How to Varnish Wood Depending on Its Condition
Wooden furniture always adds elegance and beauty to any room in which it is found and it is undoubtedly the best for outdoors. Therefore, its care and maintenance must be taken into account, for which you will only need to apply varnish on its surface to make sure it lasts longer. This will also highlight your beauty .
What is varnish?
The coating is an oily or resinous substance may be natural or synthetic and whose characteristics can leave you a thin layer on the surface that is placed after this has dried, either by effect of the air or accelerating the process with a catalyst. Its use has a long tradition and there are historical records that indicate its use by the Egyptians, who used it as decoration for their tombs, or the Greeks, who used it to protect the wood of their boats from corrosion caused by the water of the river. sea.
Its usefulness is due to the protective power it exerts on the surfaces, favoring their durability and resistance in addition to providing beautiful finishes that give an attractive appearance to any surface.
What furniture can be varnished?
You can varnish any wooden furniture that you want to protect and that may be exposed to the force of the weather or that is part of the decoration of your room, living room or dining room. The varnish will not only enhance the natural characteristics of the wood but will also give it a unique touch , be it glossy, matte or satin. Without a doubt, it will highlight the beauty of your furniture.
Varnish types
There are different ways to classify varnish, mainly based on its chemical characteristics or finishes:
If we take into account the type of finish we can find glossy, matte and satin finishes , the choice of which will depend mainly on your particular taste, although there are small differences regarding their resistance.
For outdoor
As we discussed earlier, there are key differences in the types of varnish that will allow you to choose the correct one. In the case of exteriors , where the effect of UV light and rain directly affect the furniture, we recommend the use of synthetic varnishes that will give greater resistance to your furniture, doors or any surface that you wish to protect.
For interior
In the event that you want to varnish furniture or elements that will be inside your home, office or premises, you can choose it based on your criteria on the finish you want , be it a glossy result that highlights all the beauty of the wood or a tone more opaque that gives it a rustic and resistant touch.
Tips for varnishing wood
If you want to varnish a furniture or surface, follow these tips to obtain wonderful results:
- Before applying the varnish, you must optimize the surface of the wood so that it can assimilate the product. For this you must sand the surface of the wood using a suitable sandpaper. This sanding should always be done in the direction of the wood grain.
- Once you have finished sanding, we recommend removing all the dust from the surface . This can be done with a brush or a slightly damp cloth.
- Proceed to apply the varnish, which can be diluted a little with white spirit. Apply an even coat over the entire surface with a brush or roller. Then you have to wait for the wood to dry and it has assimilated it.
- Once the wood has completely absorbed the varnish, apply a second coat . This will ensure that the film is formed that will protect your wood and give it the finish you want.
How to apply the varnish?
Depending on the type of surface you are going to use, you will have to apply the varnish in different ways:
On a new surface
For new surfaces, all you need to do is always sand the surface in the direction of the wood grain , remove all traces of dust and apply two coats of varnish. The first coat will ensure that the wood absorbs the product and the small pores are protected; the second, for its part, will make a thicker and more uniform film over all the wood, thus giving it greater resistance and durability.
On a deteriorated surface
Before starting the varnishing process, the first thing you should do is remove the layers of old paint . This process is known as stripping , for which there is a series of products that facilitate this work. The use of these products should be done with care, as they have very strong odors and can cause allergies.
The stripping process is fairly straightforward if you use a chemical product . To do this, just prepare the product, apply it and leave it to act for approximately 20 minutes or as indicated by the manufacturer. When you see that the paint starts to bubble slightly, it's time to remove it using a spatula and, once all the paint is removed, you can continue with the process in the same way as with a new surface.
On a well-kept surface
If the surface is well cared for, just clean the area, sand gently to remove any imperfections in the wood and then simply proceed to apply the varnish. E n this case, you can apply a single layer, it will be more than enough to protect her .
Necessary materials
Before starting any project you should always have at hand all the tools that allow you to carry it out without having any kind of interruptions. For this reason, below we leave you the following list of materials that you will need to varnish your furniture or any wooden surface:
- Brush or roller: either of the two will be useful when applying the varnish.
- Solvent : this is used to dilute the varnish and be able to apply it to the entire surface.
- Sandpaper : there are different types, so we recommend advising you to choose the right one depending on your need.
- Other products that you may need are those that allow you to join materials or in the event that the furniture needs a slight repair. Among them you have powdered putty, plaster or sealer.
