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Wood finishes for cabinetry, furniture and other household wood products have become art. And, while proven methods are used by craftsmen to create unique finishes with market appeal, quite often the finish designer creates his greatest breakthroughs through simple variations on an established theme. In fact, the slightest tonal variations can create a dynamic and dramatic result.
The separation between dramatically different styles is more often predicated upon small steps than on large or dramatic leaps. In this installment, the interpretive design team of the RPM Wood Finishes Group attempts to illuminate this concept by demonstrating how a small variation on an established theme can create a truly unique, different and inspired finish.
The variation may be a new color of stain, a new glaze, or a slight modification in finishing technique. This new interpretation may create a uniquely different feel, mood or look. That is the case in this example — as American Colonial became French Provence — through small, easily deployed finishing steps.
RAW WOOD: Maple, alder, pine, poplar or most any solid wood substrate will work well with this finish, specifically woods with little grain character. Heavily grained or porous species, such as oak or ash, will produce a different effect in the end appearance but may be suitable if a distinct grain pattern is desirable.
PHYSICAL AGING: Create open joints; splits, season splits, softened edges and worm holes to portray an appropriate aged lifestyle. Raw wood aging techniques should involve many different tools to produce a variety of authentic looks. The distressing should make sense — heavier along the base and lighter toward the top, depending on the cabinet and how this piece would have been used.
BASE STAIN & SEALER: A light-colored base stain is used to accentuate the distressing and grain character and provide a soft brown undertone value. Next, a high solids sealer is applied overall to create the foundation coat for the preceding steps. Conventional nitrocellulose, waterborne or catalyzed varnishes may be used as an appropriate sealer. This step should dry thoroughly before moving to the next operation.
CRACKLE BASE: To create a weathered crackle appearance in the finish, the RPM Wood Finishes Group has developed a product that will enable the emulsion to separate, simulating an aged finish crackle. The crackle base is applied to specific areas where finish cracking is desirable, especially along opened joints and distress markings. The crackle base is allowed to dry for approximately 30 minutes before applying the emulsion.
BRUSH MARK EMULSION & FINISH DISTRESS: White brush mark emulsion is brushed over the entire surface to create brush marks in the finish. This process best demonstrates the way a finish would have been applied during this time period. As the brush mark begins to dry, cracks will appear where the crackle base was applied, revealing the fruitwood undertone color of the wood. As the brush mark begins to cure, the edges are scraped to simulate wear through and finish peeling. The brush mark emulsion should be adequately cured prior to proceeding to the next operations.
American Colonial
GLAZE: To prepare the surface for glazing, a light scuff sanding is recommended using a very fine sandpaper, sanded in the direction of the grain. All dust residue should be removed using forced air before applying the glaze. The glaze is a soft, weak brown wiping stain that may be either sprayed or ragged on and wiped fairly clean. A soft brush is used to remove the excess from the corners and even out the color tone. If desired, the surface may be softly highlighted using very fine sandpaper or Scotch Brite™, which will accentuate the texture of the emulsion and add another dimension to the finish.
TOPCOAT: A flat or dead flat sheen is desired for this finish; 10 degrees or less. The topcoat may be waterborne, conventional nitrocellulose or a catalyzed varnish topcoat, depending on the performance characteristics desired. As with all light finishes, a UV-resistant coating or UV absorber additive may be required to prevent discoloration.
French Provence
With the addition of soft glaze accent striping, the look can take on the flavor of French Provence.
ENHANCEMENT STRIPING:This illustration shows the addition of a powder blue glaze stripe in the cove and an ochre stripe in the center panel and along the shaped edge; producing an interesting concept with complimentary tone-on-tone colors. Softly sanding the stripe creates a transparency effect and authentically ages the stripe colors to match the overall finish story. Accent striping would be added between final sealer and topcoat.
The finish in this installment is part of the Expressions Collection offered by Chemical Coatings. Chemical Coatings, Mohawk, Westfield Coatings and Guardian brands are member companies of the RPM Wood Finishes Group. For more information on re-creating American Colonial and French Provence, contact ccisales@rpmwfg.com.