CHAPTER III: THE FINISHING OF WOODS 



The various processes to which wood is treated under this 

 head accomphsh one or more of these results: (i) They preserve 

 it; (2) they make it easy to keep clean; (3) they beautify it, by 

 bringing out the grain or by covering it with a uniform colour. 



Paint has long been the standard finish for woods of cheap 

 quality exposed to the air, for inside and outside work. It is a 

 preservative, filling the pores of the wood with pigments mixed 

 with oil; and it satisfies the tastes of all, being made in an infinite 

 variety of colours, shades and tints. It conceals knots, cracks 

 and other defects, producing a smooth, shining, uniform surface. 



"Graining" is a base imitation of the natural grain of oak 

 and other woods. As a child I watched a man at this work. 

 Yellow paint had dried fairly on a cheap, white-pine door. A 

 light brushing of brown paint was spread unevenly over one 

 panel. Then one thumb, wrapped with a rag, was dipped into 

 the brown paint, and a knot with radiating brown streaks was 

 set in each end of the panel. One or two scattered little knots 

 were thrown in for good measure. Then the artistic thumb 

 retired, and a comb came into commission. The blade of it 

 drawn over the plain brown field scraped off narrow lines of the 

 dark colour and left the yellow showing through in parallel, 

 alternating lines. An agitated sidewise motion of the comb 

 produced a "curly" patch on a field intended to imitate the 

 grain of oak with its spring and summer wood of alternating 

 yellow and brown. 



There may be such a thing as good graining. I can see only 

 ugly, insincere imitation in it. A painted door makes no pretence 

 to be a hard wood, therefore it is honest. A grained door is not. 



Staining. Pigments dissolved in water or in other liquids 

 stain wood to any desired colour. Nut galls and various dyestuffs 

 are used for this purpose. Creosote oil, properly coloured, is 

 a popular stain for shingles. It is a preservative, and gives a 

 soft, dull finish, being absorbed without concealing the texture 

 of the wood. This sort of staining is a far more artistic colour 



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