There are many different types of furniture finishes available. You will want to choose the type that best suits the purpose of your furniture and how you want it to look. Click on each section to learn more.
- Purpose of Furniture Finishes
- Penetrating Wood Finishes
- Surface Wood Finishes
- 10-Step Finishing Process
Your kitchen and bathroom cabinets are an important part of your home furnishings. If you are looking for high-quality, affordable cabinets that are ready to install, contact Canada Cabinets Online.
Furniture Finishes Explained
1. Purpose of Furniture Finishes
Wood furniture finishes protect and enhance the look of your furniture
Protection:
Wood is a beautiful material for making all types of furniture including tables, chairs, cabinets, sofas, headboards, and more. It can last an incredibly long time if it is well-maintained. A big part of maintaining your wood furniture is applying a wood finish.
Wood furniture finishes help to modulate the humidity content in your wood. If wood dries out too much, it can crack or split. If moisture penetrates your wood, it can damage it, causing it to warp and rot. Furniture finishes will seal your wood to ensure that there is appropriate moisture content.
Appearance:
Another important purpose of furniture finishes is appearance. Different types of finishes will give you different looks. Varnishes and oils will give your wood a very natural appearance, usually with a slightly yellow or golden tinge.
Shellacs and lacquers will give you a much deeper, rich appearance to your wood and water-based finishes will let you maintain the original look of the wood. If you want to completely cover your wood and have a more uniform appearance, you could choose to use paint or stain.
2. Penetrating Wood Finishes
The above video will show you how tung oil is applied and its effects on different woods.
They also provide excellent protection against drying, swelling, rotting, and cracking. The main types of penetrating wood furniture finishes include:
Tung oil:
Tung oil is environmentally friendly and will enhance the natural beauty of your wood, giving it a warm glow. It is highly durable so it is often used for flooring. You can apply tung oil with a cloth or a brush.
Linseed oil:
Linseed oil will give your wood a warm, yellow matte finish that will get darker as it ages. It is quite easy to apply with a cloth or a brush, but it does take a long time to cure fully.
Cedar oil:
Cedar oil will give your wood furniture great protection against swelling, rotting and insects. It has a warm, silvery-grey look to it and is a good choice for both furniture and flooring.
Danish oil:
Danish oil is a combination of varnish, paint thinner and either boiled linseed or tung oil. It is highly durable and gives your wood a natural matte or gloss finish.
3. Surface Wood Finishes
Learn more about the differences between Shellac, Polyurethane, Varnish, and Lacquer
Shellac:
Shellac is a great choice for walnut and mahogany. You can apply it with a badger hair brush or a sprayer. It comes in a wide range of colour tones from blonde to a rich orange.
Polyurethane:
Polyurethane forms a hard film that will coat the surface of your wood making it a great choice if you are looking for durability. It is scratch and water-resistant and it is very low maintenance making it a popular choice for wood flooring.
Varnish:
Varnish is a very common wood finish. It can be either transparent or coloured. Varnishes give you great UV protection, so they are a good option for outdoor projects but they can be used for inside furniture as well.
Lacquer:
Lacquer will give your wood a glossy finish. It dries quickly and can be easily applied with a brush or a sprayer. However, be careful because lacquer is a thin, solvent-based finish that can get damaged if it comes in contact with water and it scratches easily.
Wax:
Watch the video above to see how wax is applied to wood
Stain:
Stains are usually used for fences and decks. They help to protect the wood from water and UV radiation that can cause cracking, drying, or rotting. Stains come in a wide range of colours and they enhance the natural grain of the wood.
Paint:
Applying paint to your wood will fully cover it and will not let the natural look of the wood show through. Paint will give you the widest range of colours to choose from and it can be used as both an outdoor and indoor furniture finish.
4. 10-Step Finishing Process
Manufacturers of higher-quality furniture and cabinets will use a multiple-step process to finish their wood products, giving them an incredibly beautiful look and making them last longer.
For example, Canada Cabinets Online uses an incredible 10-step finishing process to ensure that your cabinets will look amazing and last. Here is what that process involves:
Step 1: The finest maple wood is sanded until smooth and then vacuumed.
Step 2: An equalizer stain is applied to balance the base colour of the wood.
Step 3: A toner is applied to establish colour uniformity.
Step 4: A deep penetrating stain is then applied to reveal the hidden beauty of the natural grain.
Step 5: All stained surfaces are then hand-rubbed and wiped of excess stain, and then slowly air-dried.
Step 6: A wood sealer is then applied, penetrating all exposed wood surfaces for uniform protection.
Step 7: All surfaces are then hand-sanded, providing a smooth and consistent surface.
Step 8: A glaze is applied by hand (if applicable).
Step 9: A colour consistency examination is performed with additional touch-ups if needed.
Step 10: A final protective top coat is applied. maximizing resistance to scuffing, moisture, fading and most household chemicals.
More Great Reasons to Choose Canada Cabinets Online
Canada Cabinets Online offers wholesale direct, solid wood, ready-to-assemble kitchen cabinets. Our high-quality cabinets are finely crafted and are an affordable and convenient way to make any home more beautiful. In addition to our 10-step finishing process, here are some other great reasons to choose Canada Cabinets Online:
Order Online: There’s no need to visit a store; you can order your cabinets from home. Simply create a secure, personal account to access our FREE professional designer assistance and FREE 3D kitchen layout.
Free Shipping: We offer free shipping for all our ready-to-assemble kitchen cabinet and bathroom vanity orders and all sample door orders within Ontario (deliveries to remote areas may be subject to some related freight charges).
Easy Installation: Our cabinets are easy to install. Check out our helpful videos that will step you through the installation process.
Contact us today if you have any questions.