1.  Preparation

 

Normally this means planing and/or sanding.   I went to a day-long finishing seminar by a well-known author and finish supplier.  I think he spent the first two hours talking about sanding.   Hmmm, maybe the only thing more boring than sanding is talking for two hours about sanding?   Anyway, the process is this:

• Start with the coarsest grit you need to remove the defects.  On most surfaces, this means the planer marks that look like little waves.  But if you are doing plywood, it's already been sanded so you can start with a much finer grit.
• Subsequent grits just remove the scratches from the previous grits.  You can normally skip a grit in this progression. 
• When to stop?  There is not much use in going beyond 180 or so.  If I'm doing plywood or refinishing a piece (remember that unless it's damaged, it's been finish sanded once before) I might start and stop with 220. 
• Between the grits and at the end, you can wipe with a cloth or blow off with a blow gun to get off any grit left from the last round.

 

2. Coloring

 

This step is optional but usually involves a pre-finish stain.   It can also involve in-process toners (finish with color added in it) or glazes (color between coats of finish).

 

3. Film or oil finish

 

In last week's TGIF, we saw the reasons why we finish things (beautify, protect, and make a cleanable surface).  Your choice of one or more types depends on a lot of things -  intended use, your skills, costs, time involvement, environment where applying, etc.

 

 

Thanks!