14 
HO USE & GARDEN 
Courtesy of Lowe Bros. 
White pine finished with one coat of stain 
and two of varnish shows a handsome 
figure. The bottom was painted white by 
way of contrast 
Courtesy of Lowe Bros. 
This yellow pine panel was finished in the 
same manner as the chestnut shown be¬ 
low. The pines should be carefully se¬ 
lected for figure 
serves the important 
function of protect¬ 
ing the surface of 
the wood to which 
it is applied from 
the destructive ac¬ 
tion of atmosphere, 
and, to a certain ex¬ 
tent, from mechan¬ 
ical injury, and also 
is the means of fur¬ 
nishing the desired 
color. It may be 
laid down in very 
general terms, that 
the decorative func¬ 
tion of the paint de¬ 
pends on the pig¬ 
ment, whereas i t s 
protective value de¬ 
pends upon the ve¬ 
hicle o r medium, 
which is generally 
prepared from cer¬ 
tain resinous mate¬ 
rials capable of pro¬ 
ducing an adhesive 
film, which is both 
hard and elastic. 
Any paint,of course, 
conceals the wood 
figure. 
A far better pro¬ 
tection can be given 
to a surface of any wood by dividing the 
decorative from the protective function, first 
decorating the surface by means of pigment 
or stain, and then again coating the surface 
with a composition, the function of which is 
entirely protective. Such compositions, 
when properly prepared by the manufac¬ 
turer and scientifically worked out to meet 
specific requirements as to texture of finish 
—as for instance gloss, flat, semi-flat or 
absolutely dead in appearance, no lustre at 
all—will not hide the beautiful figure of the 
wood, its markings and characteristics, but 
Courtesy of Lowe Bros. 
Chestnut has an attractive grain which 
can be treated in many ways to intensify 
it. The preparation of this panel is de¬ 
scribed in the text 
on the other hand, tend to develop, to in¬ 
tensify, to richen, and give depth to the 
color of either the natural wood or the 
properly stained surface. 
After the wood has been stained in the 
shade desired with the proper kind of stain 
to accomplish this result, it is undoubtedly 
protected best with a good varnish. When 
such a varnish is spread over the surface, 
a portion of the solvent evaporates, the 
balance oxidizes, leaving the film which is 
strongly adhesive, hard, tenacious, and at 
the same time elastic, providing the varnish 
is well balanced and carefully prepared. 
Such a varnish can be left in the natural 
gloss finish or, when hard and sufficient 
coats have been applied to the surface, it 
can be rubbed to a dull finish or brought 
to a high polish, as desired. This method 
of finishing requires careful work and is 
more or less expensive, according to the 
grade of material, the number of coats of 
protective varnish used, and its care in ap¬ 
plication. 
How the Finish Is Applied 
In the quartered white oak panel the 
wood was carefully sanded and wiped free 
of splinters and dust and given a coat of 
Early English non-fading oil stain. It was 
then filled with a prepared paste wood 
filler, thinned to the consistency of cream 
with turpentine and applied to the surface, 
allowed to stand about five or ten minutes, 
until it became a little grey or dull in ap¬ 
pearance, and then rubbed off across the 
growth of the wood with cheese-cloth or 
waste, pushing as much of the filler into the 
pores as possible, and rubbing off the sur¬ 
plus with the grain. This filler was allowed 
at least forty-eight hours to dry, and then 
lightly sanded, freeing the surface of any 
specks of filler that might have adhered, 
and finished with three coats of varnish, al¬ 
lowing forty-eight hours between coats. 
The final coat of varnish, after drying hard, 
was rubbed to a dull sheen with pumice 
stone and water. 
You will note the 
beautiful markings 
of the wood and 
must agree with me 
that it is both fool¬ 
hardy and unwise to 
destroy or cover up 
the natural beauty 
of such wood in in¬ 
teriors with a paint, 
as was done on the 
lower portion of the 
panel. The painting 
specification called 
for first filling the 
wood with a natural 
paste filler, using 
the same method as 
described in the pre¬ 
ceding paragraph, 
and applying three 
coats of flat paint 
and two coats of 
enamel, the last coat 
of enamel being 
rubbed to a dull fin¬ 
ish. The filler in 
both instances is 
necessary in order 
to bring the pores 
up to a level surface 
with the face of the 
wood, before apply¬ 
ing the finishing coats, so as to have the 
final surface level enough to rub smooth. 
It is evident, then, that in the painting it 
was necessary to use au extra coat in order 
to acquire a proper finish on this wood, and 
the only thing that you have been successful 
in doing is to cover up the beautiful natural 
markings. If the painted or enamel finish 
was absolutely essential or desired, a less 
expensive wood, such as white pine, yellow 
pine or poplar, would serve you better, and 
could be brought up to as good a surface 
with one less coat of material. 
(Continued on page 62) 
Courtesy of Lowe Bros. 
It would be foolish to hide the beautiful 
figure of this quartered white oak. The 
painted strip at the bottom shows how 
the effect would be lost 
