Finishing of wood

The primary function of any wood finish (paint, varnish, and stain, for example) is to protect the wood surface, help maintain a certain appearance, and provide a cleanable surface. Although wood can be used both outdoors and indoors without finishing, unfinished wood surfaces exposed to the weather change color, are roughened by photodegradation and surface checking, and erode slowly. Unfinished wood surfaces exposed indoors may also change color; moreover, unfinished wood is more difficult to clean than is finished wood. Wood and wood-based products in a variety of species, grain patterns, textures, and colors can be finished effectively by many different methods. Selection of a finish will depend on the appearance and degree of protection desired and on the substrates used. Because different finishes give varying degrees of protection, the type of finish, its quality and quantity, and the method used to apply the finish must be considered when finishing or refinishing wood and wood products. 1999 This article is in PDF format (file size: 2223 kb). To download this article, right click on the link immediately below and choose "save target as". To view the article, left click the link immediately below.
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Finishing of wood   (1999)

The primary function of any wood finish (paint, varnish, and stain, for example) is to protect the wood surface, help maintain a certain appearance, and provide a cleanable surface. Although wood can be used both outdoors and indoors without finishing, unfinished wood surfaces exposed to the weather change color, are roughened by photodegradation and surface checking, and erode slowly. Unfinished wood surfaces exposed indoors may also change color; moreover, unfinished wood is more difficult to clean than is finished wood. Wood and wood-based products in a variety of species, grain patterns, textures, and colors can be finished effectively by many different methods. Selection of a finish will depend on the appearance and degree of protection desired and on the substrates used. Because different finishes give varying degrees of protection, the type of finish, its quality and quantity, and the method used to apply the finish must be considered when finishing or refinishing wood and wood products.

Author: Williams, R. Sam

Source: Wood handbook : wood as an engineering material. Madison, WI : USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 1999. General technical report FPL ; GTR-113: Pages 15.1-15.37

Citation: Williams, R. Sam  1999.  Finishing of wood  Wood handbook : wood as an engineering material. Madison, WI : USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 1999. General technical report FPL ; GTR-113: Pages 15.1-15.37.