Finishing Furniture

Last week, I started to show you how to strip and stain furniture.  Today I want to show you how easy it is to finish furniture.

Once your piece is stripped and stained you are ready to finish.  There is nothing worse than getting to this step.....than messing up this last step.  So here are a couple things to purchase that are easy to use and give you a great finish.

For your painted areas, I like to use a water based protective finish called Polycrylic.  This goes on milky but dries clear. You have to use very thin coats or the milky color can show up - especially on dark paints.  So go thin and you get a great clear protective coat over your paint.

For wood finishes, I like to use minwax polyurethane. It comes in oil and water based. Oil takes longer to dry but you get the same finish.  Now, it says to use a brush for application but I find that using a brush leaves the chance for brush marks and I like a smooth finish.  So I use a cheap sponge applicator.  I pour 4 parts poly and 1 part mineral spirits together and mix really well.  The mineral spirits thins the poly out so you have time to go back over with your sponge without worry of any streaking.  It's important to stir the poly and mineral spirits together.  You don't want air bubbles in your poly. Apply from left to right and make sure you have total coverage. Let dry.  Lightly sand with 220 grit or higher to smooth out any rough spots and put on another coat the same way.  Let dry.

You now have a beautiful finish worthy of any fine piece of furniture.

Happy Monday!

Paula