The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Furniture Finishing

Thus, in order to make of a cedar chest an article of furniture which will blend with neighboring walnut or mahogany pieces, it is necessary to apply veneers of these woods to the cedar. This is done over the entire exterior, and then it is finished exactly like any cabinet work similarly veneered and may be considered, for finishing purposes, as walnut or mahogany furniture lined with cedar.

Painted.—The preliminary steps are the same as for a natural finish. Following the shellac two or more coats of oil undercoater and oil enamel may be applied by brushing or spraying.

The same number of coats of lacquer enamel may be substituted if a speedier finish is desired. Decorations are applied over the last coat, protected with pale varnish or clear lacquer. In fact the system after the shellac is the same as for enamel finishing on any kind of cabinet work.

Refrigerators and Kitchen cabinets


TIME was when all ice boxes were finished in golden or antique oak with interiors of natural galvanized iron. The modern refrigerator is more apt to be made of steel throughout, finished internally in white and externally in white or gray, particularly the latest models of electrically refrigerated boxes. Nevertheless there is not yet complete uniformity, either in materials or methods, as will be seen from the various systems
outlined below.

METAL INTERIORS

Preparation.—Where the lining is of galvanized iron, a preliminary chemical wash will cut the oily film and assure proper adhesion of the first coat. Of the various available solutions, the most convenient and effective is obtained by mixing one part acetic acid in forty-nine parts water, applied liberally with burlap or a flat bristle brush. Following this the metal should be rinsed with a sponge dipped in clean warm Mater. As soon as this has been wiped dry, the first coat should be applied at once. Where the lining is steel a benzine wash will suffice.

First Coat.—This may be a red oxide or light gray primer to be baked at about 300° F. for one hour, or a special clear longoil article called "bond coat." It is very elastic, anchors the finish as a whole and should be reduced to thin consistency with naphtha for spraying or with turpentine for brushing. The addition of a little white primer serves to act as a guide in detecting any skipped spots and a partial hiding primer coat. It may be baked at about 175° F. for two hours, force dried in ten to twelve hours at 150°, or air dried in twenty-four hours. Whatever the method, however, it does not become hard dry, but retains a slight "tack" which increases the adhesion of subsequent coats. If desired clear bond coater may be mixed equal parts with white oil primer.