A good day is a four crayon day...

If you are up to four crayons, then don't worry too much
about colouring inside the lines.

In spite of the cramped appearance, there was ample room in this shop to stain and urethane this cabinetry.

This tall corner cabinet is near completion. The bottom has had a second coat of stain. The top has had only one. I used a 2-coat stain procedure.

Improve the final appearance of new woodwork. Applying two coats of thinned stain rather than a single heavy coat brings out more depth and richness. Do a practice run on a hidden surface such as a back or side. Notice that I didn't waste time or money by staining what isn't necessary. In this case, why finish what doesn't show? (But there ARE exceptions to this rule...)

As a finisher there are limits as to what can be done to balance out wood tones. This cabinet side displays two distinct wood grains because of its construction.



...more below:

A solid hardwood nailer has been fastened to the face of this veneered plywood to provide a mounting support for piano-hinged door.

Because these two woods are dissimilar, they will absorb stain differently -- the discrepancy is most apparent at the joint. In commercial work, time is of the essence: other trades are waiting on you. Hence, there is little time for perfection.

During cabinet construction, if glue spills out from a joint and then wiped off, that area becomes sealed and won't take a stain.

However, in spite of this, most spots can be camouflaged with a little slight of hand.

A two-crayon day...
And I even coloured inside the line!
These are artist oil crayons that I am using.

Look at those filthy hands will ya!
Looks almost like I've been working or something.

Because I used acrylic water-based stain on this job, a minute's rinse under hot water cleans up those gross-looking fingers no problem.
(Gone are the days of soaking your hands in Varsol.
And amen to that).

Applied artistry hides the glue spills.