Woodworker's Journal 2011-35-Winter, страница 14

Start To Finish: The Endurance Test

Questions of durability, application

and appearance should influence every finishing decision.

The author starts by asking "what must the finish endure?" Some projects will be expected to withstand hot coffee pots, scratches from keys, food stains and even chemicals and strong cleansers. Make sure they're adequately armed to face these finishing indignities.

Picking the "right" finish for your most recent woodworking triumph seems like a daunting process, what with all the confusing array of choices on the paint store shelves. However, with a logical approach and a "scorecard" to help, it is a fairly easy process.

Durability

The three primary questions you need to answer before you begin your finishing are: durability (what must the finish endure),

appearance (what should it look like) and application (how do you want to apply the finish...rag, brush, spray gun, pad, etc.).

Perhaps most important of the three, "What must the finish endure?" is the question I ask first. Not all pieces will get the same treatment. An art turning, for example, will be handled gently and rarely over its lifetime, and it can get by with nothing more than a coat of oil or wax. By contrast, a kitchen table or counter-top may be asked to endure hot

coffee pots, scratches from cutlery and china, food stains, and even chemicals and strong cleansers. Patio furniture finishes will have to tolerate wide swings in humidity and temperature, while floors and baseboards will want a tough finish that takes and "hides" dents. Some kitchen objects, like wooden spoons and cutting boards, may do best with no finish at all.

You'll know best how gently or roughly the furniture in