Pine Wood Finishing Techniques

A glass smooth finish begins with a level even surface.

Pine wood finishing techniques.

While pine is easy to sand it s also easy to damage. The soft wood between the growth rings can wear down quicker than the rings if not sanded correctly. Without shellac pine s pitch can bleed into oil based finishes leaving fissures or shiny spots that remain tacky especially around knots. To achieve this on open grain woods oak ash walnut or mahogany for instance first fill the pores with a wood grain filler photo below.

It also keeps pitch sealed in the wood. That s because a bare pine surface absorbs stain unevenly yielding an unnatural blotchy or zebralike coloration. Today s lacquers are available in both spray and brush on styles but both have the advantage of being among the fastest drying of all woodworking finishes brushing a lacquer finish requires a little more time and effort but is probably a little bit cleaner than spraying. Scrub the wood with a soft sponge to raise the grain.

This will prevent the natural pigments in the knots from bleeding into the finishing product. Q a with bruce johnson. Well if you prefer a darker stained finish things get a little dicier. The best method for sanding pine is to use a variable speed randon orbital sander.

Seal the surface with two coats of 2 lb cut dewaxed shellac. See story link below. It has several appealing characteristics including its pleasant natural color. It is important to always pre seal any knots in the wood with a shellac or wash coat before applying the stain.

Yellow pine finishing techniques. Most every manufacturer that makes oil based stain also makes a wood conditioner designed to prevent splotching. Run the damp sponge over the outer surface of the pine from end to end with heavy sweeping strokes in one direction. Probably the easiest and most common fix for these problems is wood conditioner.

Now that you know stains paints and clear to coat finishes are best for pine wood let s take a closer. Choose the right products for your project view products. Yellow pine is a wood commonly used in construction particularly for flooring. Making easy sense of it all.

Wood grain fillers come in different colors. Lacquer finishes have been used for centuries to give woodworking projects a tough durable and water resistant clear finish. However because of the way it works it also reduces excess stain absorption which in turn helps minimize the photonegative effect. Pine can be pleasingly stained it just requires a bit of extra prep work.

Sand after each coat with 400 grit paper. Wet the sponge then give it a squeeze to wring out the excess water. Finishing pine wood knots. What s not to like.

You can choose one to blend with the color of the workpiece for an even appearance or. Expert tips get bruce s advice on wood finishing repairs and more. Sanding is the foundation of any finishing project.