Garden furniture

Furniture for garden or park.

Many buildings, especially the large buildings are equipped with a garden or park. Park is one place outside the room is used as a pleasant place to rest. While garden is place to grow plant. A park or small garden at home, hotel or even the office will give a comfortable and fresh atmosphere. The garden or park is also recommended in the city building since it absorbing the pollutant and release fresh air to the environment. As a room the park and garden also require furniture as a place to sit, lie down or to put the necessary goods. Garden furniture is furniture used to wear at a park or garden. Although not as much as indoor furniture garden furniture business is big market. Many models of garden furniture that is made to fill the garden furniture market.

 Substrates for garden furniture.

Furniture for the garden has a different model and design with other furniture. Unlike indoor furniture, garden furniture usually has simple models and shapes. Since it use for outdoor so the garden furniture is made from materials that are different with indoor furniture. Garden furniture is made of material that is more robust and resistant to outdoor weather changes. The woods that are often used for garden furniture are the wood types that are strong, durable and can withstand the outdoor weather. Teak wood is the most popular wood for outdoor furniture. It is strong, durable and has a nice appearance. The metals such as: aluminum, iron, stainless steel many also most used in the garden furniture. The metal mostly used in combination with wood, rattan or other natural product in the garden furniture used alone or in combination with other materials. Rattan is also very popular used in the garden furniture, now when the natural rattan is became rare; most of garden furniture is made of rattan synthetic. The rattan synthetic is considered stronger and durable for outdoor weather is more suitable for the outdoor stuff. Now there are some natural materials such as bamboo, water hyacinth, rattan, pandanus are also used to make garden furniture. That material can create a unique, rustic looked and attractive appearance for the furniture. 

Finishing for garden furniture. 

The finishing for garden furniture of course has different specifications with indoor furniture products. The finishing for garden furniture usually is simpler in color and looked but it needs to be stronger. The finishing for garden furniture requires special materials that are resistant to the weather outside air as heat, cold nights, rain and even snow. For outdoor use we need a clear coating and pigment types which are suitable and can withstand the outdoor climate. The pigment used should a kind pigment that is more resistant to UV rays, while the clear coating used also the clear coating type with more resistant to the outdoor weather changes.

There are a lot of the finishing material are designed and available to be used to coat for the outdoor products. The most widely used for outdoor wood finishes are: outdoor oil, spar varnish, polyurethane outdoor and acrylic outdoor. While for metal furniture finishing which the material used are: epoxy, polyester or polyurethane. When we see the materials name it may confusing since it may they are similar with the indoor finishing material. To make easier in the buying finishing materials is to read the material specification in the can.

The materials used for outdoor furniture finishing processes are special made to be used to coat the outdoor products. These materials are made with more emphasis on strength and resistance to the weather and outside room. But because of that, the decorative value is rather limited then the indoor finishing materials. The color and appearance option of the outdoor finish is rather limited. A special finishing looked with many effects and highlight as in a Nitrocellulose finish in the indoor finishing is very difficult to be achieved with the outdoor finishing materials. Some specific colors such as red or black color will also be faster fade in the outdoor.
The finishing for garden furniture usually is simpler and more natural looked. A simple finishing using teak oil or polyurethane oil is widely used for the wood garden furniture. The unfinished woods also are lot available for garden furniture. The oil or unfinished will give a natural looked is very proper to the naturally set up in the garden or park. Finishing with, the use of this oil will be able to display the beauty of the grain in the product. A light stain with thin clear coating is also mostly uses for natural or wood garden furniture. A spar varnish or outdoor polyurethane clear coating can be used in this finish with good result.

Some garden furniture is also available in the solid color. Simple and calm colors are mostly used for his purpose. For this finish we need to make sure that the materials uses is the right material for outdoor uses. The polyurethane or acrylic outdoor is a good choice to do this finish. 

Strathwood St. Thomas Cast Aluminum 2-Seater Loveseat

Recycled wood furniture

Recycled timber

Recycled timber or recycled wood is wood materials that come from the old wood products that are recycled, reprocessed and reused. The sources of recycled is obtained from the old buildings, old ship, old furniture, and other old wood products that have been damaged. This timber previously is waste product and mostly only used to feed for burned in stove. Now this wood can use as a material for the recycled wood furniture products with higher value. This is a good alternative for this wood uses since it also help to reuse the wastes with high added value.

The old timber that can be recycled for furniture should a timber that is still has a good condition, still strong and has and quite size to be processed in the furniture production.  The oak and teak are popular for recycled wood since they are lots available in good enough condition after long timed used.

Recycled wood furniture

Recycled wood furniture is furniture that uses recycled wood as its raw materials. The recycled wood furniture is one answer from the furniture industry to participate in the environment preservation and reduce the deforestation. It is good issues now, when the world is facing climate change and global warming.

Many people consider the furniture industry is one industry that contributes to the forest destruction. Until now the furniture industry is still uses lot of wood and wood products as its materials. Although today has been developed many other materials as raw material for making furniture, but the wood is still the main substrate for making furniture. Even some finishing material for furniture such as: nitrocellulose, shellac, are also produced from the plant. The current location of the furniture industry which is more located in the developing countries where the forest destruction is mostly happen is the other reason that reinforces that the furniture industry is involved to the forest damage. Since that many environmentalists community pressure and expects the furniture industry to take part in the environmental conservation.
Few things have been done by the furniture industry to address the issue of forest sustainability and environmental safety, such as: the use of certified wood, the use of friendly environment materials, and the use of recycled wood for furniture raw material.

The models of recycled wood furniture
 
Recycled wood furniture is one of the current furniture models are introduced and many are offered in the furniture business. And now the recycled wood furniture has its own market in the furniture business. Many models and design of furniture that emphasis in the uses of recycled timber are available in the market. The model that is suitable for recycling wood, of course, is a model that could maximize the uniqueness of its raw materials. The antique or rustic furniture is the most suitable model for this timber. The damaged timber such as holes from nail, screw, turn mite, and much other damage can display a natural antique and old looked appearance. The finishing for this product should be able to maximize the uniqueness of the old wooden appearance.  Antique finishing antique or rustic appearance is the right choice for this furniture.
 
Recycled wood furniture has some advantages compared with fresh wood furniture products from fresh timber.

• The recycled wood is relatively dry and stable.

The recycled wood is from timber has been cut and used for long time, so its moisture content is already stable and balance with the humidity in its environment. Therefore, the problems caused by wood moisture content changes like wood crack, or bend wood is very rarely happens in the recycled wood.

• It has more value as an environmentally friendly furniture product.

This product is considered uses waste products as its raw materials. This wood wont come from illegal logging. This is a good selling point in this era when people are more talking about forest preservation and environmentally product. 

• It has unique shape and appearance

The wood from recycled timber has unique appearance, old, antique  which can not be obtained from the fresh wood furniture.

The problem about the recycled wood furniture now is the difficulty of material sourcing. This furniture needs a lot of old wood product such as demolition houses, old wood furniture that are not easy to be found. It is quite difficult to find the wood waste but still in good condition. The limited source is the most problem for this furniture.

Sterling 463420 Rain Wizard 50, Black

Maple wood for furniture

Maple veneer combine with solid mahogany furniture

 
Maple wood

Maple is one of the wood types that are much used as furniture material. Maple wood as substrate for furniture has long been done mainly in European countries and America, where the wood is widely available. At this time when many furniture products in both places are mostly produced in other countries, there are lot of maple wood and veneer from the plantation forest in the United States and Europe are sent to furniture manufacturer countries such as: Indonesia, China, and Vietnam.

The maple wood has characters which are very suitable to be used as furniture raw material. This wood is quite hard and stable make it is ideally wood to be formed and processed in the furniture industry. This wood has a soft grain texture with small and shallow pores; make it can be finish in a closed pores finish easily. It has a light base color, white brown with light pink stripes according to its grain. It makes this wood can be used to make furniture with a very wide range of colors. A very light color to a dark color can be formed from this timber.

This wood is widely used to make furniture with a wide range models. Furniture with simple models with straight shape to furniture with a complex shapes and models with heavy carvings can be produced using this wood. This wood is also many used to make outdoor furniture. In the indoor furniture the maple veneer is more widely used instead of the solid wood. The maple veneer combine with local white wood is widely used to make maple furniture in the furniture industries. Its light color makes this wood is good choice to make furniture with light color designed.

Finishing for maple wood furniture
 

This wood has a light base color, so it can be finished in almost any color. With an appropriate finishing system then almost all kinds of finishing models with various colors can be generated by this timber. But the finishing for this wood should be done correctly to get the best result. The dark color finishing on this wood should be done carefully. This wood has a vogue grain pattern, faint and not too strong. Its grain character is not as strong as cherry or mahogany wood. Since that, too thick stain application will tend to block and kill the grain pattern in this wood. Organic stain which is brighter and more transparent is a good choice for staining this timber. An inorganic stain for this wood could kill its vogue grains and reduce its wood beauty appearance.

This wood also has a very high absorption to the stain, so the application of this stain directly to the wood must be done carefully. The unfinished wood should be sanded and well prepared. Applications stain by wiping or brushing on this wood often produces an uneven and blotchy coloration. The wiping stain is also difficult to produce a dark color finish to this wood. Wiping stain with high concentrated is highly risk to get blotchy color, whereas a thin stain is not enough to color the wood produces a dark color. Stain application by spray is the best choice for this timber, since by spray application the stain can be layered in the required thickness. To make  the dark color finish, 2 layer of stain or even more layer can be done easily by spray application. Glue sizing in the sanding process is also good choice to prevent the blotchy in the staining process. 
Natural finishing with the application of sealer and top coat is also very suitable to be done on this wood with very nice results, especially for furniture with a simple model. This wood has soft grain texture and shallow pores, make it can be finished to a closed pore finish relatively easy. The application clear coating without the use of filler will be able to close its pores quickly. Meanwhile, finishing with a lot of antique models with application of glaze and stain can also be done with very interesting finishing result.
Solid color finishes also much done on this wood. Finishing with solid colors, flat, clean and even can be produced quite ease since this timber has a small texture grain pattern and shallow  pores. 

 
Water Globe For Do-It Yourselfers Has Maple Finish Wood Base. 

Cracking in the wood furniture finishing

Cracking in the furniture

Cracking in the finishing.

Cracking is a serious problem in a finishing. The cracking in the finish layer indicates a failure in the finishing layer. A furniture product with cracking in its finish layer will not be acceptable in the market. A finish layer which has crack in it also can not be corrected again, the only way to treat this finish is to strip the finish and refinish with the new system. By these reasons preventing the occurring of crack in the finishing is much better option.  The cracking problem is mostly caused by the improper process in the finishing.
Here are some of the causes of the cracking in finishing layer:

•  The cracking in the substrate underneath.

Wood which is not dried properly is one major cause of a movement in the wood product. Wood is a hygroscopic material which will always adjust its moisture content according to the air humidity environment. While the wood adjust its moisture content inside it will shrink and expand make a movement on the wood product.  The movement that is too large can result in a rupture in the wood.

Meanwhile a finishing layer is only a very thin layer. The finishing thickness is nothing compared with the thickness of the substrate. Therefore, if there is cracking in the substrate beneath a finishing layer will be able to withstand it.
To overcome this, the wood need to be dry enough until it meets the proper moisture content to prevent a rupture in the furniture products.
The checking to the wood moisture contents is very important before a finishing process carried out to the furniture. When the wood moisture content is still too high or too low, a wood treatment is better done until it meet the standard moisture content. It is a cheaper option than doing the finishing process and then strips the finish because of the cracking problem in the furniture product.

Cracking is also much found in some special veneer such as crotch, swirl and burl. To prevent the high tend cracking veneer, a special treatment is needed to reduce its cracking tend. The glue sizing process and use of veneer softener is recommended to minimize the cracking problem on that veneer. 

•  Finishing in a moving substrate.

Sometimes there are moving parts such as seats, seat in furniture that requires a finish layer on it. Sofa or seat made from leather, cane, rattan, hyacinth or other natural products usually need a finishing layer on it. For this case an elastic finishing layer is needed so it can follow the movement on the substrate underneath. Since that finishing on the leather, rattan or water hyacinth is needed a special material with higher elasticity and adhesion power then the wood finishing material. Bu however the elasticity of a finishing layer is very limited, the finishing will not be able to withstand the movement that is too large.

• Too thick finishing layer

Finishing layer which is too thick, it is very risky to be cracked. The cracking caused by too thick layer of this film can be found several months after the finishing process are finished done.  A clean looked and high gloss finish is high risk to crack since it has too thick film layer. To meet the high gloss and even surfaces most time we apply too many finishing layer, that tend to create too thick film.  So when we make a high gloss and even finish, a level and even surface is better prepared from the unfinished preparation. A good sanding to make a level and smooth surface is better option then try to make level surface with finish layer.

• The pigment coating is too much

Pigment as a color-forming finishing material. The pigment application always requires a clear coating layer to bind it and make good attachment with its substrate underneath. In a finishing layer the pigment layer should not be too thick in order to have sufficient ties to its lower layer. A pigment layer that is too thick in a finishing process won’t have enough bonds and it easy to crack when it is wet with thinner or coating material. It often occurs in applications of glaze, a glaze is too thick will crack occurs when coated with clear coating thereon. Therefore, avoid staining with too thick pigment application, do a proper pigment application then seal with a clear coating, then another pigment application above the clear coating can be done if necessary to meet the expected color.

•  An improper or bad quality of material

The quality of the finishing layer is mainly determined with the quality of the finishing materials thereon. So make sure that we use good materials in a finishing process. Always check the expired date, and the technical data sheet of every material before used.
A physically changed in the materials looked is signal that the material is already not in good condition. A test is better done before use this material. The right mixing especially to the 2 components materials such as P.U., or A.C. is really necessary to ensure that we use the right material. Improper mixing will cause a reaction that is not perfect, this would result in cracking of the finishing layer is produced.

• The incompatible finishing layers.

Sometimes, we run finishing system that uses materials from a variety of types. If we do this a proper finishing system need to be chosen. Since an incompatible finishing layer will create problem finishing such as cracking or frying. Since that the use of the same type finishing material in a finishing process is highly recommended. If we want to use many type of finishing material, then we need to make sure that the material are compatible  each other.

Jepara Art Wood Carving Industrial Area

Jepara a town of carving in Indonesia

Jepara is a small town located about 100 kilometers north of Semarang, Central Java. Althoug it is just small town but Jepara is very famous place in the furniture business society. Until today Jepara is known as the center of wood carving and wood furniture industry in Indonesia. Many wood products such as furniture products other carved wood products have been shipped and marketed throughout the world. Most Jepara peoples work as carpenters, craftsman, wood and furniture businessmen and other fields which are related with wood and timber. Jepara peoples have the expertise to handle wood as handyman and carpenter hereditary from generation predecessor. The unique expertise of Jepara peoples and the abundant wood resources make Jepara is still exist as the center of furniture and other wood product until today. 

Now, with the developments of woodworking technology, the woodworking industry in Jepara has been combine their expertise and skills with the modern technology and system to develop their furniture making process.
Jepara furniture has a unique differentiate with the furniture products from other places. Most of the Jepara furniture products are made with the touch of handmade that make them have more artistic value. Carved furniture in many models is lots available and easily found in Jepara. The other art furniture products such as antique furniture, rustic furniture are the other furniture model that is lot available in here.  

Jepara Industrial Area of Art Wood Carving
 

In Jepara, there are many centers wood products goods with each has its specialties. Products such as tables, chairs, cabinets and others wood products have their own area as a center of production and trading places. In each center areas there are lot of special products available and can be purchased and ordered with relative cheap price.
One of the wood product centers in Jepara, is the Wood Carving Art Industrial Area. Located in the north of Jepara, about 5 km from the city center, this area is very interesting place especially for peoples who like the wood art. This place is the center of the wood carved product which provides many wood handicrafts in many models. Many wood products such as wall decoration, home decorations, garden ornaments, and other handicrafts can be found here. The wood products are mostly made from teak wood, even though many other products from other species are also available.

There are many variety of wood carved and ornament products are available here that can be directly purchased and carried.  The craftsmen here are also ready to make products with special order with special model if required.

Here are some pictures of the products available here. 

 wall ornament

wood horses statue

wood ship ornament

 wood statues

If you are interested to their products then please come and visit them in:
Jepara Industrial Area Art Wood Carving, in Mulyoharjo, Jepara, Central Java, Indonesia.

 

 Wood ornaments, 'Forest Elves' (set of 4)

Water hyacinth for furniture substrate

Water hyacinth

Water hyacinth is a bog plant that is usually found in places where there water pool like in the lakes, rivers, ponds, etc. Water hyacinth is often problematic in rivers, lakes and even man-made ponds if uncontrolled. These plants will grow very quickly so that it block and cover up the water and cause silting in the river or pond where he grew up. The rivers will have lees ability to accommodate water. Thus, their functions as a place to collect and drain water can not fulfill well. Similarly, in lakes or ponds, uncontrolled water hyacinth in the pond will result in reduced ability of the pond as a water reservoir. The water hyacinth that entirely cover lakes and ponds also blocks the sunlight from reaching native aquatic plants. It causes oxygen starvation of the water, and killing the animal species in there. The plants also create a prime habitat  for animal disease vector such as mosquito, and a species of snail known to host a parasitic flatworm which causes snail fever diseases.

water hyacinth for seat back chair

Water hyacinth for furniture and handicraft
 
In the area of central Java, water hyacinth is one of a fairly cumbersome nuisance plant several kinds of methods are used to control this plant. Until finally found a good solution by making use of these plants to produce useful goods and products. Currently water hyacinth has been used as substrate for making furniture and handicraft such as: bags, baskets and other small items. The uses of water hyacinth in the handicraft and furniture industry is quite  easy, even though it take long time process. It need to be dried up until the almost all its water inside evaporates. The drying process of this plant takes a long time since it is mainly composed of water.

The dried water hyacinth is a plant stem which is durable, flexible and can be woven and shaped in accordance with needs. In the manufacturing of bags and small goods then these stems are plaited and tight to form the model and shape in accordance with the goods that will be created. While for the furniture manufacturer the water hyacinth stems are whickered to use as the back seat in a chair, couch, or as an accent on large products such as drawer front or back panel on a bed, etc. With the right design, the water hyacinth can provide a unique looked to furniture products to make unique and attractive furniture.  Furniture with rustic or antique model will increasingly attractive with the use of woven water hyacinth as an accent on certain parts. The use of water hyacinth is now increasingly popular in the furniture industry. Much water hyacinth furniture has been produced and ship to fill the furniture market .   

water hyacinth with dark finish

Finishing for the water hyacinth.
 
Water hyacinth is the form of small rods that do not have a wide surface. The attraction of the water hyacinth is created by its woven pattern. The finishing on this material, mostly do enhance the impression its woven pattern. This substrate has a dark brown base color with dark spots in some parts which give the impression of an antique naturally. A transparent color finishing is the most interesting choice for this material. Application of a light stain with a thin clear coating is mostly done to produce an attractive performance, natural and rustic appearance. A wiping stain or glaze application, leaving the stain on the inside webbing will also produce a good performance reinforced the antique impression on the webbing. Finishing with solid color with various color are also often performed well on this material, resulted a quite good appearance.
The adhesion some time become problem for finishing the hyacinth, since that a special treatment is needed in the finishing process to this material. It has a kind of wax layer on the surface that is sometimes block and prevent the finishing layer to stick on the surface. Its whickered form makes the finishing layer above it is easier to break away and chipped off from the surface. Therefore, it needs a finishing material that can produce a better adhesion. A thin finishing layer is a better choice; since the thick film layers is higher risk of broken and cracked. The thick layer is also not suitable for the water hyacinth product since it will reduce the natural and beauty appearance of its webbing from.

 
Rustic Furniture Basics DVD

Rose wood

Rosewood for furniture

rosewood finish

Rosewood is one of the very exotic wood species. This wood has a very strong grain characters with pattern that is very unique and interesting. It has black stripes on its grain that is never found in other types of wood. With light brown as his base color this wood is very much used to create furniture products with elegant and beautiful appearance. By choosing the right design and finishing then a beautiful furniture can be produced from this wood. Since that the Rosewood is known as an expensive wood. The source is relatively limited and its very attractive appearance makes its price to be expensive. Therefore, to make furniture the rosewood veneer is more widely used. The use of solid rosewood furniture as substrate for manufacture furniture is very rare. Solid rosewood may still use as raw material to make small item products, but for manufacture of furniture products which is need a more wide and big panels the veneer is much more economical.  

Rosewood veneer
 

The rosewood veneer is still considered as an expensive veneer, but of course it is still much cheaper than the solid rosewood. By the proper technique of gluing and arrangement the rosewood veneers can replace the use of heavy and expensive solid rosewoods.  But behind his beauty appearance the rosewood has special characters and requires special treatments in the process of manufacturing of this wood and veneer. The rosewood is a hard wood; its veneer is hard and brittle. It also contains a kind of oil that will interfere the adhesion between the veneers with its bare core in the gluing process. In a furniture manufacturing factory that uses rosewood veneer, there is often found many problems about veneering. If the process of gluing veneer is not proper then there are many problems occurs such as:cracking and bubbling veneer or other loose veneer.
To overcome these problems, the rosewood veneer needs a special handling in the gluing and pasting process. Some treatments are needed to eliminate the oil in this veneer and reduce the brittleness of this veneer. The oil in rosewood veneer should be washed first with a thinner or acetone before it glued and pasted. To reduce its brittleness the veneer should be softened first by using a veneer softener or veneer conditioner. The veneer softener is a special material that is design to soften the veneer. It mostly used to make the hard and brittle veneer such as crotch veneer, burl veneer and rosewood veneer to be softer and more elastic when it glued. 

The procedure of gluing the rosewood veneer is as follows: 

• A rosewood veneer sheets washed with acetone to remove the oil therein

The oil in the veneer need to be released. We can use a thinner or acetone to resolve and wash off the oil. Acetone is brushed or wiped on the veneer surfaces both sides evenly.  Let it for awhile to let the acetone evaporate and dry. Brushing or wiping  the acetone on the veneer is the best way to wash the oil inside, but a wetly spray the acetone on the veneer surfaces both sides is also resulted  quite good results.  

•  Apply the veneer conditioner to the surfaces

Brush or spray wet the veneer conditioner on the veneer surface (both side) and then lay down it  until it is dry enough. The veneer conditioner is a watery chemical, so when it applied it will wet the veneer and raise the moisture content of the veneer. It takes few hours to let the veneer dry to meet the standard moisture content (usually the standard moisture content for furniture products is about 10%). For a humid area, a warm room needs to place the veneer  until it obtain the standard moisture content. Warm room is a special room which is designed to keep warm and dry. This room is mostly build in the furniture manufacturer used to keep the dry wood, wood component and veneer to be stay in the standard moisture content. It needed especially in the moist area which has high humidity. In the high humidity area the moisture content of the dry wood will raise since it absorb the moisture from its humid environment.

•  Apply the glue and do the pasting veneer.

The veneer gluing is best done with a hot press with a special glue that is be fast hardened with a high temperature. With the hot temperature, the glue will dry in just few minutes to make a strong and stable attachment. The cold press can also be done but with longer processing time  with the appropriate type of glue. 

Finishing for rosewood.

The furniture made of rosewood veneer or solid wood of course needs an appropriate finish to produce interesting looked furniture product. A finishing with transparent is the best choice since it can display the beauty of the nice grain patterns its strong base color of this wood. A natural color or a light stain with a high gloss and clean looked is very suitable choice for this wood since it will produce an elegant, expensive and luxurious furniture. Contemporary models with simple shapes are the most widely design made of wood or rosewood veneer because it can display its strong and unique grain character. A complex furniture model can be too crowded and would be contrary with the strong grain pattern of the wood.
Finishing with antic models can also be done for this wood, if the antique looked furniture is needed. But the furniture model is usually kept in simple form style.
Rosewood has oil insides which will come out and interfere  the finishing  result Therefore a finishing with a solid color should be avoided. A solid wood color to this wood will also cover and kill the beauty appearance of the wood, so the solid color is not a proper finish for the rosewood.

Since it is a brittle wood, it has high risk to get veneer problem such as crack, or veneer lifting or other veneer problems. To reduce the occurrence of veneer cracking  we can do glue sizing on this veneer. Glue sizing is intended to close the wood pore and grain and make it more stable to avoid the veneer movement which will resulted in the cracked veneer.

  
 Personalized Rosewood stained piano finish Airflyte frame with black
brass engraving plate on brush gold metal background.
 

Coating thickness for wood finishing

the dry film thickness measurement

Coating thickness or dry film thickness

The coating thickness is the thickness of the finishing layer which is covering a certain surface. Finishing layer thickness is mainly determined by the application of clear coating on the finishing process, the pigment which form color is only a very thin layer than the film layer produced by the clear coating. In a finishing, the coating thickness will determine the finishing looked. A finishing with thick film layer will have a different appearance with a finishing with a thin film layer. In the process of finishing the film thickness is mostly determined by the number of applications of the clear coatings. It also depend on the type of clear coating used. A clear coating with nitrocellulose types will always produce thin film layer. It needs many time applications to make a thick film layer with the nitrocellulose clear coating. The NC clear coating generally has less solid content then the PU or AC clear coating. The PU or AC clear coating types will be able to produce a thicker layer of the film since he has higher solid content in the same viscosity with the NC or water based clear coating. The PU and AC that dry with reaction also will form thermosetting films which will built thick film faster.
In the wood finishing the film thickness is also influenced by the type and condition of the wood underneath. Wood has pores, grains, and porosity which are varying depending on the species of the wood. Even the same type of timber can have different porosity from one section to another section. Therefore, the measurement of the coating thickness on wood finishing is always resulted in a varied numbers from one point to another. The complex form and shape of the furniture is also cause of the variation measurement result of the coating thickness since the way of difficulty in the application. The coating thickness is apparently quite important in a finishing. Too thin finishing layer usually will produce a relatively low gloss and may not be sufficient to provide protection to its underneath substrate. Finishing with a high gloss, flat, even and clean appearance usually requires a quite thick film. If we would do a rubbing process on a finishing, we need a sufficient thickness of film layer to avoid the occurrence of sand through on the finish layer.
Nevertheless a finishing film also cannot be too thick, because of the risk of a crack on the finishing. The finishing with NC type clear coating is the most risky to crack due to the film layer that is too thick. This occurs because in his the drying process the NC layer will continue shrinkage to form a very thin layer. The shrinkage of the finishing layer  could cause crack when the film is too thick. In addition the wood will expand and shrink according with the environment changes also potential to cause crack in the finish. A coating thickness maximum 5 microns is recommended for NC finish to avoid the risk of crack. For the AC or PU finishing a coating thickness of up to 8 microns is still considered safe. Meanwhile, if it is desired a finishing with  very thick film layer a polyester clear coating is recommended.

How to measure the coating thickness. 

To measure the thickness of the finishing can be done by measuring the film thickness when it wet or when it dry. The measurement when it wet can not determine the thickness of the finishing layer directly. The measurement is done by using a tool called as a wet film thickness gauge. This tool is like a comb that has a size of thickness at any radius. This tool is put on a surface finishing layer when it is still wet, just after a clear coating is finish applied. From this tool, it can be obtained the film thickness when wet. The dry film layer is calculated by multiplying the wet film thickness with the volume solid content of the finishing materials used.
While for measuring the thickness to the dry film is done with an instrument called Prositector or dry film thickness gauge. This tool can measure the dry  film thickness of the finishing layer with more definite results. This tool has a tip which, when attached to a surface finishing layer, the  the thickness of the coating finishing digits can be seen on the screen. But this tool is a lot more expensive than the wet film thickness gauge.  

  

NIST Non-Metal Coating Thickness Gauge, 2 - 150 mils, measures up to 3 layers with graphics 

Spar varnish for wood furniture finishing.

 Spar varnish for finish the house door

Spar varnish 

Varnish is one of the finishing materials are already widely known and used as a material for finishing wood and wood products since a few centuries ago. This material is a material finishing that is already known before coating and other modern finishing material used. Varnish can be applied using a brush with a good result, although this time more varnish is applied by spray. Spar varnish is a type of varnish that is designed for finishing to the wood products for outdoor. Compared with other clear coating, spar varnish has advantages in its simplicity to be applied with a brush as well as its resilience to withstand outdoor weather such as hot sun and rain and other weather changes outside room.

Spar varnish includes clear coating material, but this material has a little bit brownish in color. For applications on a dark wood or for finishing with a dark color, then brownish color of spar varnish will not be too disturbing, but for finishing for the light or natural colors the young brown of the varnish can be visible and disturbing the resulting color or he finishing.

Spar varnish applications that can be done by brushing make it more flexible for use in the finishing process, especially when the facilities for spray application are not available. This material is more flexible for use in the finishing process on the house frames and doors in a house where the application by spray may be somewhat difficult.

Application varnish by brush of course can not produce an even and smooth finish like the spray application. This application will always leave brush marks lines. To reduce the lines of the brush mark, the material should be made little thin and applied several times to achieve the desired thickness. For application on the big surface area the thinly application is better then too thick application to get the desired film thickness. Application of thin materials with few repetitions is more advisable than a one-time application with thick material.

When we do do varnish we need to understand that the spar varnish requires a long time to dry. Every layer of varnish application it takes about two hours to get dry and be able to continue with the subsequent finishing processes.

Here is the finishing process for spar varnish.

•  Stain application.

There are many various stain types can be applied under spar varnish. The wood stain such as: oil stain, thinner stain and even water based stain can be used for staining the wood before the application of spar varnish. But when it used for finishing on outdoor products the stain selected should be the stain which is resistant to the sunlight. The inorganic pigment stain is better choice than the dye stain for staining an outdoor finishing; although there is also some type of organic stain which are resistant to the ultraviolet light.
The application of the stain can also be done by spray or with by brush depending on the facility  available. If there is facility and equipment to do spray application, then the spray application  is a better choice. 

•   Spar varnish application.

After the application of this stain is dry enough it can be followed with the varnish application as the clear coating. Application by spray will be able to produce a more even and smooth surface but of course, it requires equipment and facilities such as spray gun and facilities for spray applications such as compressors and spray booth. Applications can also be done with a brush with quite good result if the facilities and equipment for spray application is not available.

Do one layer application of spar varnish, then wait it until dry.  After the layer of varnish is dry then we can sand the varnish to produce more flat and smooth surface. The # 280 or # 360 grade stearated sandpaper is good choice to sanding the varnish dry film.  

Repeat the application of varnish to obtain the desired film thickness. Go for the coating process patiently, always waiting to a dry film layer of varnish and do a good sanding before continuing with the next application.

After two or three times varnish application, it is usually obtained a quite smooth and even surface. When the film is dry enough we can continue to do a rubbing process on the finish layer if necessary. 

 

Flagship Varnish Uv-Gallon 

Wiping stain for wood finishing

Wiping stain

Wiping stain is one type of stain for wood furniture finishing processes. Although spray gun for  stain application can do staining with excellent results, but the wiping application for stain is still done by some peoples since it has some advantages that cannot be obtained with the spray application. The wiping stain here is a kind of wood stain which needs wiping in his application. Wiping stain can be applied in several ways such dipping, brushing, pouring, brushing or wet spray but always followed by wiping at the end. Glaze is also a kind of wiping stain, but in this article we only discuss the wiping stain that is applied directly to the wood.

Stain for wiping applications of course should be specially made. The wiping stain is made by using a longer dry thinner so it can wet the surface and can be wiped to make even coloring in the wiping process. If the stain dries too fast, it will dry before it applied evenly to the entire surface, and an uneven color is obtained. Now the special stain for wiping application is widely available though we can make it by add a slow dry thinner to the regular wood stain. 

The advantages of wiping stain

• Generate a very attractive appearance.

This application is more wetting to the substrate and make the stain penetrates to the wood and coloring into the wood pores and grains. The result is a more natural appearance in the finishing result, enhances the character and beauty of the wood pores maximally. The color result will looked more natural as if it is the natural color of he wood.

•  The high efficiency of finishing materials.

This wiping application will not produce the dust spray such in the spray application. By this application almost all the stain is wetting the substrate he applied on. Therefore, the efficiency of this material will be very high.

• The process is simple.

The wiping method is a simple process that is quite easy to do and can be learned quickly. People who are new in the finishing process will be able to learn to do the wiping method easier  and faster than to learn how to spray. This process also does not require spray gun and special finishing facilities such as spray booth and other facilities to do spray. The tools that are needed are simple and relatively inexpensive such as brush, cloth and tank to place the stain. This process can also be done without using a special finishing room. then spray application that always need a special room which equipped with spray booth, compressor, piping, and spraying equipment which are quite expensive.
 

The disadvantages of the wiping stain:

•  Requires a relatively long processing time

Wiping is a long time process. For small products, the application may be made by dipping the item into the stain that a quite quick process. But for large products the staining process can only be done by brushing the stain which requires a long time. The wiping process for big product could be 3 times longer then the spray process.  

• Less control for the results.

The coloring result is very dependent on the absorption of stain by the wood surface. The final color will also be strongly influenced by the basic color of the wood underneath. To get the even color the wood substrate should have a relative similar porosity and color base. It requires an excellent preparation of the raw materials. The wood must be selected to have relatively uniform color and porosity when making the furniture. To select the wood with the similar color base is quite easy but select wood to have the same porosity is very difficult to do. One method to make the wood surface has same porosity is to do glue sizing on wood surface.

The color obtained depends on the absorption of the wood. The more times application of the stain could not make the darker color. Since that the control in the staining results can only done by adjusting the concentration of the stain used. 

• This application will dissolve the existing putty or filler in the substrate.

This process will wet the surface, and at the wet stain will dissolve other finishing materials that have the same base. If there is some putty or filler in the wood it will be dissolved again by this application. This would reduce the filling properties of putty and filler on the wood.   

•  The risk of blotchy

The absorption of the stain is very dependent on the porosity of the wood surface. For the soft wood which has high porosity, the absorption of stain can be too much. The too much stain absorption will result in too dark or even black color.  While for a surface which has uneven porosity the color obtained is also uneven (blotchy color). The risk of blotchy staining is the biggest problem for the wiping stain especially for the soft wood. That is make the wiping process to apply stain is not a good choice for the soft wood. 

 

 Minwax 61802 Minwax Water-Based Wood Stain 

The story about the problems of adhesion in a furniture factory

Have you experienced problems with finishing? Here is a story about an adhesion problem that occurred in a furniture factory. 

There was a quite big furniture factory; he is furniture manufacturers who now export its products abroad. The factory was located in Indonesia and sent about 40 containers of furniture products to overseas, mostly to US. This factory has been in operation quite long, already more than 10 years he operated to be a furniture manufacturer; it meant that he had quite a lot of experience in dealing with furniture.

One day he got order to make the furniture to fill a hotel rooms. It was the first time he manufactured furniture for the hotel project, since he mostly made furniture for regular products that were sold to the resellers. According with the amount this project was not much, only about 2 containers only (around 800 products with about six items). It was small amount compared to average 40 containers per month its total exports.

Handle furniture for a project was a little different than making furniture for a regular market. The short production time and the many changes and revision in the sample product were the biggest problem that must be faced. But with his experience as a furniture factory that has been in operation long enough then eventually he were able to finish all products with good and timely. Finally he completed the entire job with good results. Everything about production, shipping and payment has been finished and he had already started to forget about that project.

Until then about nine months later he received massage that the furniture that he had sent to the hotel was got problem. The finishing of his furniture that has been sent and installed him in the hotel was easy to peel off. The finishing layer of furniture finishes were very easy to peeled and rubbed off with just a little ruing on the surface.

This problem was become quite serious case, and then subsequently conducted an investigation into the product. The factory called the finishing material supplier as the other site to joint the investigation to find what the problem was. His finishing supplier was a quite big and credible company. He was a company with high experience not only in handling the finishing materials but also in the process of finishing furniture. He not only sold the finishing material but he also made the finishing system for the color. So the investigation was conducted involving several parties, the finishing supplier, the manufacturer and the furniture buyer. Finally everybody agreed that there was a failure of the finishing in the product.

The paint company continued his investigation to find the cause of the problem. After several tests it was found that the system of finishing used for the products was very risky to be cause problem. The finishing color for the product was rather difficult; it was a solid color with the applications quite thick glaze to create the grain effects. Because the application of glaze was thick, then the process proved to be high risky of the glaze that was not quite dry. Especially when considering that the finishing process done on a production process which was always in a hurry due to meet the deadline.

The furniture factory then made new products to be sent to replace the defective product. Meanwhile, the finishing supplier made new finishing system that was better and suitable for that furniture and the production line in that factory. Some sample was made and some testing was done to ensure that the new finishing was completely safe.
Finally, the entire process of the replacement of the furniture was completed; all the damaged furniture has been replaced with new product. Fortunately the furniture was just small amount, so that not too many losses to bear. 

With this story I want to share that dealing with finishing material is something that is not easy. Finishing material is a chemical that we never know the results before we do the application and view the results. The problem sometimes appears after several months had passed. That is way we need to make sure that we follow the direction that is written in the technical data, such as the drying time, the mixing ratio, the expired date, etc.

Sometimes we have to do a unrecommended process to produce a certain finished look, but after it was done must always be followed by some test on the finishing result. The finishing test may different to the different product, since it may need different specification. When we make a finishing system especially in the factory, we also have to make a process that is suitable and safe for the production line in the production. 



ISO 4624:2002, Paints and varnishes - Pull-off test for adhesion