RECLAIMED (STRIPPING) is the use of chemical, paint and varnish removers, scrapers, steel wool and brushes to soften and remove all finish down to the bare wood.
PREPARATION (PREP) means rough sanding, patching, bleaching, fine scraping, and fine sanding to make the woodwork ready for finishing.
FINISHING means to apply washcoats,conditioners, stains(both wiping and spray-stain), tints, dye, glazes, sealers and topcoats to the wood surface. We sand between coats of finish and use pigmented and dye stains for coloring. Finish can be varnish, shellac , lacquer or waterborne coatings, and may be applied by rags, brush or spray.
DETAILING means the final “fine tuning” after all masking is removed and all wood edges are fully exposed. It can include color touch ups, color caulking , waxing and polishing.
RECOAT means using solvents that do not soften the finish to clean its surface; sanding, color glazing; spot coloring, and topcoating with an appropriate finish.
We mask all areas adjacent to the woodwork being finished. The use 4 mil Poly, Rosin paper, and 1/8″ Hardboards are used in combination to protect floors, while 1 mil Poly is used to protect walls. Masking is secured with “no lift” blue tape, green “Painters tape” and standard masking tape. While the great expanse of floors and walls will not be affected, sometimes the area immediately next to the woodwork may. About 1/32″ – 1/16″ Repainting may be required in these areas. Sometimes, the existing wall paint will have poor adhesion and pieces will lift off when we remove the masking materials. When appropriate, we suggest scheduling any wood finishing before the painting is done.
All obvious nail holes, gaps and gouges are filled with wood filler or mastik. All styles/rails are V-grooved at all 90 degree joints and whenever a solid meets a panel. This helps define joints properly and moves the cabinets further towards “furniture Grade” status. We won’t remove existing nails or screws, except to remove hardware. We will remove from work surfaces any cable, telephone or network wire or device if applicable.
We will move and protect furniture and accessories, either to another room or to the center of the room being worked. If you have a preference as to how this is done, please let us know.
The progression of a BASIC finishing/refinishing* schedule is:
Masking
Stripping*
Sanding/Prep
Staining
Sealing
Toning
Topcoat
We then remove all masking materials and perform detail touch-ups where necessary.
As a rule, all surfaces that are exposed to outside elements will be finished with marine varnish with UV blockers for direct sunlight protection.
If you have any questions or are curious about any step, please don’t hesitate to ask.
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