SALES TRAINING: UNDERSTANDING FINISH FUNDAMENTALS

Furniture World Magazine

You can finish a race. You can finish a book. But what does it really mean to finish furniture? Savvy shoppers know what goes into this often-misunderstood aspect of woodworking. At the Hardwood Manufacturers Association, we suggest thinking of solid hardwood furniture as a work of art in three parts: A durable, rich-grained body material like oak, cherry or maple. Surface treatment that colors or enhances the wood's appearance. A final coating that makes it easy to care for. The last two elements make up what's called the finish. Quality in a finish means depth, richness and clarity. Run your fingers over the surface; touch will tell as much as sight. Are surfaces free of drips, runs and bubbles? Is the stain uniformly applied? Are hard-to-reach areas like corners, joints or carvings smooth, evenly stained and free of glue? Hardwood furnishings can be finished in as few as three, or as many as 25 steps, including sanding, rubbing, glazing and highlighting. The labor and skill in multi-step finishes contribute most of the value of quality furniture. Material The hardwoods bear subtle, distinctive traces of climate, soil and sunlight. Even the smallest piece shows shades and patterns that never repeat. Color, grain and texture run through and through. As original solid-surface materials, the hardwoods resist wear and forgive knocks, spills and other mishaps. Surface Treatment Stains and other effects dramatize or disguise natural color and grain. While the hardwoods usually look fine with a clear finish, taste and design may favor a little enhancement. The careful buyer remembers that terms like "oak finish" or "cherry finish" may only mean they have given some other material the appearance of the named wood; "solid oak" or "solid cherry" usually are marked as such. Stains with natural hardwood names may be applied to almost any wood: Cherry usually means medium to dark red-brown. Mahogany runs from deep reds to dark red-brown. Maple stains tend toward light brown in color. Walnut's distinctive shades range from grayish-yellow to brown with cocoa overtones. Fruitwood usually signifies light-colored apple or pearwood, not cherry, in the actual woods, which are often treated with a thin wash of brown stain. Any light-colored wood can be given a"fruitwood" look. Finish alternatives aren't limited to hardwood tones. Some popular treatments: Antique: Usually involves an opaque coat of paint or stain followed by contrasting washes, spatters or glazes. Furniture may be scuffed, buffed, battered or punctured for aged appearance. Pickled: The wood's open pores are emphasized with a contrasting pigment, while the background wood is left natural or stained. Dual finish: A recently popular look, especially in "country" styles, emphasizes elements like drawer fronts, chair legs or table tops with contrasting paint. Careful buyers may want to confirm that painted sections are made from the same solid hardwoods as the wood-toned portions. Modern chemistry and traditional craftsmanship offer numerous choices in protective finishes: Lacquer: A durable, high-gloss finish, originally built up of shellac; now usually synthetic. Oil: Boiled linseed oil provides a low sheen that emphasizes grain and resists moisture. Polyurethane: A durable, moisture-resistant, synthetic coating. Shellac: A traditional finish extracted from the secretions of an Asian insect; usually waxed for additional protection. 'Super" finish: A catchall term for any surface with exceptionally high resistance to moisture, abrasion and other hazards, often applied only to furniture tops. Varnish: An oil-based, hard, glossy finish. Wax. Often applied over other finishes and renewed in the home. Can be buffed to a high gloss or soft luster. For free information on solid hardwood furniture, flooring, cabinetry or millwork, contact the Hardwood Manufacturers Association, 400 Penn Center Blvd., Suite 530, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15235, 1-800-373-WOOD. Or visit HMA's Hardwood Information Center on the World Wide Web at http://www.hardwood.org.