Finish - Woodworking

Painted Finish

Polyurethane NOT recommended due to yellowing over time.
Use polyacrylic or Sealing wax
Water based for water based paints; vice versa for oil
  1. Sand your furniture piece smooth. Start with a lower grit if needed. Step down your grits and finish with an ultra-fine grit. Sand with the grain of the wood.
  2. Vacuum all the dust from the furniture piece. Use a bristled attachment to help loosen the dust as you vacuum.
  3. Wipe off any remaining dust with a tack cloth.
  4. Fill your paint sprayer with paint. Thin the paint if needed.
  5. Spray the first coat on your furniture. Use a light coat to avoid drips. You may have some spottiness after the first coat.
  6. After the first coat is dry, lightly sand the entire surface with an ultra fine grit sanding block.
  7. Vacuum the dust off and clean the surface with a tack cloth.
  8. Paint the second coat of paint on the piece the same as the first.
  9. Repeat by sanding between coats of paint. Then vacuum and tack cloth before applying the paint.
  10. Paint a third coat, then fourth coat if needed.
  11. Sand, vacuum and clean the piece again.
  12. Apply a protective finish of polyacrylic or wax.
  13. If using wax, no need to sand between coats if you want a second coat.
  14. If using a poly finish, sand, vacuum, and tack cloth between coats. Apply 2-3 coats as desired.

Sand Technique for best results?

@patrickpittman4981
1 year ago

I'm going to put my 2 cents worth in here and a lot of you will probably not agree with me but please hear me out before pooh-poohing my statements. I've been finishing bare wood for more than 40 years - cabinets, furniture, floors, and a lot of custom high-dollar rifle, shotgun, and pistol stocks. The one thing I know to be true when staining and varnishing wood is the more you sand the more grain you will see, Now, let me clarify this statement - I start with 150 grit paper then move to 220 grit - just as most people do. But if you really want to have eye-popping grain and super smooth finishes then you need to take it further. After the 220 grit I move to 320, 400, then 600 grit. I always do the 220, 320, 400, and 600 grits by hand - NEVER with a machine. Waste of time? Not hardly, I've tested this process and there is definitely a huge difference in grain appearance and the smoothness of the final finish. It's the proverbial "night-and-day" type of thing. Once of my most cherished pieces is a dining room table made of birch and stained a dark ebony to get a Japanese "black lacquer" appearance. This table has such a deep and lustrous appearance that you'd think I spent days and days rubbing and polishing it. Actually, after sanding to 600 grit and staining, I put 3 coats of Minwax Gloss Polyurethane - sanding with 600 grit after the first coat then using 0000 steel wool after the second coat. The results were outstanding. Super high gloss but you can still see the wonderful grain showing though. So take it from me - sand, sand, sand if you want a truly unique finish.

Simple Sand Strategy 





    
    
  1. 150 grit -> 220 grit on bare
    2. 
    
  2. Apply polyurethane
    3. 


1.
2. Apply clearcoat
3.
3. Sand with 220
4. Apply clearcoat
5. Sand with 220
6. Apply final coat