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Sam Allen's Finishing Characteristics of Common Cabinet Woods
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Tool Store | Dictionary of Woodworking
Finishing Characteristics of Common Cabinet Woods
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Listed in this section are
the characteristics of some of the more common wood species that you will come
across a you begin wood finishing, and their finishing characteristics. There
are hundreds of other species; the woods listed here are some of the ones
commonly used to make furniture in the United States. The finishes recommended
in this section are not the only ones you can use with a particular wood ; they
are just ones that work particularly well.
To look up a word use the FIND command of your
browser or just scroll down through the list.
For more detailed woodworking information look
at the books in my store.
Hardwood
Closed-grained
Color: light tan
Finishing characteristics: Alder accepts
stain well, and is often used to imitate more expensive woods. Nicknamed
"poor man's birch," it resembles birch when given a clear finish.
When stained dark, it will look like walnut to the casual observer. A lot of
unfinished furniture is made from alder. Since alder is not well known by the
general public, it is often simply called "hardwood" by the furniture
manufacturer. It is an easy wood to finish; practically any type of finish can
be used on it. To bring out the nature color, use a clear, penetrating oil. For
a lighter finish apply lacquer or waterbased varnish. Alder also looks good
with a dark stain and satin varnish.
Hardwood
Open-grained, ring-porous
Color: Light tan
Finishing characteristics: Ash is it is
very similar to oak, but it doesn't stain as well, so it is often left unstained.
It looks good with a clear finish or a light-colored stain. Clear penetrating
oil or a thin coat of satin varnish makes a good top coat. The large pores are
hard to fill completely so it is usually best to leave them unfilled to show
the natural texture of the ring-porous grain.
Hardwood
Closed-grained
Color: Heartwood reddish brown; sapwood almond colored
Finishing characteristics: Birch stains
very well. It call be stained to match many other types of wood. White birch is
cut from sapwood. When you want a very light finish white birch works well.
Birch has a very subtle grain pattern. This makes it accept stain evenly,
resulting in a uniform color without a pronounced grain pattern.
Birch looks good with practically any combination of stain and top coat. You
can leave it natural or use a pastel stain for a light colored finish or stain
it with a dark stain to simulate cherry, walnut or mahogany. Because of its
smooth, hard surface, it is a good choice for a penetrating oil finish. Birch
accepts shellac and varnish well. No filling is needed to achieve a smooth
surface.
Softwood
Closed-grained
Color: Red
Finishing characteristics: Red cedar has a
strong, pleasant aroma that repels moths, so it has been traditionally used for
chests that store textiles. The interior of a cedar chest should be left
unfinished to allow the aroma to escape from the wood. The exterior of a cedar
chest can be finished using most finishing products, but it is usually not
stained. Because of the natural beauty of the wood, a clear gloss finish is the
traditional choice for cedar.
Hardwood
Closed-grained
Color: Reddish brown
Finishing characteristics: Cherry has a
beautiful grain pattern and a fine texture For these reasons, a clear
penetrating oil finish is a good choice. Several coats of penetrating finish
will bring out the natural color and grain and can be buffed to a beautiful,
soft luster. Cherry also finishes well with other products. It stains well with
medium-to-dark stains and can be given a high-gloss finish without filling.
Softwood
Closed-grained
Color: Reddish tan
Finishing characteristics: Fir is a
difficult wood to finish well. Its summer wood is much denser than the spring
wood. This makes it difficult to sand to a smooth, flat surface, because the
softer parts of the grain sand away faster leaving the summer wood raised
slightly above the rest of the surface. It is also difficult to get an even
color when staining. The spring wood absorbs a lot of stain, while the summer
wood hardly absorbs any. This leads to a very pronounced grain pattern when
dark stain is used.
One of the best finishes for fir is either a pastel or pickled finish. (See
Chapter 11.) With these finishes, the characteristics listed above can be used
to advantage. For a pickled finish, wire-brush the wood to further accentuate
the grain, and then apply a pastel stain. Use satin varnish as the top coat. If
you want to stain fir a dark color, treat the wood with wood conditioner first
to help even out the color.
Hardwood
Open-grained, diffuse-porous
Color: Reddish brown
Finishing characteristics: Mahogany is one
of the finest cabinetmaking woods. There are two varieties of mahogany: African
and Honduran. African and Honduran mahogany are similar in appearance and have
the same finishing characteristics. Mahogany finishes very well. It is open-
grained, but its pores are small, so they can be filled well with paste wood
filler. It has a beautiful grain that is enhanced by reflective characteristics
that change as the viewing angle changes. The traditional finish for mahogany
is designed to enhance these reflective qualities.
Stain the wood with ,medium-dark stain. Fill the grain with paste wood filler.
Use colored filler that matches the stain. Apply four thin coats of rubbing
varnish. Wet-sand the finish with 600- grit sandpaper, and then rub it out with
rubbing compound.
Lacquer and shellac are also good top coats. For a satin finish, you can leave
the grain open. For a high gloss, fill the grain with paste wood filler.
Hardwood
Open-grained, diffuse-porous
Color: Reddish brown
Finishing characteristics: Philippine
mahogany bears some resemblance to African mahogany, but it is not related. It
is an inexpensive wood used in low-cost furniture and interior trim. It stains
well, but its large pores make it difficult to achieve a smooth finish. It
looks good when finished with a dark-walnut-colored penetrating oil. This leaves
the texture of the wood showing, but gives the wood a soft sheen. If you want
to varnish it, use a paste wood filler first. The pores are large, so the
filler tends to pull out of them as you wipe it off. If this happens, work the
filler back into the pores by rubbing the rag in a circular motion as you wipe
off the excess. If the color of the filler is darker than the stain, the
uniform pattern of pores will hide the grain pattern. It is better if the
filler is exactly the same color as the lightest part of the grain after
staining.
Hardwood
Closed-grain
Color: Light tan to almost white
Finishing characteristics: Because it is
very hard and closed-grained, maple can be polished to a deep sheen with a
penetrating oil finish. Use a clear oil or a penetrating oil that is combined
with a light-colored stain. Sand in the oil with 600-grit sandpaper. Apply
several coats of oil, and then wax and buff. Penetrating oil will bring out and
slightly darken the natural color of the wood. If you want a clear finish that
doesn't darken the wood, use lacquer. Varnish can be used, but it will darken
the wood slightly. A pastel finish looks good on maple. Use a pastel
penetrating oil. No top coat is needed. You can buff the oil to a soft luster.
Hardwood
Open-grained, ring-porous
Color: Reddish tan
Finishing characteristics: Red oak has a
beautiful grain and natural color. It looks very nice when given a clear
penetrating oil finish. Its large pores are concentrated in the darker parts of
the grain pattern. The unfilled pores add a nice texture to the finish. If you
want a darker color; red oak accepts dark stains well. The stain will
accumulate in the open pores, accentuating the grain pattern with a pleasing
effect. A dark colored penetrating oil is a good finish when you want a dark
oak.
The large poles of red oak are hard to fill with paste wood filler; so it is
usually not a good choice for a high-gloss finish. Even after you applied
filler; some of the texture will show. If you want to varnish the wood, use
satin varnish. You can apply filler before varnishing to make the pores less
noticeable, but some texture will usually still show through the top coat.
Hardwood
Open-grained
Color: Light tan
Finishing characteristics: Because of its
light color, white oak is a good choice for pastel or pickled finishes. The
white pigments in the finish will accumulate in the open grain. emphasizing the
grain pattern. White oak stains well and can be stained any shade from light to
dark. Its pores art large, but they re filled with small fibers. These fibers
will trap filler, making it easier to fill the grain of white oak. If you
carefully fill the grain with paste wood filler, you can give white oak a
high-gloss finish. It looks particularly nice when rubbing varnish or lacquer
is used and the finish is rubbed with rubbing compound.
Softwood
Closed-grained
Color: Light tan or amber
Finishing characteristics: Pine absorbs a
stain unevenly; apply a wood conditioner before the stain to even out the
absorption. Pine can be stained light or dark, but it looks best with light-
to-medium shades. It works well with pastel finishes. Its light color and
smooth texture produce a pleasing effect when a pastel rubbing oil is used.
Pine is often used to make Early American or "country" furniture. For
these pieces, a distressed antique finish works well. Sand the wood smooth and
round off sharp corners. Simulate the dents and gouges acquired over time by
hitting the surface with a hard object such as a steel punch. For the top coat,
either apply several coats of medium-colored penetrating oil or stain the wood
with a medium-colored stain; then use orange shellac: or a light brown varnish
stain. Finally, apply a dark wax. Use 0000 steel wool to rub in the wax; then
buff the surface with a soft cloth.
Hardwood
Closed-grained
Color: Yellowish or greenish tan
Finishing characteristics: Poplar is often
used in commercially made furniture and stained to simulate more expensive
woods. It stains well and has a subtle grain. You call give it a satin-smooth
finish by sanding in penetrating oil with 600-grit sandpaper. To darken the
color, use a penetrating oil that includes a stain. High-gloss and satin
varnish both work well when applied to poplar.
Softwood
Closed-grained
Color: Red
Finishing characteristics: Redwood is
usually used for exterior furniture. It is very decay-resistant. If it is left
unfinished, it will eventually age to a silver-gray color that is very
attractive. If you want to preserve the original red color, give the wood an
exterior penetrating oil finish. Don't use varnish for exterior furniture It
will eventually blister and peel.
Hardwood
Open-grained, ring-porous
Color: Yellowish brown
Finishing characteristics: Teak is durable
and water-resistant, so it is traditionally used for woodwork on ships and
boats. It is also a fine furniture wood, Teak contains natural oils that can
make it difficult to finish. The oils prevent surface coatings from adhering.
The best finish for teak is a penetrating oil finish. Teak can be finished with
other products if the wood is carefully cleaned with solvent to remove the
natural oils, but this is not recommended for beginners. If some oil remains,
the finish can crack and peel later.
Hardwood
Open-grained, semi-ring-porous
Color: Heartwood dark brown; sapwood cream-colored
Finishing characteristics: Walnut is one
of the easiest woods to finish. It has a hard surface, and beautiful color and
grain. A clear penetrating oil finish is often the finish of choice for walnut.
The natural color of the wood is so desirable that many times other woods are
stained in an attempt to duplicate the color that is achieved by simply
applying a clear finish to walnut. Because the wood is hard, it can be highly
polished; sanding in penetrating oil with 600-grit sandpaper will result in a
satin-smooth polished surface. A final buffing with wax can produce a higher
gloss. Stain can be used to even out color variations. In this case, choose a
stain that closely matches the dark areas of the board.
When exposed to direct sunlight for many years, the natural color of walnut
tends to lighten. The resulting color is pleasant. However, if you want to keep
the original dark color on a piece of furniture that will be exposed to direct
sunlight, stain the wood before applying a top coat. Even though it is an
open-grained wood, the pores are small enough to be usually left unfilled.
Filler should be used if you will be applying a high-gloss finish or plan on
rubbing the top coat. One of the smoothest finishes possible is produced when
lacquer or rubbing varnish is applied then polished with rubbing compound.
Copyright Sam Allen 1998-2013
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