Posted by Sherman in Idaho [24.32.202.166] on Sunday, June 23, 2013 at 02:47:18 :
In Reply to: Re: OT spraying polyurethane posted by Paul (in NY) [12.64.96.2] on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at 15:49:14 :
I see a lot of "one-step" type finishes on commercial work these days and I think it's an insult to good wood. Having the stain mixed in with the varnish gives a muddy finish and eliminates any chance of getting that nice three-dimensional effect that shows off the grain and depth in properly-finished cabinetry. Most of the furniture coming from China has that sort of thing, or even some worse kind of fake wood-grain smeared-on finish on it. The idea apparently is to make something cheap like poplar or alder look like walnut or cherry, but really it just looks like a muddy mess to me. I'd rather put regular old alkyd spar varnish on any kind of wood and let it be whatever color it comes out to be, than use the one-step junk. Even just using traditional oil stain takes real care, especially with soft woods, to not over-do it. That means exactly the right "cut" of shellac sanding sealer, wiped off at the right time, followed by careful application of stain, again wiped off at the right time. It's easy to get ugly dark blotches.