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

Furniture Finishing

Stencils and hand-painted floral and fruit groups are suitable for corner cabinets which may also be banded or striped and antique glazed. Much of the decoration of novelty furniture is coarse and crude in character; this is largely a fault of execution rather than a necessary economy in labor or materials. As a consequence delicately treated work stands out in superiority and commands a proportionately higher price at no greater cost.

Upholstered furniture


FOR obvious reasons the frames of upholstered furniture are finished prior to the upholstering. The wood used for the better grades is birch, for the cheaper grades, gum; if elaborately carved, oak, mahogany or walnut is employed. Practically all of the finish coats except shellac can be and often are dipped, although the brush and spray lend themselves better to special classes of work where the design is elaborate. A comparatively shallow tank will take care of all dipping requirements nicely.

GUM

Gum frames are stained the desired shade with walnut or mahogany water stain, followed by shellac substitute, clear varnish firstcoater and flat varnish, lightly rubbed. For very cheap work oil stain may be substituted for water stain, but the gum should be of an even texture and as free as possible from sap streaks. Two coats shellac and wax is an alternative finish.

BIRCH AND MAPLE

Birch frames are stained with non-grain-raising or water stain and either; (1) two coats of shellac, sanded, and wax; or (2) shellac, clear coach and flat varnish; or (3) lacquer sealer and flat lacquer lightly rubbed; or (4) lacquer sealer and gloss lacquer, rubbed, or (5) a coat of clear gloss brushing lacquer, left natural.

OAK, WALNUT AND MAHOGANY

Open-pored woods may be finished the same as birch, except that paste wood filler is employed over the stain which should also be wash coated with shellac. Very high-grade, handcarved work is water stained and often french polished by hand.

DECORATION

Where pigment oil stain is used, as on unfilled antique oak, the raised parts of the frame may be high-lighted by wiping while the stain is still wet, with water stain by steel wooling after it is dry.