The Complete Illustrated Guide to Finishing
Jeff Jewitt
Visual reference demystifies the finishing process.
Finishing. It’s the aptly named final detail of making furniture. Finishes not only protect wood from stains, water damage, and other mishaps, they also make it look richer and deeper and add dimension and luster. For me, finishing is the most enjoyable part of working wood, because it’s where everything comes together. Whether you get a tingly feeling from wiping a coat of oil or shellac on highly figured curly maple or excitement from matching an old finish, you’ll find finishing is one of the rewards of making things from wood.
Yet I’ll wager that for most of you finishing isn’t fun or has been an unpleasant experience. Sadly, most woodworkers find out the hard way that Murphy’s Law begins with the introduction of a finish to wood. Just think of the phrases used to describe finishing problems: "fisheye," "wrinkling," "splotching," "bleeding," or "orange peel." You want that on your furniture?
This book will guide you through the finishing process and make it as exciting for you as it is for me. I learned finishing by making mistakes, lots of them, and you probably have neither the time nor the furniture to practice on the way I did. I’ll guide you through the tools, the products, and the techniques for gaining control over the process, which is the point at which finishing becomes fun. You won’t find a dogmatic style or preachy opinions in these pages; I’ll show you proven, classic ways of doing things alongside new techniques using modern materials.
You’ll see that almost 30 percent of this book is devoted to surface preparation, techniques not often shown or elaborated on in other finishing books. Proper surface preparation is what makes great finishes heads above others. Then we’ll move on to coloring, which is where most finishing problems arise. A full chapter will be devoted to troubleshooting and overcoming staining problems. From there we’ll look at how to choose a finish by its physics and chemistry, as well as aesthetic qualities. We’ll finally get to applying clear finishes, and you’ll learn how to French polish, spray lacquers, and work with water-based products.
Above all, keep an open mind. While there really aren’t secrets or tricks to finishing, there is practical advice to get you started, so I’ll show you as many options as possible to accomplish the same end, whether it’s staining, filling pores, or applying a finish. Hopefully, some of the techniques may spark an idea of your own to try out. Even after 25 years of putting finishes on wood, I’m still learning, so use this book as a reference guide and feel free to experiment a bit and make something your own.
