Bob Flexner - Wood Finishing 101: The Step-by-Step Guide

Sign up for our newsletter and receive special offers, access to free content, and information on the latest new releases and must-have woodworking resources! Plus, receive a coupon code to use on your first purchase from ShopWoodworking.com for signing up.

or visit us online to sign up at

http://popularwoodworking.com/ebook-promo

READ THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE

To prevent accidents, keep safety in mind while you work. Use the safety guards installed on power equipment; they are for your protection.

When working on power equipment, keep fingers away from saw blades, wear safety goggles to prevent injuries from flying wood chips and sawdust, wear hearing protection and consider installing a dust vacuum to reduce the amount of airborne sawdust in your woodshop.

Dont wear loose clothing, such as neckties or shirts with loose sleeves, or jewelry, such as rings, necklaces or bracelets, when working on power equipment. Tie back long hair to prevent it from getting caught in your equipment.

People who are sensitive to certain chemicals should check the chemical content of any product before using it.

Due to the variability of local conditions, construction materials, skill levels, etc., neither the author nor Popular Woodworking Books assumes any responsibility for any accidents, injuries, damages or other losses incurred resulting from the material presented in this book.

The authors and editors who compiled this book have tried to make the contents as accurate and correct as possible. Plans, illustrations, photographs and text have been carefully checked. All instructions, plans and projects should be carefully read, studied and understood before beginning construction.

Prices listed for supplies and equipment were current at the time of publication and are subject to change.

METRIC CONVERSION CHART

WOOD FINISHING 101. Copyright 2011 by Bob Flexner. Printed and bound in China. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Popular Woodworking Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. (800) 289-0963 First edition.

Distributed in Canada by Fraser Direct
100 Armstrong Avenue
Georgetown, Ontario L7G 5S4
Canada

Distributed in the U.K. and Europe by F+W Media International
Brunel House
Newton Abbot
Devon TQ12 4PU
England
Tel: (+44) 1626 323200
Fax: (+44) 1626 323319
E-mail:

Distributed in Australia by Capricorn Link
P.O. Box 704
Windsor, NSW 2756
Australia

Visit our Web site at www.popularwoodworking.com.

Other fine Popular Woodworking Books are available from your media local bookstore or direct from the publisher.

Acquisitions editor: David Thiel
Designer: Brian Roeth
Production coordinator: Mark Griffin

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bob Flexner has operated his own furniture making and restoration shop in Norman, OK for 35 years. For the last 20 years, he has taught wood finishing and restoration. His writing accomplishments include the authoritative and best-selling book, Understanding Wood Finishing, now in its second edition, editing the professional trade magazine Finishing and Restoration, making the award-winning DVDs, Repairing Furniture and Refinishing Furniture for Taunton Press, and writing the long-running columns Finishing in Woodshop News, and Flexner on Finishing in Popular Woodworking Magazine, now in book form by the same name.

Every now and then a beginning woodworker or home hobbyist asks me to recommend a book on finishing, and I always feel a little hesitant because finishing books are written for the broad audience beginner through advanced. (Its a marketing thing.) Theyre never written just for the beginner, who wants simple finishes and step-by-step procedures. The result is, the beginner gets bogged down in information overload.

This is the missing book the book for beginners. A step-by-step picture book focused on how to apply the most common stains and finishes.

I have included, however, brief (three pages each) overviews of stains and finishes right at the beginning to help you put all the products and procedures in perspective. There are also overviews of solvents, wood, and several other topics I hope you find informative and interesting later in the book. Otherwise, this book is step-by-step.

If you choose, you can skip these stain-and-finish overviews and go straight to the section you are interested in. Each chapter is self-contained.

Applying finishes is easy and logical. I do have one caution, however. Dont be impatient. Stains and finishes take awhile to dry, overnight in many cases. It doesnt take much time to apply the product, but you need to allow time for drying in a warm area before proceeding to the next step. Impatience is probably the beginners most challenging obstacle.

The book is designed as a series of exercises, to be done on practice panels. The goal here is to give you the experience and confidence to proceed to an actual project. But applying finishes isnt difficult, so theres no reason not to proceed directly to the project itself.

If you do choose some exercises, you can do them on scrap wood, or you can buy a full sheet of veneered plywood or MDF (medium-density fiberboard), and cut it into smaller sections.

In the construction trade, its common to hear the carpenters rationalize their sloppiness with the defense, Oh, the painters will fix it. In the same sense, its the finishing of a project that makes it beautiful and a success. A poor finish is a failed project. A great finish is admired. I hope this book helps you achieve admired status.

I want to thank my son, Soren, for giving me the idea for this book and my brother, Bill, for getting me back on track. I also want to thank my wife, Birthe, for her steady support and my editor, David Thiel, for his patience with me.

Bob Flexner

A stain is a colorant (pigment or dye) and a binder (some sort of finish) with a lot of thinner added so the excess stain is easy to wipe off. This leaves some color in or on the wood.