The finishing process is an important part of crafting fine furniture or cabinetry. Finishes enhance your piece and offer protection to the wood. Applying a fine finish can take 30-50% of the time allocated to constructing your furniture or cabinetry.
Conversion varnish
Our standard finish is a beautiful and durable conversion varnish finish that can easily take the heat and humidity in your kitchen and bath, or the daily wear and tear of your dining room table top. Resistant to moisture, solvents, stains, and heat, this finish will stand up to vinegar and ketchup, and vodka and nail polish will not mar it. The finish is flexible, so it will move with the expansion and contraction of the wood used to craft your furniture or cabinetry. Stiffer finishes can develop cracking or crazing when the wood beneath them expands or contracts. Conversion varnish has a good finish clarity and is resistant to yellowing over time. In terms of its quality, it is similar to a polyester finish, but at a fraction of the price. Our conversion varnish is formaldehyde free, HAPs free, and GREENGUARD certified.
Colors and stains: All stock colors and stains. Custom colors available.
Fills: Open grain and full filled
Sheens: Matte, Satin, Semi-Gloss, and Gloss
Lacquer
When a lacquer finish is required, we use a durable postcatalyzed lacquer. Like the conversion varnish finish we use, postcatalyzed lacquer is resistant to stains, heat, and household chemicals, and moves with the expansion and contraction of the wood substrate, an important consideration here in South Florida. Postcatalyzed lacquer has excellent finish clarity, but is slightly more prone to yellowing over time than conversion varnish.
Colors and stains: All stock colors and stains. Custom colors available.
Fills: Open grain and full filled
Sheens: Matte, Satin, Semi-Gloss, and Gloss
Polyester
A difficult finish to apply, polyester is better known in the yacht industry where it is used on everything from millwork to furniture. Because of the manner in which it is applied, polyester is always a full-filled finish with an impressive glass smooth surface and a high price tag. One of the most durable finishes we apply, it has outstanding moisture resistance, but little flexibility, which means that climate control is very important. Contraction and expansion of wood surfaces can cause crazing and cracking in polyester finishes. With exceptional finish clarity and resistance to yellowing over time, polyester is an impressive finish for special pieces.
Colors and stains: All stock colors and stains. Custom colors available.
Fills: Full filled
Sheens: Gloss
Automotive finish
An unusual finish choice, but one that is becoming more popular especially with contemporary cabinetry and furniture, an automotive finish is exceptionally durable and non-yellowing. The finish is applied over a fill coat. It is smooth and can be buffed whether the sheen is matte or gloss. While a filled or gloss finish can be achieved using other products, the appeal of an automotive paint finish is the metallic and pearlescent finishes that are available.
Colors and stains: All stock colors and stains. Custom colors available.
Fills: Full filled
Sheens: Matte, Satin, Semi-Gloss, Gloss
Marine grade finishes
For certain exterior applications, we recommend using a marine grade finish, such as a varnish or a polyester-based finish that has been developed specifically for exterior use. In general, these products are designed to be lightfast and may contain additional UV protection for wood furniture and cabinetry that is outside the home. Several offer excellent protection from moisture and are resistant to chemicals, which may be important if your piece is sitting poolside.
Colors and stains: All stock colors and stains. Custom colors available. (product dependent)
Fills: Open grain or Full filled (product dependent)
Sheens: Matte, Satin, Semi-Gloss, Gloss (product dependent)
Earth friendly finishing options
Many of the products we use are already formaldehyde and HAPS free and low VOC. We also offer waterborne finishes. Unlike standard finishes that use a solvent to keep a product liquid until applied, a waterborne finish is water, not solvent based. While these products lessen impacts to human health and the environment, they still contain some solvents. Dry times and application can be a challenge here in humid South Florida and, for this reason, a waterborne finish is more expensive than a solvent based finish. In general, today’s waterborne finishes are comparable in durability and finish clarity to their solvent based counterparts. We also apply natural finishes such as oils (Danish oil, tung oil) and shellac.