Finishing Secrets FOR FURNITURE-GRADE TRIM

Whether you're staining a door, built-in cabinetry, or any of the millwork in between, follow these steps for a flawless finish.

- Tim Leahy

For the past 12 years, I've spent my days as a finish foreman with a company that remodels and restores historic mansions and builds new homes in Newport, R.I. Our carpenters install custom-milled trim, cabinetry, doors, and windows. Then my crew and I go in and finish them. Given all that—and the ocean views—it's a sweet deal.

There's no doubt that the craftsmanship that precedes us sets the stage for us to do our best work. But delivering flawless finishes is no easy task. Staining and clear-coating the mahogany mantelpiece featured here—and the paneled library that it's in—took three of us two weeks to complete. Yes, we were methodical and took great care when applying the stain and the final clear coats. But nothing got more of our attention than the prep we did before popping the lid off the first can of stain.

Sand every inch

On a recent job, someone accidentally dripped water on an oak floor that my crew and I had just prepared for stain. Unfortunately, that someone never told us about it. When we applied the stain, there—in dark splotches—was the evidence. The water had raised the grain, creating an uneven surface. Unlike a layer of paint, which hides the wood, stain highlights it. Unfortunately, stain also highlights watermarks, fingerprints, dried glue, and swirl marks left by power sanders. To get consistent results with stain, you can't just sand the blemishes; you need to sand the entire project evenly.

Sanding it all evens the porosity of the wood. When wood is run through a planer or shaper, its outer fibers are compressed, leaving a glazed or glossy appearance. If stain is applied directly over the compressed fibers, it doesn't penetrate as it's meant to. Sanding opens the fibers evenly, allowing stain to soak in.