Finishing

A woodworker friend called me with a problem. He had just built a bookcase and was trying to match the approximate sheen of a factory-finished piece of furniture he had and couldn’t find a [...]

A lot of woodworkers avoid staining whenever possible because of the problems that can occur. Instead of staining, they use a beautiful wood that gives the color they want to begin with. Most [...]

As I’ve said many times, one of the reasons finishing seems difficult to amateur woodworkers is that the manufacturers targeting these woodworkers provide bad directions that don’t produce good [...]

Distressing or aging wood can come in many forms, whether it's a color change or physical wear. Here some tips for achieving different effects.

Our finishing expert shares some tips gained from a house-painter friend.

Our finishing expert, Bob Flexner, describes the techniques he's been testing to correct warped boards.

Oil it, spray it, shellac it, or glaze it. This is how to make cherry look great. Cherry is gorgeous wood, but as you’ve probably discovered, it can be nasty to finish. Cherry boards come in all [...]

A persistent myth in the woodworking community is that you should finish both sides of wood, especially tabletops, to reduce the likelihood of warping.

How do you remove Scotch Tape adhesive without damaging the plastic underneath? Join our finishing expert as he finds a solution to this sticky situation.

Even if your finish won't change color over time, many woods will. Our finishing expert Bob Flexner provides an important reminder using one of his own examples.

Cherry is notorious for blotching, with all sorts of methods suggested for preventing it. But it’s important to keep in mind that “blotching” is simply the opposite of “beautiful figure.”

Not being accurate in the use of language, even when it’s the manufacturer that is responsible for the misidentification, can, and often does, lead others to use a finish that doesn't produce the [...]