Mahogany Inc. will help you choose the best finish for your valued wooden furniture.
Before you began revamping your architectural millwork, there are a few things you need to consider when choosing a wood finish. There are many different finishes and implementing the right one will keep your wooden millwork durable, aesthetically pleasing, and easily maintainable. Educating yourself on all wood finish varieties will help you adequately care for your millwork.
Waxes
When choosing a wood finish, you don’t want to use waxes as a primary coater. Wax wears away easily, so it should only be used as a secondary finish. Apply shellacs or lacquers first, and use wax to add a little extra buffing to your millwork.
Varnishes
Made from durable synthetic resins that have been modified with drying oils, varnishes polymerizes your millwork. By far the toughest wood finish, these bad boys will protect your wood from water, heat, solvents, and other chemicals. Far more durable than oil-based finishes, the added resin guarantees overall protection. When choosing a wood finish, this one takes the cake.
Shellacs
A natural resin secreted from a bug that feeds on trees, shellacs are available in many varieties. They can be premixed, or bought in their natural ‘flake’ form and manually mixed with your own denatured alcohol. With wax mixed into the finished product, this finish decreases millwork’s damage from water and prevents other finishes from bonding to it. If you’re worried about the harsh chemicals in others, shellacs may be your number one option when choosing a wood finish.
Lacquers
With the ability to dry fast, adds depth and richness to wood, keeps furniture incredibly durable, and rubs out well. There are a variety of different types of lacquer finishes including Nitrocellulose, acrylic-modified, and catalyzed. Nitrocellulose lacquer is the most common, mixed with nitrocellulose resin dissolved and then mixed with solvents that evaporate quickly. They will moderately protect wood from water damage, but might fall short when high temperatures are introduced. These lacquers will yellow easily after extended use, which is not good for lightly-colored millwork. Acrylic-modified lacquers, however, will not yellow, and you can use it repeatedly on lighter wood while protecting it from water damage as well. When choosing a wood finish, it is advised to use acrylic-modified lacquers if you prefer lighter millwork.
MAHOGANY, INC., YOUR ARCHITECTURAL MILLWORK COMPANY
Mahogany, Inc. is a general contractor specializing in quality construction for projects across a wide range of industries. Located in southwest Baltimore, we employ 100 persons, and are one of the largest minority-owned businesses in the state of Maryland. Make sure to check back with our blog every week and find us on social media for important updates!