My wife and I went for stroll last night and entered a few small furniture shops (similar to Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn type furniture).  There was a solid birch table that had an extremely dark finish.  It was almost opaque, had a dark brown reddish hue, but you could still make out the grain underneath.  In other words, I don’t think it was paint, but it looked layered with a red undertone and dark brown finish.  I’ve seen this type of finish on a lot of commercial furniture and am curious if any of you know what combination stain/dye/topcoat/other that is used to achieve the dark appearance on the birch.

Also, my wife asked me what kind of paint they use on some of the “country” furniture.  It comes out extremely smooth, very satin (no gloss), without the usual build up that you often see.  Is this just a result of spraying, and what kind of paint do they spray – oil based, latex, acrylic?

I realize that without actually seeing the piece it is difficult to ascertain.  However, I see these kinds of finishes on almost all commercially produced furniture.