Wood Finishing – Why is it Important?
The process of applying finish and coats to the wood is a long and backbreaking labor that most people will prefer to avoid. It is also hard to predict what will happen when you are busy trying to protect your wood. Some individuals also believe that a piece of wooden furniture looks good the way it is without any form of coating or finishing applied to it.
The final step of a wood project almost always involves applying a finish. Not only do finishes beautify wood by deepening its color and highlighting its grain patterns, but they protect the wood by controlling the rate at which moisture transfer takes place. This keeps your finished projects more stable and less likely to warp. Likewise, a good finish makes cleaning easier, coating the pores of the wood so dust and dirt can’t get trapped inside. After you finish working on an elegant piece of the wooden project, it’s your choice to leave it like that, you can certainly forgo a finish and simply leave your wood smooth and bare. Many kitchen works can go well this way and develop their own ‘finish’ over time through use. But for most of our wood works, we will want the best finish we can achieve, which may include coloring the wood.
Damage Protection – Finishing Extends Wood Life
A good finish can give wood varying degrees of protection against environmental damage as well as everyday wear and tear. The need for protection varies by the intended location and use of the piece. The application of finishes extends the life of your object. Some people will find every reason not to apply finishing to their work; however, there are situations in which you cannot just avoid, but apply a combination of finishing products to your project.
Controls Seasonal & Joints Movement
Expert workers and even a beginner can carefully construct a piece of wooden work with all the joints and pieces perfectly fitted together to limit any potential movements that might occur. The application of a finish surpasses any skillfully put-together joinery as it limits the seasonal movement that tends to occur in woods. Finishing controls seasonal movements as well as the movements in joints of the wood that develop with the passage of time if the wood is left unfinished. The release and absorption of moisture by the wood bring about a reduction and an increase in the wood's total mass, which will ultimately have negative effects on all joints in the project.
Wood Finishing Impact on Moisture Release and Intake
The application of finishes is an art that can be learned and practiced as there are a handful of finishes on the market. Getting the right combination goes a long way, in determining how effective it is in reducing the amount of moisture released and intake by the wood. A finish must be equally applied to all parts of a project to prevent the wood from undergoing disfiguring. This is because of the fact that the parts of the project that have received finishing become comparatively more resistant to moisture than other parts lacking finishes, which allows the free movement of moisture in and out of the wood.
Finishing Makes Cleaning Easy – Applying Multiple Layers
Other than the protective functions and the aesthetics that finishing gives to wooden objects, it also delivers cleanliness and makes cleaning easy. After a piece has been made, given a few days of contact and use, both the physical and environmental conditions around it will begin to affect the surface, leading to a gradual and undesirable change in the piece's general appearance. However, when a finish is applied, your wooden object will be adequately protected against the most basic factors that will degrade its appearance and durability. The complexity of the finish application depends on exposure of the object to contact and the use it will undergo. Decorative pieces that do not regularly come in touch with hands and other surfaces require an application of finish and proper waxing to permit the occasional dusting. For other wooden objects like chairs and tables etc. that will be used daily and will be subjected to moisture and temperature change, layers of finishing and coating are advisable to be applied to such surfaces.
Outdoor Furniture Finishing Tips
The furniture in the garden or terrace can also undergo finishing applications. This is, however, subjective as it is not necessary. It all depends on the end-use of such furniture and how you want your pieces to appear. The wise action to take most of the times is to apply the finish, as it makes it easier for you to maintain and protect your valuable objects. For instance, if you have a chair out in the garden that hasn't undergone any form of finish and coat application; when it rains, it will absorb a lot of moisture, and it will eventually serve as a source of food for fungi. It will also begin to become soft, and the joints will undergo undesirable movements leading to eventual damage of your chair, table, or other decorative arts in the garden. Several layers of finish and coat will protect your furniture, and any form of water will find it hard to get to the wood surface. If environmental conditions begin to bring about cracks in the coat and finish, immediately apply a new coat to the affected areas.
Staining, Glazing, Toning & Painting
Finishing also gives a different or similar color to the wood, and this is termed as staining. The application of color can be done straight to the surface of the wood, or you can also coat the wood, apply the coloring agent, coat it again, and apply another round of coloring. This process is not termed staining; rather, it is called glazing. The application of color can also be done by combining appropriate amounts of coloring agents and the finish and then applying it to the surface of the wood through the process called toning or shading. If the mixture is transparent, allowing you to have a view of the original surface of the wood through the painting, it is called toning. If the mixture is obscure enough to prevent you from having a clear look at the wood's surface, it is called a painting.
Those who are determined not to apply a finish, a durable outdoor wood such as Teak, Cedar, or White Oak will give you years of good service before weathering starts to weaken it. You can also avoid finishing some dense, oily tropical hardwoods such as Cocobolo or Rosewood. Sand them to a high grit and then buff them (on a buffing wheel for small objects) and they will retain a medium luster. You can get the wood of your choice along with detailed information at Wild Edge Woodcraft. You can either visit our slab storage facility or you can visit our website for furniture wood selection.
