquers & paints.
Specific Types:
| Oil based Varnish | i.e. Polyurethane,
Durapolish Clear Glaze |
| Water based Varnish (acrylic) | i.e. Finney's Trade Grade
Acrylic & Trade Grade Acrylic Extra, Ronseal Diamond Hard |
| Lacquers | i.e. Two part plastic coating or trade spray lacquers
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Characteristics:
- High degree of protection with resistance to wear and spillage
- They can in time flake away from the wood and will then require resanding and recoating (e.g. peeling paint and varnish)
- Surface coating will eventually wear out over time
- Polished Wood Finishes:These both penetrate and coat the wood sometimes drying by
evaporation rather than by chemical change. These include French polish, Finpol polishes, wax polish and oil finishes.
Specific Types:
| Modified French Polish | i.e. Finpol Extra Hard Polish, Finpol Extra Hard Brushing Polish / Sealer, Finpol Special
Polish, Finpol Transparent Brushing Polish (wax polish undercoat) |
| French Polish | e.g. Button polish, Garnet polish, White polish,
Transparent polish |
| Sealed & Waxed Finishes: | e.g. Finney's Shellac Sanding Sealer
& Superior Finishing Wax
Finpol Brushing Polish / Sealer & Superior Finishing Wax or
Finpol Transparent Brushing Polish & Superior Finishing Wax |
| Traditional Wax Polish on bare wood | e.g. Pure Paste Beeswax,
Supreme Wax, Buffing Wax |
| Oiled Finishes | e.g. Finishing Oil, Linseed Oil, Tung Oil, Natural Floor Finish,
Danish Oil |
Characteristics
- High decorative appeal and more natural looking effect than a surface coating
- Traditional appearance
- With frictional wear the wood gains what is known as patina
- Requires some maintenance e.g. wax polishing or reoiling
- Generally less protection than a varnish although Finpol Extra Hard Polish is very tough. (See
Choose a Finish).
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| Q. What about
food safety such as chopping and cutting boards? |
A. Where a low lustre to soft satin sheen is required use
pure tung oil.
This is very slow drying and will need a few applications but is non tainting and food safe. For a higher shine on bowls
use two part gloss lacquer (plastic coating) cut back with
1000 grit wet and dry paper.
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| Q. What do
the terms 'touch dry', 'recoating time' and 'curing time' mean? |
A. Wood finishes dry in different stages.
Touch dry - is where a finish can be carefully touched and is no longer at risk from airborne dust.
Recoating time - where the finish has dried sufficiently for a second coat to be applied. Several coats of a product may
increase the recoating time of those applied later.
Curing time - where the finish has achieved its maximum protection. |
Example
Finpol Extra Hard Polish is touch dry in 15 minutes, recoatable in 1 hour and fully cured
in 7 days.
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| Q.
If a finish is too shiny, will it need stripping and recoating with a new finish such as matt Durapolish Clear Glaze? |
A. Not at all. First try cutting back the finish by alternating between
400 grit lubrisil paper and 0000 grade ultra fine wire wool.
. The lubrisil will flatten the existing finish whilst the wire wool quickly dulls the surface. Make up a
decent sized pad pressing quite hard but not so as to damage the surface. Always work along the grain making sure that you
finish on the wire wool.
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| Q.
Are there any safe low odour finishes that I can use in schools and colleges? |
| A. Finney's Trade Grade Acrylic and
Trade Grade Acrylic Extra are totally clear and are classified as not dangerous under
COSHH regulations. They are touch dry in around 45 minutes to 1 hour. Wash brushes immediately after use in clean tap
water.
And if you require a safe wood stain Finney's Water Based Wood Stains are also classified
as not dangerous in accordance with current COSHH regulations.
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| Q.
I have used Shellac Sanding Sealer and other finishes in the past but sometimes notice faint streaks in the final coat. |
A. There are three possible reasons and remedies.
- The finish is too thick so thin slightly before application.
- The finish is being applied in too thick a coat so use a better quality brush. For shellac sanding sealer,
French polish and Finpol polishes, invest in a Pony Hair Polishing Mop which will last
for years and produce a brush mark free surface.
- If you over brush a quick drying polish, any build up (known as ropiness) or lifting (known as tearing) will also appear
as streaks. To overcome the problem once the final coat has dried cut back alternating between 400
grit lubrisil paper and 0000 grade ultra fine wire wool. Apply a
new final coat having thinned the mix if necessary.
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| Q.
Acrylic Varnishes can raise the grain and dry slightly bumpy. Is there anything I can do? |
A. All water based products have a tendency of making the fibres (grain) of
timber lift slightly. A dilute coat of Finpol Transparent Brushing Polish before
applying the varnish should solve the problem but there may be a problem of loss of adhesion. Always carry out a test first
on a scrap piece of wood.
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| Q.
What is the quickest method of creating a polished finish on turned wood? |
A.
- Waxed shine - Apply Supreme wax with a pad of
0000 grade ultra fine wire wool at a slow speed. Buff on a high speed.
- Oiled shine - Apply Finishing oil or Danish oil
with a cloth and leave to soak in for around 20 minutes. Wipe off any excess and leave to dry. Buff and repeat as necessary.
For food safe items use tung oil.
- Slightly more shine - Apply two coats or more of Finpol Brushing Polish / Sealer
prior to waxing with Finney's Superior Finishing wax.
- High shine -
- Apply two coats of Finney's shellac sanding sealer and two coats of
Finpol Brushing Polish / Sealer denibbed between coats. Apply
Superior Finishing Wax with a pad of 0000 ultra fine wire
wool buffing at high speed.
- Lathe or friction polish. Apply Lathe or friction polish whilst lathe
is turning and then increase the speed as the polish begins to pull slightly on the cloth. Increase pressure as the drag
reduces to burnish up to a high shine. Wood turners often get mixed results from lathe and friction polishes depending on
the type of wood being turned.
- Very high shine - Two part gloss plastic coating cut back and burnished
with burnishing cream will probably give the most trouble free result.
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You'll find more information on Finishes for Bare
and Previously Stained Wood by clicking on
 and the  |
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