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Tips & Techniques for Fantastic Oak Finishes By Dave Munkittrick Like a movie star, oak possesses natural good looks. Unlike a movie star, however, oak is easy to work with—even during [...]

        I buy varnish by the gallon because it’s more economical, but after a few uses, the rim fills with gunk and the finish begins to skin over inside the can. [...]

      I never thought about the risks of using finish from an old, previously opened can until I had to entirely strip a project because the ancient varnish I used didn’t dry [...]

Super-Smooth Poly Finish A defect-free finish, even with a brush By Eric Smith Polyurethane is a tough, high-quality finish, ideal for tabletops and other surfaces that take a lot of abuse. But [...]

12 Finishing Tips Good finishers have lots of tricks up their sleeves. Here’s a handful from Bob Flexner, one of the nation’s foremost experts. By Bob Flexner 1. Add depth by glazing [...]

Repairing Finishes Rescue battle-scarred finishes with ordinary materials. By Bob Flexner Revive a dull finish All finishes dull as they age, but you can usually bring back their shine. The [...]

Had an opportunity to work (very little), and watch (maximum attention) as kitchen cabinets were being finished using a high volume, low pressure (HVLP) spray system. Pretty cool. Read up online [...]

In my elementary school, the janitor was a shadowy character who mostly stayed in the basement, in his private area next to the boiler room. Yet he was powerful enough to make everyone (even [...]

One thing you can count on when you save a half-used can of varnish is that the contents will be skinned-over the next time you open the can. When this happens, don't gnash your teeth; the [...]

Restore an Antique Oak Table Thoughtful finishing and new leaves prepare this classic for the next 100 years. By Kevin Southwick This old table looks like a prime candidate for refinishing. Strip [...]

When stripping a chair or table, place each leg in a coffee can. Any excess stripper drips right in, and when you take off the finish, you can simply push your scraper down the length of the leg. [...]

Editor’s note: In the Summer 2008 issue we promised to reprint our article on an “Authentic Arts & Crafts Finish” from 2007. We just noticed that we neglected to post the [...]