All posts by cfuller

Humidity Can Damage Your Products!

Advice/How-To, ,

During the summer months with high humidity in the air, it is very important to be aware and protect your products. Finishing wood with humidity can lead to blushing, which leaves moisture under the surface of the film. Not only does this leave a very undesirable appearance, but will ultimately cost you time and labor when reworked!

This can all be prevented by adding an additional 3-5% of a blush retarder. By choosing the correct retarder, you can virtually eliminate your blush.  In most cases, this will eliminate not only the blush but your headache too! 

Humidity

Wiping Stain Technique

Advice/How-To, , ,

When using a wiping stain, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. Letting the wiping stain sit for 45 seconds is ideal, but that depends on the temperature when it is being applied.

Lead_Wiping_opener | EMCO Finishing

When the stain sits for 45 seconds it has a chance to absorb into the fibers of the wood and penetrate to give it a full color. This is achieved by removing the excess stain with a cotton stain rag or pad. A uniform color should be seen very easily when the wiping stain is applied correctly and is allowed to sit for 45 seconds. As everything else in the finishing business, the type of wood will vary the process in which the stain is applied. For instance, hard maple is a much harder wood and might require more time for the wiping stain to absorb into the wood.

If the wiping stain is not allowed to sit for 45 seconds, it is possible for inconsistent color and an unhappy end result. It is also possible for the wiping stain to sit for too long too. You need to make sure it does not sit for too long, otherwise it will become very sticky and hard to remove.

Importance of white wood sanding?

Advice/How-To, General

Why is white wood sanding important? It is not just important, it is the MOST important step in finishing products. If the sanding is not correct, nothing will turn out correctly.

Finished Chair There are a few things that you have to keep in mind when sanding. You should never sand against the grain. That can lead to sand scratches and ruin the look of the product. Different pieces of wood require different grits of sandpaper. A piece of cherry might need a 180 grit, while a piece of oak might require 120-150 grit. There are also solids and veneers. Veneers will take stain differently than solids will. Keep this in mind when sanding.

There are a lot of difficulties when finishing a product, but the most important step is the whitewood sanding!