Peel off finish (latex paint effect finish 3)

There are many special finishing effects can be made with latex paint. Texture finish, crackle, rub off finish, wash finish are some finish effect that can be made with latex paint. You can view articles about latex paint effects in our previous articles. Now  in this article we want to discuss about the latex paint effect to make antique "peeling paint" , "peel off paint" or "chip off" finish. In our previous articles we have written article about how to make the peeling effect with full NC system finish. But now in this article we discuss about how to make peel off paint finish by using latex paint.

The latex paint can make peel off finish with thicker paint layer. The latex paint is also available in many color options without having to mix by our self. The latex paint can be used in combination with the glaze and NC clear coating to make more life looked and interesting appearances. The results obtained with latex paint, could be more "natural"  and more "life" than the NC full finish. But the uses of the latex paint will make the finishing process take longer time. The latex paint is a water-based paint that need longer drying time.

the step panel for antique peel off finish  

Here is the finishing step by step.

• Sealer application.

The preparation for the unfinished wood is not discussed here. The wood should has been well sanded and prepared, and the wood has been have smooth and even surface. 
The first  sealer  finishing process is the sealer application. The sealer layer is applied as a first step to provide a smooth surface to the paint finish. The sealer also provide protection to the wood surface and preventing the penetration of the latex paint to the wood grain and pores. The NC sealer layer will help to make the thick and smooth finish faster.

We sprayed 2 coat of NC sealer to layer the wood surface. We waited about 30 minutes to let the sealer to dry. Then we sanded the sealer with # 280 grade sandpaper to get the smooth surface.

heating the latex paint with the hot gun

the bubbled latex paint is scrubbed

• The application of latex paint.

The latex paint is the material to make the peel off paint effect. The latex paint was sprayed evenly to the entire surface. We need to layer the paint 2 times wet coat wet coat to let the paint cover the wood surface. Then we let the paint layer for about 2 hours to be dry.
The next step is the processing to make the peeling effect. The peel off paint is made by heat the latex paint until the paint is bubble and peel off. We used hot gun to heat and burn the paint. We turned on the the hot gun machine to the maximum heat (the temperature was about 150 degree Celsius) and navigated the hot gun to the latex paint. The heat made the paint bubbled and peeled off.

This technique is similar with the paint effect to make crackle finish, but to peel of the paint we need more heat. We need to point the hot gun closer to the paint and keep it until the paint bubbled in some parts.  When we do heating to make crackle finish with latex paint we use lower temperature and we move the hot gun more to make more even heating. See our previous article: how to make crackle finish with latex paint

The hot gun heated the paint and bubbled the paint. The bubbled paint then can be scrubbed of to make peel off effect. We used knife to scrub and peel of the bubbled paint. After all the bubble was scrubbed then we continued the finishing process by sanded the paint layer. The paint was scuffed sanding with # 280 grade sandpaper to make a smooth paint surface. 
The pattern and form of the chipping is the most critical thing to make the antique effect. An overview to the chipping effect is needed to make sure the proper peeling effect is obtained. The peeling off paint should be random and look natural.

The uses of the hot gun must be done carefully, the fire generated by the hot could lead to big disaster if it hit the thinner base finishing material. The uses of the gun must be kept away from solvent base finishing materials such as: paint thinner, stain, NC sealer, glaze or NC top coat.

• The first sealer application.

The sealer is applied to protect the paint effect and also to prepare the smooth layer to the glaze application. NC sealer was layered by spray 2 wet coat on the latex paint. It needed about 30 minutes to let the sealer dry.

• Glaze application

Glaze is applied to make the antique and old look. A dark brown glaze was brushed to the surface, until it layered evenly to the surface. Some highlight was done to the glaze layer to make more antique looked. Then we waited for about 1 hour to let the glaze dry.

• The second sealer application.

After the glaze is dry then the next process is the second sealer application. The NC sealer was sprayed wet coat  2 layers to the entire surface. We let the sealer for about 30 minutes to dry and then sanded the sealer layer to produce an even and smooth surface. Some dry brush glaze can be added to make more antique and old looked impression.

• The application of top coat

Top cost is the last finishing layer which serves protection the underneath finish layer and  to form the coating film and gloss. In this finish we used  20 sheen a top coat as a final layer. The 20 sheen NC top coat was sprayed to the entirely surface and let dry.

the peel off finish panel

Antique pine finish.

Pinewood is very well known in the wood furniture industry. The pine wood is lot used to make furniture. There are many species of pine and each has their own characteristic. But in general pine has shallow and small pores and grain texture that makes it is easy to be finished in close pores finish. It has light yellow brown color base that provide flexibility to make any finish color. But it is a soft wood with high absorption properties to the finishing materials which sometimes cause difficulties in the finishing process, such as blotchy color. The pine wood also release oil from its knots that can cause problems in the finishing in the solid wood color. According to its character then we need to do the proper finish to get the maximum beauty from this wood.
To minimized the oil problem, then we have to avoid the solid color or wash color finish to this wood. The transparent color is good choice, its light base color give us easiness to make any color. But since it has high absorption to the stain, then we need to stain in the proper way. Now in this article we want to share about how to make antique brown pine finish.
Here is the finishing process step by step

 antique brown pine finish

•  Preparation at the unfinished wood.

Pine is a soft wood that has a high absorption to the stain. We need to make an even wood surface to avoid the color problem in the finishing. A good sanding is needed to produce finishing with good results. The wood out from the machinery should be sanded with #120 or  #120 grade sandpaper to form an even wood surface. After a smooth and even surface is obtained then continue the sanding with #150 grade sandpaper. The sanding with #180 grade is recommended to the wood preparation for the stain application. The pine wood fibers tend to stick to the sandpaper and blunt quickly the sandpaper. We need to replace the sandpaper more often for the sanding this wood.

The sanding should be done shortly before the finishing process is started because the wood tend to become rough after it is left for long time. The wood will absorb the water from its environment and raise its fibers to make rough surface.

•   Applications stain

Pine wood is wood that have high absorption to the stain that risk to make blotchy color. Since that we need to avoid "too wet stain" application. Too wet the stain will tend to produce too dark color, blotchy or dirty appearance.  We can mix the stain with some sealer to reduce the risk of blotchy color. The 5% to 10% sealer or top coat in the wood stain will help to reduce the stain penetration into the wood. It is the toner stain that will do as wood stain but with less absorption. Do stain application by spray and avoid spray stain too wet. Too wet stain is highly risk to make blotchy color. Brushing or wiping the stain is not recommended for the pine wood. The stain will wet the wood and make blotchy color. 

• Sealer application.

The sealer is layered on the stain to protect the stain and to build the film layer. The first sealer is needed to protect the stain as preparation for the glaze application. Apply the sealer by spray wet coat overall. Let the sealer dry and sand the sealer to make smooth surface. Use the #280 or #320 grade stearated sandpaper and sand to the entire surface of sealer coat. Make sure we get the smooth surface at the overall surface. The rough surfaces will absorb more glaze and make dark or blotchy color.

• Glaze application

The glaze is applied to produce depth and rich color finish.  Use glaze with dark brown color finish. Glaze can be applied by brush until it layer on the the entire surface evenly. Do some highlight to the glaze to make more life looked finishing. Wait until the glaze is thoroughly  dry and then we can continue with the next sealer application. See our previous article: how to apply glaze

• Second sealer

The second sealer is applied on the glaze to protect the color formed by the glaze and stain. Apply the sealer by spray and let it dry. Sand the second sealer to make smooth surface as the first sealer.

• Dry brush glaze

Dry brush the glaze on the sealer to make more antique finishing looked. The glaze is dry brushed to burnish and darken the edges to make more antique looked.

 antique pine furniture

• Application of top coat

Top coat is the last coat to produce a smooth film finish and to form gloss of the finishing. Use the low sheen or medium gloss sheen top coat for this finish. Apply the top coat by spray wet coat evenly to overall surface. Wait until the top coat dry, and check the result. If we got the smooth finish film with even gloss then the finishing process has finished. If we haven't, then we can re sand the top coat layer and re spray the top coat. 

Dining table

Dining table is furniture that is used as a place for food and to support the meal activities. It is a table, furniture with flat and satisfactory horizontal upper surface with base or leg to support the top. In the house, the dining table is placed the dining room together with a set of chair. The developments in the woodworking industry have allowed peoples to make dining table in the varied models and form. The square, circle, oval, octagonal top and other forms with a variety of foot base are available. Various materials are used to make the dinning tables; wood, engineered wood, other materials such as metal, resin, stone, marble or even cement are used in alone or in combination to make dinning tables. We can also can order to make some special form and qualities if we have the budget.
The many choices available gives us freedom to make choose the product we need, but too many choices also oblique us to do proper selection to find the right product.  

Chippendale dining table

Here are some tips to choose the dining table.

• Fit the size according to the room

Dining table is part of the furniture that will be used to fill the room, so he should fit with the room where he is placed on. Choose the size of the dining table according to the room space. Too big table may interfere the resident to do their activities. The round shape is more suitable choice for the small space room, since it more compact and less spacious. While the rectangular or oval is more proper to the big room since it help to fill the room. There are also some model with extension that give us flexibility to adjust the table with the room space and activities needed. 

 rustic dining table

• Choose the model according to the decoration theme of the room.

The dinning table model and style should be according to the decor and theme of the room or the house. There are many model and style are available. The tables with rustic or country style will bring the atmosphere of nature and village. The antique or classic models are according to the luxury and elegance from the past. The contemporary and futuristic models are also available to bring the modern looked. Find the theme of the room decoration and choose the proper model table.  

 contemporary dining table

• Choose the proper finish.

Dining table is an object to hold many physical activities. The top of the table will be used to put the food and cutlery and as place of the meal activities. The food placed on the table could be hot, cold, greasy, or contain chemical that could ruin the finish. Since that, the finishing layer of the dinning table especially at the top part must be strong enough to withstand the food chemical and the physical activities thereon.

The PU or Acid curing finishes are the good choices for the dinning table. They are the catalyzed finish that resistant to heat, water, chemical and food ingredients. The solvent dry finishing layer such as shellac, varnish, NC or water based also can be used but they will be more easily damaged and we may consider to do refinishing after certain time.

• Consider the caring and cleaning.

The dining table is the object that needs to be frequently cleaned. There must be some leftover food or beverage that falls on the surface of the table. The dinning table must be cleaned up immediately because the leftover could bring invite the fungi, bacteria or small animal to come.  Make sure we choose the dinning table that can be easily to be cleaned up. Avoid the textured form top since it can hold some food and difficult to be cleaned.

Steel wool for wood finishing.

Steel wool is a bundle of metal or steel fibers arranged in the thin pad form. Steel wool is available in several grades; the # 3 is the coarser and the # 0000 is the finest. Steel wool has many uses in the finishing industries. It can be used to polish the metal, brass, ceramic, marble, stone, granite or paint and coating. In the wood finishing the steel wool is used to rubbing, polishing and highlighting.

steel wool grade                                 remark

     # 3                                                   coarse
     # 2                                                   medium coarse
     # 1                                                   medium
     # 0                                                   medium fine
     # 00                                                 fine
     # 000                                               extra fine
     # 0000                                             superfine

Highlight
 

Highlight is the erasure of stain or glaze layer to produce the finish with more lively or antique looked. The steel wool is a very ideal material to do the highlights. It is a flexible material but quite aggressive to remove the stain layer quickly and easy to be controlled. You can go to our previous post: highlight in the wood finishing.

highlight stain with steel wool

Rubbing

 
Rubbing is the process of finishing the finish film layer. Steel wool is the perfect material to do the rubbing or polishing at the uneven surfaces and complex form. In the furniture rubbing, the steel wool is usually used to do the rubbing at the bottom, leg, or side part when the rubbing machine and buffing machine cannot be used. While at the top panel we can use sandpaper, rubbing machine and buffing machine.
Steel wool is also used to do the simple rubbing, when a "low gloss" finish is needed. The dry finish can be rubbed with steel wool by hand or machine. The steel wool can be applied with rubbing machine to rub the flat surface, and the sheen resulted is about 60 to 70 sheen.  See our previous article: rubbing and polishing.

rubbing with steelwool

Sanding 

 
Sometime the steel wool is also used to sand the sealer or top coat. We can use the coarse steel wool to sand the sealer or top coat at the complex shapes. The sanding with steel wool is actually not advisable. The steel wool tend to fall out and produce iron dust that can be left inside the pores of the wood grain and pores and affect the finish.

Tips in the caring and using of the steel wool.

 the water will make the corrosion to the steel wool

•   Keep the steel wool in the dry place

Steel wool is made of iron (steel), since that he should be away from the water. The water will react to the iron to make corrosion not hit the water. Take some amount of steel wool when we are going to use it, and keep the rest in the dry place or wrap it with plastic.

•  The steel wool dust.

Steel wool will fall out and form a dust when it is used. The dust could fill in the pores or grain or stay at the finish and interfering the finish. Clean the dust with dry brush or blow the dust with air gun to make sure the clean finish is obtained.
In the wood finishing for wood with large pores such as oak, teak or mindi, the dust tend to fill in the pores and grains. Since that, the steel wool should be used when the wood is already covered by a fairly thick film layer.

• The steel wool on white finish.

The steel wool should not be used to rub the white pigment. The white pigment is made from titanium that will react with the iron of the steel wool to make black stain. The highlight for the white paint, white base coat or white glaze should be done with scotch brite or sandpaper. The polishing, rubbing or sanding with steel wool should be done after the white stain is already layered with clear coating, sealer or top coat.

Highlight in the wood finishing

Highlight is finishing techniques to maximize the beauty in the wood finishing in the stain or glaze. At the stain application we layer an even coat of stain at the surface, we can continue to do the highlight by wipe off or erase the stain layer in some part to create more life finishing looked. The highlight is very simple job, but to produce a good finishing looked we need to do it properly. The touch of art is needed. We need to consider the finishing model, form and shape of goods, and or the pattern the wood grain. The classic finish or the modern furniture with the plain an even finish color does not need highlight. The antique finish antique finish that need more “life” finishing looked need highlight. The highlight can be done more with more courageous to make strong effect at the wood with strong grain character like: mahogany, teak, rosewood, oak, pines, etc. The highlight at the complex forms such as: the carving, or the ornament, can be done with more vigorous to accentuate the forms of engraving. The highlight at the flat forms should be done with more smooth and vague to keep the natural looked of the finish. 

Highlight the glaze. 

 highlight glaze with steel wool

the glaze after been highlighted

Highlight at the glaze is very common to maximize the effect glaze. When we apply the glaze, an even layer of glaze on the sealer or wash coat is obtained. We do the highlight by wipe the glaze layer at some parts to enhance the finishing appearance. The glaze highlight is quite easy to be done since glaze is the special stain that can be easy to be wiped off. We can use cloth to remove the glaze when he glaze is still wet, or the steel wool when the glaze is dry. The highlight should be done according to the grain pattern or the shape to make more life finish. The glaze layer is on the sealer when the finishing color has already built, make the highlight can be done with more predictable results. We can see the color resulted with more clear when the highlight is made. 

Highlight the stain.

 the stain is highlighted with steel wool

the stain after been highlight

Highlight the stain is a little bit more difficult. The wood stain will sink and be absorbed by the wood, make the stain is more stick to the wood. We may need to use sandpaper to erase the stain, and therefore it becomes more difficult to control the result. The highlight is also more difficult since the finish looked still can not be seen at the stain layer. But the highlights on the stain if it is done right will be able to produce more life finishing color with more the natural looked. There are still many steps after the stain that can make the good combination with the highlight to make more life and beautiful finish. We can make a step panel to ensure the proper finishing process.

Wet sanding in the wood finishing

Sanding is very important job in the finishing process. The fact is the sanding job is half of the finishing work, while the other half is the application of finishing materials. A good sanding process is absolutely needed when we make high gloss finishing with thick layer film built. The proper sanding is needed to the finish layer every time we are going to layer it with another coat. There are 2 sanding methods in the finishing process, the dry sanding and wet sanding. The dry sanding is the sanding when no liquid is used; the heat arisen in the sanding process is addressed by the sanding agent in the sanding paper. You can view about it in our previous article: the sanding to the sealer and top coat.
The wet sanding is sanding technique that uses liquid to absorb the heat arising during the sanding process. The wet sanding is more used in the finishing process for car refinishes or finishing on the metal products. The wet sanding for wood finishing is rarely used, but sometime we need to do it. Wet sanding is needed when the thick and smooth finish film with high gloss finish is built. Wet sanding is also done as the first process in the rubbing and polishing. Wet sanding is generally considered as more complicated process because it deals with the liquid, but it can produce a more smooth and even surface.
A finishing process with PU or AC may need the wet sanding to prepare the finish layer before the final coat. The wet sanding is able to produce a smooth surface with less sanding mark, and then a thin layer of last coat can be layered on without any obviously sanding marks. The wet sanding can minimize the problem of sanding mark and orange peel at the high gloss finish. 

The Preparation of the film layer
 

The wet sanding should be done at the finish with thick film. The thin finish can be sanded with stearated sandpaper as well. The wet sanding at the thin film layer is risk to get the problem caused by the liquid penetration into the pores and grain of the wood. Wet sanding usually is done after the wood surface has been layered by 6 coats of coating or more. The wet sanding can be done as a final sanding to provide a smooth and even surface before last coat or as the first step in the process of rubbing.
Make sure the coating layer is completely dry when do the wet sanding. The wet coating film will be loaded at the sandpaper and risk to cause deep scratches in the coating layer. The drying time of the finish is varying, depend to the coating type. The NC, AC, shellac, furniture varnish and water based usually are completely dry after 24 hours, while the indoor PU needs about 1 day or 2 days to dry. The outdoor finish such as spar varnish or outdoor PU need longer time to dry.

The materials and tools needed.

•  Machine or hand block sander

Wet sanding is only done at a flat section when the surface finishing requires perfectly smooth and even surface. The top table or top panel from the cabinets are the subjects to the wet sanding since they are the main focus of intention of the furniture product. While the other part such as: chair, leg, side panel, and drawer don't need the wet sanding. The small imperfectness at the complex and uneven surface will not so obvious. The wet sanding at the complex form is also very difficult at the workmanship.
The wet sanding should be done using sanding machine. The double pad sander machine is an ideal tool to do the sanding for the big surface, while for small surfaces the hand block can be used.

• Sandpaper.

We need the waterproof sandpaper or the wetor dry sandpaper. It is the sandpaper with the backing and glue that are resistant to the liquids. The waterproof sandpaper is available in a very coarse with (# 1 grade) to the finest (# 2000 grade). In the wood finishing usually we use the sand paper grade from # 800, to # 2000.

• The liquid lubricant.

It is a liquid that serves to absorb heat arising from friction between the coating with the sand paper. The liquid is also helping the sanding process by sleek the finish surface and hold the sanding dust. There are some liquid can be used. Some finishing materials supplier company has provided a kind of oil as the sanding liquid under some different names such as: cutting oil, rubbing oil or rubbing lubricant. If the cutting oil is not available, we can use the mineral spirits with small amount of wax or water mixed with soap.

How to do the wet sanding.

The wet sanding is about the same with the dry sanding but we have to wet the surface with the sanding liquid during the sanding operation. Keep the surface is always wet when we do the sanding. Put the sandpaper at the sanding machine pad and then move the machine in accordance with the wood grain consistently to the entire surface. Start the first cutting with the coarse sandpaper (grade 600 or 800). Do 2 or 3 strokes sanding with the machine and then dry the wet surface using dry cloth, and check the result.

the surface is wet with liquid lubricant 

The sandpaper is attached to the machine pad

 the wet sanding with double pad machine

 Check the sanding result

Watch and observe the sanding result. The sanding is stopped when the surface has well sanded with all orange peel has been truncated. If the orange peel and uneven surfaces still exists then we have to repeat the sanding. If we do wet sanding as a preparation to the final top coat, the sanding with the # 600 or # 800 grade sandpaper is enough. We can continue sanding with the finer sandpaper when we want to do rubbing and polishing to make high gloss finish.  You can view it at our previous articles: rubbing and polishing. 

Hardness test for the wood finishing

The finishing industry needs some standard quality for their product. The big furniture company that sell big volume product usually set a quality standard for his product. There are some tests are held to ensure his products fulfill the standard quality that have been set up. When he goes to his vendor he always do some test to make sure his product fulfill the quality. When he sells his product then he can show the test result to convince and attract his buyer. 

One of the common tests for the wood finishing layer is the hardness test. The hardness test is tests for to determine the hardness of the finish layer. There are several methods can be held for testing the hardness. Now in this article we want to discuss the pencil test to do hardness test. This method covers a procedure for rapid, inexpensive and easy to determine the film hardness of a given coating. The completely test method is according to the ASTM D3359 standard.

The tool required

• A set of drawing graphite leads pencils which meet the following scale of hardness.

These pencils come in various degrees of hardness, following the 6B-5B-4B-3B-2B-B-(HB-F)-H-2H-3H-4H-5H-6H, and are generally supplied by any leading pencil manufacturer. The grade of a pencil is determined by the amount of baked graphite and clay in its composition.

• Sandpaper

The # 400 grade sandpaper is used to sand the pencil tip to make a flat cut of the edges. 

• A piece of wood finish panel as a subject for testing. 

The finish panel has to be completely dry before test is done. For NC, AC, precatalyzed  the finish layer should have 24 hours after its last coat. While the PU coating should has been stayed for at least 3 days from its last coat. 

• Apparatus for the test 

It is the tool to hold the pencil when it moved to let the pencil scratch the finish layer. A certain pressure is needed to make sure the standard test is done. 

the apparatus to do the hardness test

How test is held.

Sand the tip or the lead with # 400 grade sandpaper to make his tip be absolutely flat with a sharp circumfence edge.

 the pencil tip is sanded to get flat with sharp circumfence edge.

Place the finish panel in a level, firm, horizontal surface. The pencil is held firm in the testing tool. Then move the Test tool 3 inches forward on the film surface in direction of wood grain at an angle of 45 degrees. Started with the with pencil hardness HB-F, then repeat this process up the hardness scale until a pencil is found that cut through to the substrate for a distance of at least 3 mm. The hardness scale is base at the pencil where the finish is uncut. For example if the finish fails at HB-F, then the hardest of the finish is pencil the B graphite pencil. If the defects is already found with the HB-F then we step back with the softer pencil.

the pencil is moved on the finish

We must watch closely to examine the cutting or scratching the film. The checks could be made by close visual inspection with illuminated magnifying glass or monocular. 

 the defects when the hardness is failed

How to choose the finishing for furniture.

Finishing process is a job that is relatively difficult and complex. Finishing work requires energy, time and sometimes the special equipment and facilities that could be expensive. Therefore when we do finishing process we always want the optimum results comparable to the effort that we spend. For that purpose we should be able to choose the most appropriate finishing for the furniture products. We can do the finishing process ourselves, or we can bring the product to the finishing shop for the finishing process, but we have to choose the right finishing.

 NC finish for antique finishing

• The function of the product.

The finishing layer is the outermost layer that serves to provide protection to the product. Therefore he must be strong enough to protect the underneath surface. The protection required by a furniture product may be different depending on the functions of the furniture products. The exterior furniture products require a finishing layer that is strong enough to protect hem from the sunlight, heat and the cold of outdoor weather. The outdoor furniture needs special finish for outdoor (exterior finish). There are some types of finishing that is suitable for exterior uses, the most used are: PU exterior, spar varnish, and exterior water based. These materials are designed for outdoor use. They are strong, durable to withstand to the outdoor uses. But usually the outdoor finishing materials are more difficult to be handled. Mostly they are having longer drying time, and make the application take long time.
For indoor furniture then we have more choices.  There are many finishing materials that can be used for indoor finish with very good result. The NC (lacquer), Precatalyzed, PU, ​​Catalyzed lacquer, furniture varnish, floor varnish, shellac, wax, oil, etc. Almost all materials are wood finishing material for indoor furniture finish. In general, materials for indoor finishing is more flexible, dry faster, cheaper and easier to be handled with more color choices and finishing effects than the finishing materials for outdoor.
NC finish is the easiest finishing materials used. It can be used to make almost all special effect and color. It is the material that was used to replace the shellac, varnish, oil finish and other traditional finishing material. The NC is also available in the paint or opaque color with many color choices.  The NC finish theoretically can make all finishing looked and color that is made by the traditional finish material.

The NC finishing materials sometimes is used together with latex paint or PU or Acid curing types to make special finish. The NC finish is the best material to do the finish for the bed room set, armoire, book case, hand craft, picture frame, sofa, chair and other product when the maximum aesthetic value is needed.  But the NC finish will not be able to produce a strong enough film finish layer as the PU or catalyzed lacquer. Therefore the NC finish is not suitable to finish the products that will receive lot of physical activity.

The products that more get physical abuses need the stronger finish layer. The PU and Acid Curing are more suitable for the furniture that need more strong layer such as the dining table, the kitchen cabinets, the bar furniture, and even the wood flooring. The hard and strongest finishing material is the UV coating; it is the best material for the wood flooring.

Varnish, or shellac finish are the simpler finish and can be applied with a cloth or brush so that it can be an attractive option when finishing facilities spray is not available.

The water based coating is almost like NC in the term strength and color. It has better resistant to the heat, and physical abuses then the NC, but it has low resistant to the solvent and chemical such as the NC finish. It is now been developed to get more spectrum in the wood finishing. But now it is still rather difficult in application compared with NC finish. The water based coating are also can be used in combination with the NC finish to make some special finish effect. 

 PU for high gloss finish

• The finishing appearance and color.

Finishing process is always associated with the color and appearance. The purpose of the finishing process is to develop a special color and looked. We need to understand the finishing materials properties to be able to make the finishing looked we need.

The NC is finishing materials that can provide a wide range of colors and finishing effects. The NC lacquer also will give you the best clarity and natural wood looked. But the NC is not suitable to make finishing with thick film layer.

The finish that requires thick film is better made with the PU or acid curing or even the water based. The PU and acid curing is the best option to make the wood color finish with thick film. It can build the thick film finish with quite good clarity. The water base clear coating tends to make a cloudy looked finish if it is applied in a thick layer.

The water based paint (latex paint) is still good choices to make the paint finish color. It can make the thick paint finish with thick film and available in wide range color. It can be used in combinations with the NC or PU finish to make the paint finish with some special effects.

• The furniture substrate.

Modern furniture now can be made from various materials. Wood is not the only substrates for making furniture.  The synthetics material such as plastic, resin, vinyl area also used to make some furniture. The metal, aluminum and even composite material are also introduced to make furniture. While the wood has many types and the other natural substrates such as rattan, pandanus may have some special characteristic that need special finishing material. If we want to make some special color, then usually the NC finish can be used, but usually we need special paint layer as the first layer to build the good adhesion of the finish layer.