The Importance of Samples

  The single biggest problem I see on wood working web sites is people plunging into finishing their favorite woodworking project without a clue as to what they are doing!

  They invariably buy some cheap pigment homeowner stain from the hardware store that is close to the color they are looking for and proceed to smear it all over their project, only to find it is too light and they put on another layer hoping to get it darker, or else there is sanding scratches from improper sanding and glue marks that leave light marks where the stain doesn't penetrate. Now there is a post on a web site asking for help. Sometimes there are even multiple coats of finish on as well.

  All this can be prevented by making a simple step sample before any finish is applied to the project. First understand the different stains and finishes and become proficient with their application. You should be able to identify a dye stain or a pigment stain simply by looking at it. What sheen will your final project be? Glossy, Flat, Semi-Gloss or Eggshell. Professionally sheen is represented by percentage of reflectance. 0% being completely dead flat and 100% being high gloss.

  Using a piece of scrap wood the same species as your project, first wet the wood with a cloth dampened with solvent. (Mineral spirits works fine for this) Note the color of the natural wood. Making a stain is the process of adding color to the natural color of the wood to get the color you want.

  Make sure the sample is sanded or hand planed exactly the same as your project, this can profoundly effect stain penetration which effects color and blotching. I usually put a strip of 2" tape over the raw wood at the end of the sample and then apply my stain. When dry apply another strip of tape, right next to and slightly overlapping the first, to cover the stain. Same thing for each step all the way up to the final coat of finish.

 Don't cheat! You want to see exactly what the final product will look like. If you're happy then and only then do you proceed to put finish on your project. If it isn't right, start over from the beginning and change what isn't correct.

Here is a small step sample I made for a faux finish over a urethane cast molding for a restoration job. From the right end is the urethane, a base color, gilsonite stain and then a glaze of Van Dyke Brown and Black