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Glossary of Finishing Terms

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Specifying Finishing

Glossary of Finishing Terms

Manufacturers have a variety of names for what are essentially the same type of product. While there will always be something new or different on the market, the following descriptions may help you understand some key finishing terms. * = Optional step in addition to application of sealer and specified topcoat(s).

Acrylic Lacquers

A high-quality clear system for finishing furniture, cabinets and a wide variety of wood and novelty items. They are water white in color with excellent nonyellowing qualities. Available in both solvent-type and waterreducible products.

Overspray

The dry, pebble-like surface caused when sprayed finish begins to dry in the air before it hits the surface.

*Penetrating Dyes

*Aniline (Acid) Dyes

Synthetic colors which dissolve in the solvent for which they are formulated, i.e., water, alcohol, or oil. Many woodwork finishers refer to nearly all dyes as "aniline" even when this is not chemically true.

Deep color, fast-drying stains often carried in solvents as a liquid or as a gel. Some water-soluble versions are available.

Penetrating Oil

An oil-based material designed to penetrate into the wood. It usually requires reapplication from time to time.

Binder

*Penetrating Oil Stains

The part of the vehicle which does not evaporate. It binds the pigment particles together, stays on the surface, and forms the film of the finish.

Almost always a thin liquid mixture of oil and thinner with a dye added for color.

*Pickling

*Bleaching

The chemical process used to remove color or whiten solid wood. This process may be used to lighten an extremely dark wood or to whiten a lighter colored wood. Most woods do not turn completely white when bleached.

A white or light-colored pigment in either an oil or water vehicle. When wiped or brushed on to an open pore wood, the white stays in the pores and is usually wiped off the surface, either entirely or partially depending on the effect desired. Similar to the application of Filler.

Blushing

*Pigmented Oil Stains

The whitish, cloudlike haze that occurs in fast-drying finishes, especially lacquer, when they are sprayed in very humid conditions. Blushing is most often due to moisture (water vapor) trapped in the film or to bits of resin precipitating out of solution.

Almost always an oil-based liquid with pigments (not dyes) added.

Polyester

Catalyst

Chemically, an ingredient added to a product to provide additional performance characteristics, such as faster drying, chemical resistance, or increased hardness of the finish.

Catalyzed Lacquer

A very high-solids-content coating consisting of two components that require special care in handling and spraying. Leaves a deep, wet-looking, clear or colored finish. Limited repairability. Polyurethane: Usually a twocomponent system that may have a higher solids content than lacquers. Takes somewhat longer to dry than lacquer. A highly durable finish which, as a result, is very difficult to repair.

A modified nitrocellulose-based coating with a catalyst added for enhanced performance.

Sealers

Catalyzed Vinyl

A catalyzed coating with a vinyl resin base. Extremely tough and resistant to most chemicals.

Compounds that provide a sandable coating and a smooth surface for final topcoat application, provide system toughness and holdout, provide moisture resistance, and contribute to build and clarity.

Conversion Varnish

*Shading

A catalyzed alkyd-based coating that is tough and resistant to household chemicals.

A technique that can be used to either highlight contrast, or create a more uniform appearance.

Danish Oil

Shellac

The general name for any number of wipe-on coatings based on tung or linseed oil, with solvents and resins added to enhance both drying and performance.

A wood finish extracted from the secretions of an Asian insect; fast-drying and usually waxed for additional protection.

*Distressing

Solvent

May be either of a mechanical or chemical nature to give special effects. *Filler: Used to advance the final build and

A substance in which another substance is dissolved, forming a solution. Finish solvents include paint and lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, gum turpentine and

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Glossary of Finishing Terms

smoothness of the finish. Filler may be neutral or a contrasting color to accent the pores. The use of filler alone may not completely fill all pores and is generally limited to horizontal surfaces of ring-porous woods such as elm, oak and ash. Close Grain species such as cherry, maple, birch and poplar seldom require filler. Few vertical surfaces benefit from the added labor of a filled finish. denatured alcohol.

*Staining

*French Polish

One of the optional operations in wood finishing, producing the desired undertone color and complementing the wood with proper distribution of color, depth of color and clarity of grain. Selection of type of stain used is governed by desired aesthetic result.

A mixture of shellac and alcohol rubbed on with a cloth pad, usually to a high sheen.

Standard Lacquer

*Glazing

An added step for achieving color uniformity and depth, and for highlighting the wood's grain pattern. It also is used for tortoise shell, marble effect, or antiquing.

A nitrocellulose-based coating, usually without any additives, that dries by solvent evaporation. Generally easy to repair.

*Toners

Gloss

Transparent or semitransparent colors used to even the tone of wood.

Also referred to as sheen, a surface shininess or luster. *Hand-Rubbed Finish: The name given to an effect that is created by the manual process of applying a combination of abrasives and lubricants, after the final topcoat has dried, to smooth, flatten or dull that topcoat.

Coat

The final protective film of a finish system. There are various top coats with different properties.

Varnish

Metamerism

An oil-based finish used to coat a surface with a hard, glossy film.

An apparent change in color when exposed to differing wavelengths of light; the human perception of color.

Vinyl Lacquers

*Mirrored Polish Finish

Catalyzed lacquers made with a vinyl resin rather than a nitrocellulose base.

Requires several steps of wet sanding, mechanical buffing, and polishing.

*Washcoats

*NGR Stains

Non-grain-raising (NGR) stains are dye solutions that do not contain pigments. Spray application gives an overall transparent color to the wood, offering a high degree of clarity. Some fading may occur over time.

Thin solutions applied as a barrier coat to wood. They are used prior to wiping stains for color uniformity. Shellac washcoats help finish materials adhere to resin-secreting woods.

*Water-Based Stains

Orange Peel

The description of a coating which does not flow out smoothly; exhibiting the texture of an orange.

Are made by adding hot water to universal tinting colors, then diluting that solution to the desired strength with cold water. They provide good grain clarity, but raise the grain and are slow to dry.

*Wiping stains

Thin pastes or thick liquids with pigment suspended in a solvent vehicle; applied and wiped with a cloth to remove excess stain.

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