How to Finish Wood Crafts
Sanding and staining is the most common way to finish wood crafts. Any open grain or water-damaged wood will need sanding. Before any stain or finish can be applied, the wood must be prepared properly and open grain will need to be sanded. With just a few tools and knowledge of the sanding procedure, you can finish your wood crafts smoothly and professionally by following these steps.
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Things You'll Need
- Electric sander
- Sandpaper
- Tack cloth
- Scotch pads or synthetic wool
- Stain or finish
Instructions
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Choose an electric sander. Good electric sanders include a finishing sander (much like hand sanding) and random orbit sander (flat surfaces only). The palm finishing sander is simple and safe to use, while the random orbit sands in a circular motion to achieve a smooth surface in a shorter amount of time. However, it is more difficult to use and should be practiced with on scrap wood. Visit your local hardware store to purchase the electric sander you are most comfortable with.
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Sand with the grain. Careful sanding with the grain will finish the wood smoothly, while sanding against the grain will cause the grain to show when you stain it.
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Finish with hand sanding. Use sandpaper and sand against the grain when you are finished with the electric sander to smooth away any blemishes.
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Clean the sanding dust. Dust that is left on the surface of the wood will show and grow in size when finish is applied. Clean the dust carefully with a tack cloth, which may be bought from your local hardware store. The tack cloth is a specialized cloth treated with a sticky substance which cleans dust out of the wood grain.
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Apply a first layer of stain or finish. The amount of sanding will affect the way the stain or finish you use will appear on the wood craft. The wood surface must be evenly sanded and all marks and scratches must be removed before stain is applied. Apply the gloss version of your stain product first as a base to protect the wood craft. Different types of finishes include polyurethane (plastic coating), oil finishes, linseed oil (applied over a year of time for a lasting finish), shellac and lacquer. Choosing a finish is a personal preference. See Resources for a detailed description of finishes.
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Use abrasives between coats. Scotch pads or synthetic wool should be used in between layers of finish to rid the wood of any scratches made by the sand paper and provide a smoother finishing surface. Abrasives will also make the coat slightly tacky, making the next coat adhere better. Rub the scotch pads or synthetic wool against the grain.
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Apply another coat of finish. Allow the finish to dry thoroughly before using abrasives or applying extra coats. It is important to build up the finish. To know how much finish to use or how the finish will appear, use sample wood pieces to test different stains and finishes before applying them to the wood craft.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not apply stains or finishes in direct sunlight as this will react with the product and affect the wood.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit knock on wood image by sumos from Fotolia.com
