Begin with the end in mind
Wood finishing is fun and easy. Don't rush through finishing a piece of furniture as if it is a race. Imagine how it will look finished in your home in living color. Set up a good prep area. Turn on some tunes. Get creative and enjoy the journey. Make something that will bring beauty to your life, save you money, and have fun in the process. Take an a little extra time to get a good result.
If you are an experienced wood finisher, refer to our retail brochures for quick and simple finishing instructions. For those of you that like to know more, we'll take you step-by-step through the wood finishing process including preparing the wood, selecting the finish and applying traditional or decorative finishes. Whether you're planning to finish furniture for your own home, make gift items, or take up woodworking as a hobby, you'll find wood finishing to be a rewarding experience. It's a practical skill that you'll take with you throughout life. Anyone can save money by finishing their own furniture.
The most critical part of finishing a piece of furniture happens before you open a can of stain or paint. A thorough sanding is often the factor that separates "acceptable" results from "professional-looking" results.
Tips for kit (unassembled) furniture: If you are assembling furniture, do so with an eye to the finished product. Do any major sanding required to make solid and flush joints and corners. Some find it easier to sand before the furniture is permanently assembled. Use caution when sanding individual pieces to avoid rounding over crisp edges that may form gaps when joined and glued.
Whether the project is a ready to finish piece of furniture, a freshly stripped old antique, a kit that needs assembly, now is the time to make minor repairs and do the finish sanding. Use crack filler to fill voids, nail holes and other imperfections. Crack filler should be sanded until it remains only in the void, and not on the surface of the wood. Excess glue on the surface of the wood must either be flushed and washed away with clean water while it is still wet, or allowed to dry and cut away with a sharp chisel or knife-any remaining spots or smears must be completely sanded away. Areas contaminated by glue will not accept stain.
Sanding preparation


We cannot stress enough that you must have a strong base of proper sanding to achieve the perfect finish!! See our sanding tutorial below if you want more details. All surfaces should be clean and free from all dirt and oils. Prep sanding is done with progressively finer grits. Do NOT start sanding with very fine sandpaper on unfinished wood. Prepare the surface by using medium paper first, and then proceed to finer grades. On most raw woods, start sanding in the direction of the grain using a #120-150 grit paper before staining and work up to #220 grit paper.

  • On soft woods such as Pine, Aspen or Alder, sand first with #120 and finish with #220. On hardwoods such as Oak, Maple, Birch or Parawood, sand first with #120 and finish no finer than #180.
  • On hard woods such as maple or birch, start with a #120 grit paper and finish with a #150 grit paper to keep the grain open and receptive to stain. Finish the final sanding with a finer grit sandpaper such as #220.

Do not over sandor you may seal the wood so much that it will not take a finish. End-grains (areas where the wood has been cut against the grain), such as the front side of a table, tend to soak up more stain than other surfaces. Give end-grain areas an additional sanding to control the absorption of stain.
Make fast work of prep sanding! Shown here is an orbital power sander with dust bag used to prep the wood surface and buff out between top coats. Sheryl loves this sander! Just use the correct grade of sandpaper when buffing out between top coats or milk paints. We often prefer to hand sand the final top coats. Do not use an orbital sander when distress sanding flat painted surfaces for an antiqued look. The orbital sander will dig in as you apply pressure to get through the paint, leaving round areas of wear that will not look natural. Natural distressing runs with the grain of the wood. This photo shows one coat of topcoat being buffed out over Lamp Back Paint.