Emulating a Factory Finish

[fRED mCnEILL]

NMy son wants me to build some furniture to match some store bought pieces. The finsh looks like a really dark brown/mahogany and is quite smooth.How do they achieve that smooth finish. I can, and have sprayed lacquer and enamel.

Thanks

Fred Mc.

[Steve Schoene]

First, the factory has leveled the wood surface to a great degree, most llikely using a wide belt sander. You can achieve this, but only with great care and using either a half sheet sander or hand sanding with a relatively large sanding block. ROS sanders tend to put in subtle dips and peakes as they follow grain, unless used very carefully.

Then, they tend to use a mutistep finish proceedure that likely includes a lot of toned finishes. These must be sprayed very evenly, usually in a number of coats. If the wood was actually mahogany, they undoubtedly used a pore filler among the early steps.

Getting a really close match--ie. one that would stand up to side by side comparison in the same room is extremely difficult, besides resulting in a boring decor. I strongly recommend that you convince him that a complementary finish, of at least equal quality, but of a shade or hue sufficiently different that it would not look like you tried for a match but didn't quite succeed.

Besides, it is not all that difficult to achieve a finish that is superior to all but the highest end factory finishes. The small shop can start by using wood that is better matched. That eliminates the commercial necessity of steps whose purpose is just to even out colors--often at the expense of clarity of the finish and the visibility of the natural wood grain. Then, careful surface preparation to really achieve "flat".

After that, a lot depends on the style of the furniture and the look you wish to achieve and the wood you are using. If you want dark, then the first step is almost always to use a dye to get the basic color and almost the necessary darkness. Then, after lightly sealing, a pigmented stain can be used to provide greater depth. Gel stains can be used over even more completely sealed woods for about the same purpose (used this way it is a glaze, not a stain.) Then, you can apply your top coat. If you are equiped to spray nitro cellulose lacquer, you can use that. The NC lacquer will rub out fairly easily to what ever gloss you desire, and will be about as durable as the store bought finish (unless purchased in the past few years where finishes like conversion varnish have taken hold in industrial settings).

I should add that the best time to work out the finishing schedule is before you cut the first board. The schedule should be tested on scrap and signed off on by the "client".

[Joe Chritz]

What Steve said.

In any attempts I have made it works well if they are not right near each other but not so much when they are part and parcel so to speak.

Joe