Replies

1. 
   Dave45 | Jul 26, 2008 05:56pm | #1

   Since you're new, I'll ask what you mean by "finish".  The color of a piece is achieved by using a stain or dye and the choices are almost endless.  The finish is a coating over the stained/dyed wood to protect the wood and give the desired sheen (shine) and those choices are also almost endless.

   If that table was made by a high production furniture company, the finish may be a fairly exotic material that has to be applied with specialized equipment under carefully controlled conditions.  It isn't likely, but that "finish" could also be a good old Minwax stain and a few coats of polyurethane - applied by someone who is VERY good. - lol

   It's almost impossible to tell from a picture how a piece was stained and finished.  My daughter has a "Cherry" dining room set that was made somewhere in Asia.  i have no idea what kind of wood it is (it sure ain't cherry), and I hope she never asks me to fix any of the dings and scratches it's picked up over the past four years. - lol

2. 
   bigfootnampa | Jul 26, 2008 06:32pm | #2

   That finish was likely made by a factory in a high production environment.  It is VERY likey that it is simply layers of tinted nitrocellulose lacquer applied by spraying.  Such a finish is easy to do (though if you need to ask how... it's probably way over your head at this time). 

   Personally I'd be extremely reluctant to send such a finish out of my shop.  The durability factor is close to zero!  I consider such finishes to be evidence that these factories have no respect or consideration for their customers whatever.  Similar looks can be acheived with many more durable finish products but require slightly more expensive materials and slightly more time investment. 

   Were I to create a finish with this look I would use a water base satin clear and tint my layers in an approximation of the original factory system (but with VASTLY enhanced durability).  Target and Fuhr make finish products suitable for this approach. 

   The snag is that you probably need several years (or more) of professional experience to do this well (you've gotta start somewhere though).  Spraying skills alone are a considerable acheivment.  A thorough knowledge of finish types and tinting systems is also reccomended.

3. 
   SteveSchoene | Jul 26, 2008 10:37pm | #3

   Dave and BigFoot have given you a good description of why it's hard to duplicate professional finishes without similar spray equipment.  I agree.  But assuming spraying is not in the cards, then there are still reasonable approaches. 

   But before outlining one such schedule we should find out a bit more about what characteristics you are looking for in such a finish.  Is what you are seeing similar to dark brown finishes from Reproduction Hardware or Pottery Barn going under names like expresso and showing a hint or two that there is wood underneath.  Or, is it more an ebonized finish, almost full black, satin with very little if any wood features seen.  The picture would also fit the situation, where an open pored wood has been colored very dark, or black, but with the pores still being visible as a bit of texture on the surface. 

   More about the piece you intend to finish would also help.  What is it, and what style and degree of formality you have in mind?  For that matter is the piece already made, or are you just in a planning stage? .  Will it be lightly used as in a living room in a house where people remember what coasters are, or treated robustly as a kitchen table where a family with a stairstep of 3 kids eats, uses the table as a foundation for block structures, or craft projects.  Is it a table which gets frequently cleaned of meaningful messes? 

1. 
   Gretchen | Jul 27, 2008 12:15am | #4

   And I would add one more question--does he know someone who wants that piece?Gretchen

4. 
   ww601 | Jul 27, 2008 04:26pm | #5

   Thank you to everyone for your responses. I am somewhat new to woodworking, my experience limited to a class, watching woodworking shows on TV & reading a lot.

   I'm planning to build a built in bookshelf as part of our family room remodel. I thought it would be a good way for me to get some more experience in woodwork. I saw the color combination of this dark wood & the cream color carpeting & thought I would try to use the same combination. It sounds like what I need to look for is expresso or some other dark colored stain, since the other methods are beyond my expertise at the moment.

   Thanks again!

   Sam

1. 
   Dave45 | Jul 27, 2008 05:26pm | #6

   Ahh, Grasshopper, prepare yourself for a journey that will last for the rest of your life. - lol

   Taking classes, watching TV, and reading merely whet the appetite.  Actual learning requires making lots of sawdust - and more mistakes than you thought any one person could ever make.

   From my own experience, I'll offer the following (alleged) thoughts:

   You'll never do a perfect project.  You will certainly get better with each project, but all of them will contain a mistake or two.  With luck, only you will know about them.  Don't let that get you down.  Figure out what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what you'll do differently next time.  You'll make more mistakes, but they'll be different ones.

   You'll never know too much.  In the beginning, you'll mostly copy what you see in those classes, TV shows, and books.  Eventually, you'll begin to invent your own methods based on what tools you own or how you prefer to work.  This is a good thing.  Years ago, I watched Norm Abrams and thought "So that's how it's done."  I still watch him, but now I often think "Yeah, I do that, but I do it this way." Speaking of Norm; some love him, and some hate him.  I think that you can learn a lot watching him, but try to use less brads than he does. - lol

   You'll never have the perfect tool set.  No matter how well you equip your shop, there's something better (and probably more expensive) out there - if not today, then by next year.  Many recommend buying "top of the line" tools, but I don't agree.  But the best tools you can afford and learn to use them in spite of their shortcomings.  By the time you've "outgrown" them, you'll have a much better idea of what you really want in a replacement.

   Well, that's enough of my philosophy and I'm sure that others will add theirs.  Welcome to the club and keep coming back.  This place is a like a graduate school and you can glean a wealth of knowledge here.  Sooner or later, you'll start answering someone else's questions.