The "perfect finish"

[Angelika D]

Hi,
I realize, there is no such thing. But I am never sure, what finish to choose, when it comes to building furniture for other people. Most of our furniture in our home, that I have built has a shellac base with a subsequent wax finish. I love the look,feel and the ease of repairing it if a few scratches appear. However, when I am asked to build for other poeple, they usually don´t want to maintain a wax finish (which I don´t understand...)they want a finish that doesn´t need any work done to it. So, then Polyurethane comes to my mind, and I think, but I don´t like the plastic look of it. I have then in my last two paid jobs used a wipe on polyurethane finish (50% diluted) with good results, but it took me so long!
Is a sprayed finish the answer to all of this? I don´t have a spray gun at the moment, mainly because of the small size of our workshop.
I am basically looking for a finish, that needs very little or no maintanance for the customer and can withstand a bit of abuse, i.e. children, cups of coffee maybe even, but is at the same time a pleasent finish that I can achieve in an realistic time.
Does it exist or am I just dreaming?
Any replies are greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Angelika

[Shane Watson]

The PERFECT Finish? Be nice if there was one. Let us know if you find it!

If you got 10 different responses, you'd probably get 10 different techniques.

If you havn't got a spray gun your probably already using one of the easier finish's, which is shellac & wax. But then theres oil finish's ( Which I am not fussed on ) But if your willing to get a spraygun and learn how to spray, a good finish to use generally is nitrocellulose lacquer. Its easy to repair to. But not the best product for protection, although it is a lot better than some wax's. Poly-u is probably the better to be using for protection, but remember you will never 100% protect it from scratchs, moisture, heat etc. As for the plastic look, well its always been my believe that if a wax finish is done properly and the poly-u or lacquer finish is done properly, the average person won't tell the difference. I am sure a lot of people will disagree with that statement though!
Also you can cut the lacquer or polu-u once applied with a wax. This may be worth considering??
Also a phone call to a local furniture manufacturer may be helpful. Somtimes local environments can dictate the better finish to use, and who better to ask than someone already doing what you do locally.
Wait for other thoughts & suggestions & then I would suggest experimenting until you find somthing that works & is easy for you. At least that way, you know what is available and can then proceed to offer your friends/clients more alternatives, which can be impressive or confussing for someone

Welcome to the board!

Hope This Helps

Cheers!




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Shane Watson..

Combine Love & Skill & You Can Expect A Masterpiece!

[Iain]

Agree with all that Shane has put forward and as for oil finishes, I used to use them until I discovered Shellawax.
I found I could achieve the same end in about 10 minutes asopposed to several hours of burnishing with Organoil or similar.
Granted the finish is good but the work input is dreadful and repairing you just don't want to know about.
I won't comment on poly finishes as I don't use them, except for the dreaded Estapol on the dog kennel or whatever.
On outdoor furniture I use Tung oil with turpentine and just rub it on with a rag once a year but this is more for protection than a furniture finish.

[Angelika D]

Hi Shane,
thank you for all your suggestions. It has been very helpful. I think, I would like to experiment with the Poly-u folowed by wax a bit more. How would you apply a Poly-u finish, that is followed by wax, preferably wipe on? I know, that there are so many different ways of doing this, but I would just like to know another way of doing it, to get a bit more confused... You may have already answered this same question on this board over and over again.(?)
Could you also tell me, to what extent can you expect Poly-u finish to be waterproof? I was told by one of the sales people of the Poly-u once, that waterspills should not not leave any marks, if mopped up in a reasonable amount of time. But to be honest, I have not been able to achieve this with my wipe on technique. The finish doesn´t have to be a 100% waterproof finish, otherwise I shouldn´t be looking at the Pur-u finish in the first place, but a certain degree of water reppellance without leaving any marks would be nice. Like for example a spilled cup of water and the water is mopped up straight away. Can I expect that from a properly applied Poly-u?
Thanks again,

Angelika

Originally posted by Shane Watson:
The PERFECT Finish? Be nice if there was one. Let us know if you find it!

If you got 10 different responses, you'd probably get 10 different techniques.

If you havn't got a spray gun your probably already using one of the easier finish's, which is shellac & wax. But then theres oil finish's ( Which I am not fussed on ) But if your willing to get a spraygun and learn how to spray, a good finish to use generally is nitrocellulose lacquer. Its easy to repair to. But not the best product for protection, although it is a lot better than some wax's. Poly-u is probably the better to be using for protection, but remember you will never 100% protect it from scratchs, moisture, heat etc. As for the plastic look, well its always been my believe that if a wax finish is done properly and the poly-u or lacquer finish is done properly, the average person won't tell the difference. I am sure a lot of people will disagree with that statement though!
Also you can cut the lacquer or polu-u once applied with a wax. This may be worth considering??
Also a phone call to a local furniture manufacturer may be helpful. Somtimes local environments can dictate the better finish to use, and who better to ask than someone already doing what you do locally.
Wait for other thoughts & suggestions & then I would suggest experimenting until you find somthing that works & is easy for you. At least that way, you know what is available and can then proceed to offer your friends/clients more alternatives, which can be impressive or confussing for someone

Welcome to the board!

Hope This Helps

Cheers!

[Shane Watson]

Basically Doorstop covered what you need to know when waxing after applying a lacquer or poly-u.

I would really advise applying the lacquer or poly-u by spraygun to get a good even coverage. Otherwise theres too much time spent cutting back to get an even surface, not true for all circumstances though.

Also I will presumme that the poly-u you are currently using is either Cabots or feast Watson??? Just guessing there though.... If it is, throw it away. Your better to get a commercial finish available from most paint suppliers that specialise in automotive finish's. Brands such as Mirotone, Croda and even Wattyl will give easier ( & better in my opinon ) results.

You can't stop moisture from being absorbed. Its a myth that you can, even encapsulating the timber won't totally prevent moisture from entering & escaping. I really can't give you any average guide to the extent of waterproofing capabilities of poly-u. All new table tops that I build are polished with a 2-part N/C Lacquer. I have never had any problems with water even when left for short periods. mind you, you can spill a bottle of nail polish remover on this stuff and it won't damage it....

Maybe others more acustom using precat poly-u's can give you more detailed experience's.

Theres alot of people out there that will mix poly-u with oils etc and this is applied by hand. A rather drawn out process, but the results seem rather nice.

Hope this Helps!



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Shane Watson..

Combine Love & Skill & You Can Expect A Masterpiece!