Sawdust on the Floor

When I was in school, I was taught  not to answer a question, with a question. That was really good advice, but sometimes one just has to do just that.  Answer a question with another question. If you were to ask me ” What is the best finish for my project”?, my answer would ” How and what are you going to do with the finished project”?

The reason that I asked was because how you intend for the project to be used really will dictate how you should finish it.  Another question that should be asked is what material did you make the project out of?

If your project is something like a cutting board or a turned bowl, that is going to used in the kitchen and will come into contact with food, then your only real choice is to use a product such as General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish.  You would apply several coats of this finish, either using or brush or wipe on with a clean rag.  Allow the finish to dry completely before applying additional coats.  When cured you will have a non toxic surface that is safe to use around the kitchen.  This is also a good choice for any wooden toys that young children may put into their mouths.  I have also heard of people using vegetable oil to seal the surface of a wooden kitchen project.  This is not recommended because with age the oil can turn rancid, which can cause health issues.

If you made a project out of a soft wood like pine and you would like to apply either a water or oil based stain, it is recommended that you seal the wood prior to applying the stain.  While pine is one of the easier woods to work with, it is also one of the hardest to finish correctly.  The pores in pine are not uniform in size, some are much more porous then other areas on the same board. Those that are more porous will absorb more stain than the less porous area.  The result is an uneven blotchy finish. After you finish your sanding, apply a coat of sanding sealer to the project, let it sit for at least 1/2 hour before you apply your stain coats.  Sanding sealer can be applied either with a bristle brush or a foam brush.  For best results, if your stain is water based, then use a water based sealer.   

Outdoor projects present some unique challenges for finishing. Outdoor finishes most not only seal the wood from dirt and water, it must also protect the wood from UV rays from the sun.  Mold and mildew are also problems with outdoor wooden projects.  If your project is going to live out of doors, then use a product designed for that purpose.  Personally, I love the look of an oil finish on a wood project, so my choice of a finish would be obvious, I would select a product like Generals Outdoor Oil. This product can be use by itself or as a top coat over stain.  I would recommend applying this finish in a well ventilated area.  Let the product cure completely before use.

For projects that are intended for indoor use only, and will receive a stain coat, I would normally recommend that you apply a top coat of polyurethane.  Polyurethane is available in either a satin, semi gloss or high gloss finish.  I personally feel that a high gloss finish can make the project look too much like plastic rather than wood, so I tend to go with either the satin or semi gloss finish.  However, since I feel that the high gloss finish provides a little more protection than the satin finish, I don’t hesitate to use the high gloss for the first coat of polyurethane. Whichever finish you select be sure that your project is completely sanded and dusted before you apply a top coat of polyurethane. Light sanding between coats will help produce a smooth finish surface.

Polyurethane is also available as either a brush on finish or a wipe on finish. While both products will produce great results, there are a few interesting differences between the two products.  Wipe on polyurethane is a thinner product than brush on polyurethane, which means that it will penetrate deeper into the pores of the wood.  Which means that you get a stronger finish with the wipe on than you would with brush on poly.   Of course, being a thinner product means that more coats are required as compared to the brush on version.

Brush on polyurethane can be applied with either a bristled brush or a form brush. Sanding between coats is recommended for a smooth finish. When you apply brush on poly, it is recommended that you move with the grain at all times.  To help keep bubbles at a minimum, it is recommended that you make one final pass with just the tip of the brush making contact with the surface of the wood.  Make this pass from one end of the board to the other, following the grain.

Getting back to your question, “What is the best finish for your project”.  Well … let me ask you a couple of questions.

For more information on or to purchase any of the products discussed in this post, please click on the highlighted links and images in the post.

Like most people wanting to learn a new skill I turned to the experts in the field for advice. In my case that was my late father in law, who was a professional cabinet maker for many years. When I talked to him about how to refinish an old dresser that had been painted over many times, his advice was to strip off the paint and refinish it with a good oil based stain and top coat it with polyurethane. This was very good advice, and the dresser turned out very well. It turned out that the dresser was made from a beautiful maple and has become a favorite piece of furniture in our house.

His method for applying the top coat was to brush on the poly, let it try completely and then sand it with steel wool. With each successive coat, using a finer steel wool. This method still works today, if and only if you are not using a water based polyurethane. Today a lot of finishers have turned to water based finishing products instead of the traditional oil based products. These water based products have several advantages, reduced odor, lower VOC and ease of clean up.

When you use a water based product and you use steel wool as a sanding medium, you have to be sure that you get every last piece of the steel wool off of your project before you apply the next coat. If you don’t, you will find a very unpleasant surprise when the finish coat dries, little RUST spots in your finish coat. Remember, this is a water based product and water and steel can result in rust.

If you are planning on using a water based top coat, I would recommend that you use either wet/dry sand paper, or a synthetic sanding medium. Most DIY stores carry several different grits of sanding sponges, which will work well with the water based products, which will not react to the water in the polyurethane.

If you’re like me and still prefer to use the oil based products, then the lesson I learned a long time ago still applies. Apply a quality oil based stain, let it dry completely, then apply several coats of top coat. Sand between coats with steel wool to remove any defects. The result will be a smooth finish that you can be proud of.