If you have any wood furniture, it is a great idea to be familiar with the art of finishing. There are three basic finish steps to apply to all finishes, from the most basic wax or oil finish to contemporary coatings and even painting the exterior of a house or a room wall. Paint, lacquer, varnish, oil, or even a wax finish can be used on wood. The Base sealer or primer coat provides the foundation of the finish. The Build coats provide the structure or framework of the finish itself, much as the framing of a house. The Top coat gives the finish its final character, whether matte or sheen is used. Remember that unlike metal or plastic surfaces, wood presents a substrate that varies in density, porosity, and stability.

The first thing to do is to prepare the surface of the substrate in character with the desired finish result. If an extra smooth surface is specified, then sanding, grain filling, and defect filling of some sort will probably be necessary. On softer woods and on face grain this sealer coat may require two applications to provide an even base for the build coats.

Build or body coats are the part of a finish that provide moisture resistance, durability and longevity to the coating. Depth in clear or translucent finishes and richness of colored coatings depend on these build coats. For clear coatings, where the structure, grain and tone of the wood are visible, use only gloss for build coats. Goss body or build coats maintain clarity and eliminate the foggy, dull or milky look associated when semi-gloss.

With moisture, proof or moisture resistant coatings the hardness or density and porosity of the wood substrate will dictate the required number of build coats. The best moisture proof coating cannot do its job if the coating thickness does not provide for wear and a non-permeable membrane. When moisture resistance is important, always give at least one more coat than just looks good or provides an even build. The one extra gloss build coat added to a finish consisting of one sealer, one build, and one topcoat will more than double resistance to moisture. Solid opaque lacquers and painted finishes, the gloss product has all the best in hardness and durability characteristics including resistance to dents and impressions

Many finishers, in a rush to this end, discard of the foundation work that will provide the lasting look and result in durable performance, however this has. This top coat gives the desired esthetic sheen, but the total look and character of the finish comes from the work put into the first coats.Careful preparation prior to this last coat by sanding with fine paper, careful removal of dust from the surface, and sanitation in the work area pay off in a lot of saved labor.