The way a piece of furniture is finished has a huge effect on how it looks, feels, and holds up under use. The purpose of finish is first and foremost to protect the wood from the abuses of water, unusual temperatures, chemicals, and over exposure to sunlight. Finish is like a clear barrier that keeps the beauty of the wood in and the harmful things in the environment out.
But finish is also a great enhancer of beauty; it deepens and darkens the color of the wood, brings out its luminescence and dimensionality, and even makes it shine. For this reason, we’ve found that a clear topcoat is usually all that’s needed to achieve the highest level of beauty. Nature provides the color and the texture, so there is usually no need for stain or other colorants.
We have experimented with many different types of finish over the years, and we now use something called “post catalyzed lacquer.” This is a finish that does everything you want a topcoat to do. It brings out the inherent beauties of the wood, does not change the color, and it is ‘chemical, mar, and moisture resistant’ according to the manufacturer. It is available in gloss, satin, or flat sheens. We usually spray at least three full coats with light sanding in between, which creates a finish that’s smooth yet still very natural (not plasticky in other words).
