6 Wood Finishing Myths You Should Stop Believing

Time and material cost spent in a woodworking project have the ability to turn the final finishing stage into a stressed situation. There are range of ideas you can click when concerned about finishing. Take a look at the usual wood finishing myths along with the actual concepts. Do read it, as you may come across some really useful details about wood finishing products.

1. Myth:Finishing on both sides of wood prevents or decreases warping.
   Fact: Finishing only slows but doesn’t reduce or prevent warping that results from wood shrinking. This is because moisture vapor goes through the finish and leads to warping up to an extent. Warping that’s caused by compression shrinkage on areas open to wetting & drying are not hindered.

2. Myth: For better results, sand to #440 or finer grit.
   Fact: Wood sanded to #440-grit has high gloss as compared to wood sanded to #180-grit, as #440-grit polishes more than #180-grit. However, no major difference is seen after application of any film finish. How about trying it and seeing how many hours you save.

3. Myth:Slow brushing leads to best results.
   Fact: Slow performance isn’t appreciated anywhere. Hence, brushing needs to be done rapidly. Make sure maintaining the control.

4. Myth:Brush should be applied across the grain first and then with the grain.
   Fact: You can opt for slow-curing finishes, like varnishes. Though you may get a coat that’s little more even in thickness but it won’t be visible.

5. Myth:The longer deck stain colors are left on the wood, the deeper they soak in the wood and the darker the wood turns.
   Fact: Yes, wood turns darker when stain is left for longer but the reason is different. Actually, some of the thinner in the stain evaporates, which increases the ratio of colorant to liquid. With high concentrations of colorant, darker colors are produced.

6. Myth:Apply and wipe off stain with the grain.
   Fact: When excess stain is wiped off, direction of stain application doesn’t matter. Also, it doesn’t matter in which direction stain is wiped off. What matters is making final pass with the grain, to ensure that streaks left are not noticeable.

Stop following anything you just hear from someone. Trust the proven results that have been explained to you quite clearly. Good luck!

 

The Role Of Temperature In Staining Outdoor Wood With Perfection

Nobody could ever deny the importance of staining his outdoor wood assets. From decks and patios to benches and railings everything should be treated with superior quality of wood finishing products. It is essential not only for defending them from decay but also they appear as beautiful as new after this.

When homeowners are keen to add to the curb appeal of their property they can select the best from variety of deck stain colors and apply them on the lumber. For staining you can hire professionals or you may keep the job with you if you have got the right tools, enough patience and time and most importantly knowledge of temperature.

Did you read it right? Was it knowledge of temperature? Yes it is all about temperature at the time when you took up the task of staining your external wood. For beginners it can be perfect to plan it on a weekend. After you get up late in the morning, naturally because it is a holiday, you spend some leisure time with your spouse and kids in preparing luxury breakfast. Post breakfast it may again take half an hour to one hour in collecting the things that will assist you in cleaning and staining your deck. Stop if it is already 1 or 2 in the clock. Many of you may ask why?

Well it is important to look for an ideal temperature so as to get the best staining results. For many homeowners it may come as a surprise that they should make use of deck sealer and stain after looking the weather forecast.

Noteworthy Points That Relate Temperature and Staining

1. High temperature may not be conducive for staining schedule as stain may dry too quickly. This will not allow penetration of stain deep into wood and therefore it is important to choose a day when temperature is either less than 90 degrees Fahrenheit or stain early in the morning.
2. A cloudy day is much better choice than a sunny day to stain your outdoor wood, but if rains are predictable refrain yourself from staining. Moisture and rain will not let the stain dry and it might get washed away with a pour.

 

Summer Special Tips For Staining Outdoor Wood

For deck owners summertime is deck time. Modern American homeowners understand the significance of their decks and patios. They are not mere extensions of your living space but they are perfect spots for all family gatherings and BBQs. This is possibly why they buy best of stain colors to beautify the wood decks and keep them in best state.

External wood especially that forms your deck is exposed to lot much of physical abuse. It is undoubtedly the highest traffic area of your house and is not spared from the Sun, wind, snow and much more on any given day.

What Comes Before Beautification of Deck?

Summer season is not difficult for human but for your wood too. While your expectations from your lumber patio and decks are high, they in turn need to be properly maintained and prepared for summer gatherings with the help of best quality of deck stain and sealer. You can do a lot like adding hanging pots to your deck for giving it a cool look. Some home owners prefer to shade it up with big and beautiful umbrellas while others bring some artificial fountains to give it special effects. From seating arrangements to lighting you can make it favorite spot for all because it is suitable to host friends’ reunion or family get together. But in absence of below mentioned small but very important steps it can all prove to be a failure.

Look out for dangerous signs. Your wood is subject to rotting and cupping. These when avoided can bring up the cases of injuries and tripping. Get them mended before you get into cleaning and staining your wood surface.

Ask questions to professionals. They know the best what kind of wood finishing products will suit the local climate. In many areas oil based premium wood deck finish will serve for two years or so.

Get engaged in cleaning. Don’t let the BBQ stains settle on wood surface. Clean the spills immediately as grease is not good for the finish. Make sure you don’t leave the debris over a week.

To help it look young and strong season after season you should do a lot when it comes to care and maintenance of timber deck.

Deck Staining Tips For Beginners

Have you moved into a new house that comes with a deck or patio? Or you have recently got one constructed for your family? Whichever is your reason to read this blog you certainly need tips related to wood finishing products to save your time, efforts and of course money.

Before you start with it even in your head, make sure you stick to the instructions given by manufacturer. Wood decks are beautiful but highly delicate. Their maintenance is highly important considering the physical abuse they are exposed to.

What All Deck Owners Should Know?

• Owning deck of your own means an extra space to enjoy and relax. Selection of right deck stain and sealer can rule the possibilities of having beautiful and well maintained deck.
  It is important that you pick quality stains from the myriads of options available in market. Don’t compromise with the quality of the stains and sealants you use. Use natural compounds that contain very low volatile organic compounds with deep penetration properties.

• Prepping up is most important. Your wood should be more than ready to be stained. You cannot only beautify your wood with cleaning and staining the wood deck but also add years to the life of your wood deck. How you can treat wood with sealants if it is not dried up. Allow the deck to dry for at least 48 hours. Clean the deck before staining. You must have adequate time gap between rain and staining process.
• Perform test stain. Before you apply the wood stain colors to the whole deck surface it is important that you test the stain on a wood sample. Allow it to set and dry down so that you can come to know the actual color during day light. This small but useful practice will help you decide do you need to apply a single coat or double for the desired results.

 

How Wood Stains Work?

You may not realize the importance of staining your wood until there comes a time when you have to spend your weekend doing it. Seeing a porch or log home that needs staining badly is also a situation when you have no choice but staining.

Let’s explore how these stains work and why are they important…

Protection of the wood

Before talking about the way stains work, let’s discuss what makes them important. The most vital thing they do is protecting the wood from water. Moving on to other benefit, it is protection of wood against rotting and deteriorating. What else? Well, protection from the harmful sunlight.

How stain works

Generally, stain colors are available in three forms. Resin, oil and alkyd act as binders and attach to the pigment present on the wooden surface. The stain sinks in the wood in order to protect it deep into the layer.

NOTE: Softwoods such as cedar accept stains more readily than hardwoods such as oak.

As far as excess stain is concerned, it can be wiped away after the pigment once absorbed in the binder. This extra stain occurs after the solvent evaporates. After completing the staining process, finishing the job with a protective coat is essential to wrap up the task. Few options available are wax, varnish and polyurethane.

How often staining is needed?

To achieve the best results for the wooden surfaces, make sure staining smaller area every single year. For log homes, staining is needed every 2 years; however, you need to do less of it at times because it all depends on the stain used.

When staining and caring for the wood, preparation is the key. Here, it is useful to know that staining done in the afternoon gives good results because there’s neither morning dew not extra moisture.

If you don’t have time to do the staining on your own, there are many professionals who can help. Be it your porch, log home, deck or any other wood outdoors, they provide the exterior wood stain solutions for all.

Avoid Deck Finishing Disappointment

Do you want to impress your special guests at home? Deck owners have easy way out for doing this. They can buy some excellent wood finishing products from reputed company and use them to protect and beautify the deck or patio you have in your backyard. Most of the deck owners trust the deck staining professionals to give them exceptional results. But some differ in their perception and try to carry out the project of deck staining on their own. While you take up the responsibility of revamping your wood deck you should learn a lot about the variety of wood stain colors available in market. However staining is a lot more than just selection of the right colors for your wood floor.

Tips To Get Best Wood Staining Results

• Wood deck gets weathered due to unlimited exposure to Mother Nature elements. Remove the left out paint or stain coatings before starting the application of new stain. This will avoid the bad results of staining.
• Before you start the actual process of staining be it a year or two after building it, make sure it is structurally sound. Any cracks, loose nuts and such things may cause injuries to the person working on the deck.
• Don’t keep unrealistic expectations from your deck; it will not be getting ready any sooner. Yes it will take more time than your wife takes to get ready for any party.
• Achieving optimal results from staining project will depend on how well you prepare your deck surface. It requires you to clean the dirt and dust of the deck, pressure clean the deck you want to beautify.
• Apply the wood deck stain on the fences first and then get down to the floor. This will be saving the mess done on the just stained deck as even when the stain spills over the floor it can be easily corrected while staining the floor.
• Leaving the deck floor and fences to dry naturally will allow a better penetration of the stain and don’t forget to seal for the lasting results and best finish.

Stains And How They Are an Ideal Choice For Your Deck

If paint is not your choice, you must consider transparent, solid or semi-transparent stains for your deck. It is good to know that stains belong to a broad category and encompass different types of finish material. No matter what type of deck you have or how small or big it is, giving it an elegant & sophisticated look is easy with best deck stain. Take a look at some of the compelling reasons to opt for stains.

1. They retain the natural look & feel of the wood. By using the good quality, it is possible to let the wood grain show through.
2. They are less slippery and protect the wood without creating a slipper surface.
3. Applying them is easy. Moreover, if one misses a sport here and there, no need to panic as it won’t become obvious.
4. There are too many varieties of colors available in deck stains. It is good to test an area with a certain wood as the color of the wood creates a big impact on the finished color of the stain.
5. Being thinner, they can be used to repair voids, cracks and splinters.

Stain is rustic looking and an ideal option for those who want natural look with rustic finish. This way, complimenting the look and feel of yard with the deck is way too easy.

With the right wood deck stain, it is possible to get look that lasts for years even after it has been left untreated any further. Reason being, these materials make the wood less water absorbent which keeps the wood dry on the inside. Besides, compounds present in stain protect the wood from damaging UV rays.

Get started now and add years to your wooden deck without putting in much efforts. To keep things going more favorable, try being attentive towards maintenance and cleanliness. Go, get staining now!

Easy Guide on Wood Oil Application Technique

When it comes to choose the best wood finishing oil, it is high-quality and natural. Most of these oils can be easily used on almost every type of wood finishing projects including decks, furniture, interior surfaces, tables, cabinets, panels, wood floors and various other porous surfaces.

If you are in search of superior quality oil that gives clear finish, try going for tung oil base which has got no cheap filler oils and added driers. It is important to understand what does a good oil refers to. Well it refers to durable, deep penetrating, water resistant and durable oil that lasts for years and gives the expected results.

Once you have purchased the needed wood finish oil, it is important to know the right application technique. This is because if not applied the right way, it will not give the desired results and you may come across various problems from time to time.

How to apply oil the right way?

Well, now that’s a smart question and its answer is explained clearly in the below mentioned points. Check it out below:

1. Apply the oil liberally with a cotton cloth that’s lint free. You can also use a brush for a smooth application.
2. Now allow the oil to penetrate evenly for 15 minutes. Make sure to remove excess oil with the clean cotton cloth.
3. Never allow the oil to dry before you have removed the excess finishing oil. Generally, 3 coasts of oil are recommended at an interval of 24 hours between each coat.
4. Remember that additional coats increase the surface protection as well as sheen.
5. For best results and for a silky smooth surface, rub the surface gently between each oil application.
6. To enhance the wood, you can apply a coat of traditional paste wax or all-natural beeswax after the final coat is done. This will add depth and extra surface protection.

With these easy techniques, you can apply wood finish oil the best way. What else? The results will definitely meet your expectations.

How to maintain wood finishing oil?

That’s another important yet simple thing to do. Want to know how? Here they are in the below given points:

1. Dust with a soft and dry cloth. Slightly damping the cloth is also a good way.
2. Apply a fresh coat of oil when needed.

With these simple things in mind, you can get a standard finish that will shine for years.

Deck Stains|Ways To Enjoy Cool Deck in Summer Evening

Having an additional open space in summer to relax is something every homeowner dreams off. The space can be an extension of your living room or a house may have a backyard deck sealed with best deck stain. Patio looks ultimately beautiful in the middle of the garden too. Irrespective of the size and location of deck in your home, a deck is always a hot property.

With the official announcement of summer season, it is high time to make your deck ready for the season. Making it ready is not only about painting the wood surface or floor but you should pay equal attention to the rails too. Make sure you paint every bit and corner with the same quality and shade of wood deck stain.For painting you can contact the professionals to come to your house and do the job with perfection while you play the role of a loving father or mother by spending your weekend with your kids and family.

Add cooling elements to your deck for making the place more comfortable for summer evenings. Firstly homeowners should think natural like adding green colors through hanging pots and potted plants will pop up the aura of your patio. If you wish to avoid rushing back indoors in days make the place cooler by adding a huge and colorful umbrella or canopy to bring shades. Have curtains if you have roofed deck so that you can draw them and still enjoy the fresh air.

Decorate the space by adding cushions and hurricane candles. Lighting can be adding more colors to your place and it will be great as you will be able to enjoy the summer nights. Sparking canopy and dazzled rails will create a fairytale ambience right there at your home. Don’t forget to add colors with quality deck stains. They should be the planet friendly products only.

Cool Treatment Your Deck Secretly Wishes For in Summer

Ownership of a deck gives you rewarding experiences. Maintaining its beauty is a part of your home care job. If you succeed in maintaining your deck, it can up the value of your property to the prospect home buyers. At the onset of summer, every homeowner tries to fix the issues with his deck to the best of his knowledge. But, sometimes it is not enough as it is evident with the early damages to the deck sealer you applied. Though it is best to get the deck staining project done by the professionals but if you want to do it on your own, read its step by step procedure.

Warm weather of summers makes your deck more vulnerable to weathering and damages. Start the summer preparation of your deck with cleaning the deck at the first place. After winter, there are lots of leaves, debris and dirt underneath furniture. You may also find the insects hidden throughout winters. Remember to remove dry leaves and other unwanted elements from your deck only after removing the furniture. Follow sweeping with deep cleaning for removing the embedded dirt particles in the cracks of the deck. If you do not own a pressure washer you can rent it from local shop.

Also, make full use of it by cleaning the house as well while you are at it. It is not every day when you are into the cleaning shoes, so make full use of the same. Replace or repair the boards depending on the condition of them as they can age or their damages can go beyond repair due to poor maintenance.

While you prepare your deck for summer, it is the time to revamp the stain of the deck. Renew and refresh your deck with a high quality wood deck sealer. The rails are the parts of your deck, so don’t forget to clean and stain your deck. Think about cushions, hanging flower baskets and lighting to make your deck happening.