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Tuesday, June 19th, 2018
Hooker Furniture Finish: A deep, dark clear finish on walnut, cherry, mappa burl and ebony veneers is highlighted by champagne-colored tipping on carvings and top edges along with chiseling that gives character to the marquetry patterns for a time-worn character.
Before you begin shopping for your next furniture piece, you need to know a few things about the finish’s appearance, what method was used in creating it, and how durable it is. Finishing is one of the biggest fears of woodworkers. While they can be confident in joinery or even intricate designs, they could very easily take a step back when it comes to applying finishes. Knowing the best finish for a certain woodwork is a crucial obstacle to overcome.
There are many categories of finishing products. These are either based on the working qualities or varying degrees of protection that are applied. Just imagine how many you could choose from – oils, vanishes, shellacs, water-based finishes, and lacquers.
Of course, the different finishes offer different levels of durability, protection, aesthetics, and ease of repair and application. No furniture maker would be able to tell you that a particular finish is better than the rest as there are many factors to consider when applying a specific finish. Be ready to accept some trade-offs when picking the right finish for your furniture.
Wood Finish Types
There are only two major types of wood finish and these are how well each cures or dries. The evaporative finishes include shellac, lacquer, and the water-based finishes. These become hard films as they evaporate. Water isn’t a solvent, though, it is just considered a carrier for the emulsion used on the finishing. This type tends to be less durable because they tend to re-dissolve in their thinning solvent.
Reactive finishes, on the other hand, do have evaporating solvents, too, but they react with the chemical mixed with them or with the air once they’re applied. A kind of chemical change occurs right before application and also when they cure. After this, no re-dissolving happens except in the case of the pure oils where the reactive finish holds better to chemicals and heat.
Anthracite black with light dusty-wax hang up , still from Hooker Furniture.
If you’re thinking of wax as a means of finishing the furniture surface, think again. Most woodworkers only look at this as a furniture polisher. They use these often over shellacs or lacquer finishes.
True oils such as linseed and Tung oils are drying oils. These are referred to as true oils just to set them apart from the non-drying or semi-drying kinds like soybean oil. True oils are altered from liquid to solid in a process called polymerization.
Linseed oil has yet many forms. In its unrefined form, it is the raw linseed oil which is not used often because it takes too long to dry. When boiled, this oil becomes thicker and dries up more quickly, hence, more viable for furniture use.
Tung oil comes naturally from Asian nut trees although these are being cultivated all over the globe now. This comes in its pure, unrefined form and also in the polymerized, heat-treated type. Just like in the case of the linseed oil, the heat treatment makes the oil more durable.
Varnishes are either long-oil or short-oil. The former contain high percentages of oil including spar, marine or exterior varnishes. The long-oil type is more elastic. Short-oil or medium varnishes are also known as baking enamels or heat-set varnish. These are used in industrial applications because they require extreme temperatures to dry.
The varnish and oil blends are mostly oils mixed with just a little varnish. They are easily applied because they are oils and they are protective of the furniture surface because they are varnishes, too. Shellacs, on the other hand, may be thought of as a liquid finish but in its pure form, it is actually resin coming from a bug feeding on trees. These bugs come mostly from Thailand and India.
Lacquers are considered as the go-to all-around finish by many furniture makers. They dry quickly and they provide a different kind of richness to the wood.
Tags: finishes, finishes 101, furniture finish, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, shopping for finishes
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Thursday, October 13th, 2016
FFDM Highlands Collection
Shopping for furniture can get tiresome and confusing. There is attractive furniture everywhere but you have to make a serious, contemplative decision before you take the step and begin shopping. Remember that furniture is supposed to last long, meaning, it should be around long enough for you to enjoy, or better yet, for your children and grandchildren to enjoy.
Family heirlooms are not accident pieces. These are intentionally durable and quality pieces that can be kept for heritage’s sake. Your objective in shopping for a would-be heirloom piece is to know what to look for.
Heirloom Must be Handcrafted
From beginning to end, handcrafted pieces are those that have been made solely by hand. These pieces are cut, sanded, fitted, carved, then joined by hand. You might see some flaws because these are handcrafted but these only point to the more desirable unique features that cannot be provided by any machine.
The farthest that you could allow should be woodworker’s glue but for the most of the furniture, these should be joined by equally durable wooden pieces.
Finding handcrafted pieces also means that you find a reputable furniture artisan. Noteworthy furniture designers should catch your attention. They are the ones that can provide the best tables, chairs, beds or lamps that you can hand over to your posterity with pride.
Heirloom Means Quality
There are two kinds of wood that can be used in the creation of quality furniture – softwoods and hardwoods. Common softwood species are pine, cypress, redwood and cedar. Hardwood trees, on the other hand, are cherry, ash, oak, maple, rosewood, poplar, walnut and teak.
Hardwood or softwood offers a different look, feel and hardness. The kind of wood that has been chosen will affect the quality and price of the piece. High quality spells top of the line pieces. The likes of solid Cherry, Oak, Mahogany or Maple are all wonderfully durable which is why these are also some of the most expensive pieces that one could own.
There are also pieces that come in combined woods. An example is when Cherry is used as an exterior piece and underneath it, there is a different kind of wood. When you encounter this kind of combined materials, take a step back and see if you can invest on a more expensive piece instead. Cherry finish is different from solid cherry furniture.
Remember that solid construction is no less than the highest quality of furniture creation. Whether you pick softwood or hardwood, what really counts is having a solid piece. Solid pieces are the most probable heirloom pieces because they are not engineered wood, plywood or particleboards.
Never settle for bargain pieces. Durability and quality come with firm, compact woods so look only for the latter.
Heirloom Means Quality Construction
Fine wood pieces always undergo proper construction. Poor construction undermines even the best of solid wood. Even if there are already technological advancements, the good, old-fashioned way of furniture construction is still considered best especially when you are considering a would-be heirloom piece.
Find joints that are wood-on-wood rather than those with metal or iron brackets. Ask about dovetails or mortise and tenon as these are the strongest joints that furniture manufacturers could use. Fitted joints significantly increase the contact area, hence, the furniture bonding strength becomes more substantial.
Heirloom Spells Superior Finish
Quality finish is essential in protecting your furniture piece and also in bringing out the beauty of the wooden furniture. Finishes provide varying degrees of furniture strength.
High quality finish might take a tad longer to create but they are definitely able to last longer and could provide more protection than other sorts of finishes.
Tags: age-proofing bathrooms, choosing heirloom pieces, fine furniture, furniture finish, heirloom furniture, heirloom pieces, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, quality furniture, shopping for heirloom furniture, tips, vintage, vintage design, vintage furniture, vintage interior design, vintage interiors
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Tuesday, September 6th, 2016
Hooker Furniture Living Room Keepsake Event Recliner features a frame that looks a tad weathered.
Faux finishes are growing more and more popular each year. Exotic and bland finishes have been around for hundreds, even thousands of years. Most of the techniques even date all the way back to the ancient Greek and Egyptian cultures though the best pieces are those crafted by the Renaissance Italians. The Italians were the ones who mastered faux art in the form of stone, wood and metal pieces. Even the most discerning eyes were fooled then. It was in the mid 1900s when European and American craftsmen made the most awesome interior paint effects in both cottage and palatial homes.
The last century and a half didn’t show a lot of new faux art. It was just a few decades ago when specialty paint finishes are being rediscovered. This spelled the availability of faux finishes to everyone. In essence, anyone who can hold a paintbrush can already do the work as there is no limitation to what you can now glaze or paint in your home.
Kinds of Faux Finishes
The first one is known as the antiqued finish. This is the repro of old, weathered look with the use of paint which was specifically manufactured for faux finish purposes. Each mixture of crackle medium, base paint and surface material produces a different result. You can also experiment if you want to achieve a particular color or look.
If you want to achieve this look on a new piece, then try painting the piece with milk paint. This is paint made from clay, natural pigments, lime and milk casein. It is natural so it’s safe to use. It offers a powdery look which can be seen often in many genuine antique pieces.
The next kind is the distressed antique finish. When distressing a piece of furniture, whether a cabinet or a chair, you need to take a good look at the furniture. See how the corners and rungs have been worn or how they have lost their finish. More often than not, repeated handling and touching can wear off the finish. Dings and scuff marks can also happen.
Don’t go shopping for new hardware if you want to achieve this look. You can actually use any tool to mimic the look of a worn out piece. Look for an old canvas bag, fill it up with bolts then beat up your furniture. The bruises and dents you achieve will surely look authentic, you’ll see.
Adding effects is easier if you use a semi-transparent paint glaze right over the base coat. There are different results that you can achieve with the glazing effect. You can have it removed by sponging, ragging or combing.
Apply glaze on base coat using different implements in order to create patterns and textures. You can also let the glaze dry partially before you wipe it off for a rubbed effect. This should resemble a parchment which is great for rustic interiors. Dilute the glaze for color wash then apply with brush.
Another faux finish is called combing. This makes use of the teeth of comb. You can create straight, wavy or zigzag lines according to your preference. All you have to do is to drag the comb through the glaze to achieve a textured effect.
Ragging means using bunched up, lint-free rags. Apply the second coat right over the base.
Sponging makes use of natural sea sponge in applying the glaze on top of the base coat. Other effects like wood graining can be quite challenging. There are also techniques that combine several techniques using brush and different work details.
Lastly, there’s gilding. This is an easy way to add drama or character to accessories in your home. Use metallic colors such as gold, silver or copper leaf and what you achieve is an instant heirloom.
Tags: 18th century, faux finish, finish, finishes 101, furniture finish, history, McCreery's, McCreerys Home Furnishings
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Thursday, June 23rd, 2016
Hooker Furniture Dark Walnut and Mappa Burl
‘Starting furniture shopping? Consider not just the furniture’s appearance this time. Try to study how the piece was made by an artisan’s hands, why it is durable, and what method of finishing application was used to make it look awesome.
Woodworkers and Finishes
Finishing is one of the biggest concerns for a lot of woodworkers. They may be experts in joinery, machining, and other precision activities but woodworkers – a lot of them, in fact – still take a step back when they are about to apply the finishing.
Now you might ask what the best finish for your furniture is – and that’s one great question. Having the answer to this question will give you much more confidence in overcoming other hurdles in the coming days.
Finishing products may be grouped according to working qualities as well as the kind of protection that they offer ranging from oils, to waxes, shellacs to varnishes, water-based finishes and lacquers. No single finishing is considered the best as one that excels on one furniture may be a total failure in another.
Wood Finishing Classifications
All kinds of wood finishes may be classified into how they dry or how they cure. Finishes that evaporate such as shellac and lacquer become as a hard film once they dry and the solvents evaporate.
Reactive finishes like tung or linseed oil also have solvents that can evaporate yet they cure when they react with air. Such finishes undergo chemical change when they cure. This kind of finish tends to hold better when subjected to chemicals and heat (with the exception of pure oils).
Other Finishes
Wax may not be such a great idea for furniture finish. Carnauba wax or any paste wax can be used to polish furniture but it is advisable to use them over existing finishes like shellac or lacquer.
Varnish is comprised of tough synthetic resins that were modified using drying oils. If you take a look at the labels of varnishes, you would see a list of resins like phenolic, urethane, alkyd, and other oils such as tung or linseed.
Varnishes cure just like true oils through a process called polymerization. The resins heighten the durability. If you want durable finish for your wood furniture, then use any oil-based varnish. Even an average woodworker will be able to apply this finishing product for you. varnishes surpass a lot of finishes when it comes to heat, water, chemical and solvent resistance.
Long oil varnishes are varnishes that contain a huge amount of oil (e.g. spar, marine or exterior varnishes). These are more elastic because they are softer than the short to medium varnishes which contain just a limited amount of oil.
Another type of finish is the varnish and oil blend. This mixture contains a huge amount of oil plus some varnish. This is also an easy-to-apply product though they tend to dry a lot harder than true oil finishes.
Lastly, water-based finishes are often made with either an acrylic urethane blend or an acrylic resin. Adding urethane makes the product scratch-resistant.
Remember that choosing the kind of finish depends on a lot of factors such as temperature in your home, the level of dampness, and the overall environment. The least temperamental when it comes to cold environments are shellac and lacquer; in humid conditions, use oils and any oil-based product.
You would need a bigger budget if you would require spray equipment for your project. If it’s a DIY project that you’re after, then know that there’s a learning curve when it comes to spraying. It would require a lot of practice if you want to get decent results with sprayed on finishes.
Hooker Furniture Clear Dark Oak
Tags: finish, finishes, finishes 101, furniture finish, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
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