A Collection of Wood Finishing Tips

The Beauty of Wood is Often in the Finish

This post is in partnership with Minwax. All opinions are my own.

Wood finishing is to woodworking as presentation is to a lovingly prepared meal.  In addition to shape and proportion, the surface is what we see when we look at a piece of furniture or other wooden object.
And finishing is all about surfaces – color, sheen, depth, texture.

Wood finishing is interesting and challenging because it combines technique, process, art and chemistry.  When done correctly, though, the results are gratifying and very pleasing to the eye.   It’s an exhaustive topic and entire books have been written on the subject.

This blog post makes no attempt to cover the whole subject.  Instead, I’ve pulled together more than a dozen useful tips and techniques that can help you bypass problems and get end results that are self-satisfying and bound to garner comments and compliments from friends and family.

These suggestions fall into five categories:  surface preparation, coloring or staining, finish coat application, final surfacing and, of course, correct choice of materials.

In this video, I have used Minwax products for a couple of reasons.  The company has been around for 110 years and has a well-earned reputation for high quality stains and finishes.  Additionally, Minwax materials are readily available, so anything you see me using can be found in most home improvement centers and hardware and paint stores.

So, let’s celebrate the artist in all of us.  Bring grandma’s rocker down from the attic or load that flea market find into the trunk and have some fun finishing.

For more tips, tricks, and techniques from the experts, check out this article from Porch.