Select a chapter:  46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 |53

Chapter 46

Applying Finishing Materials

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Finishing a product involves applying a protective coating that either penetrates or builds up on a wood or metal surface. Application practices which produce a quality finish include: brushing, spraying, wiping, dipping, and rolling.

Summary

There are five basic methods to apply a finish: brushing, spraying, wiping, dipping, and rolling. Most of the materials you apply may be spread more than one way. Usually you select the method unless the manufacturer makes a strong recommendation. If more than one method is given, choose the application technique you feel will give the best results. For example, stain can be applied by almost any technique. Wiping would work best for small areas and spraying would be the quickest for large areas. Lacquer can be brushed or sprayed. Usually, lacquer comes in a brushing viscosity, but can be thinned to be sprayed.

Consider the size of the product and setup time when choosing an application method. Dipping is the quickest and most effective for small objects. Spraying is effective for coating large surfaces. However, spray equipment is costly and requires extensive setup time. If you do not need a perfect finish, consider rolling the surface.

The bottom line when choosing among the techniques is quality. Never sacrifice quality for the sake of speed. Doing so may result in an unacceptable product, wasting the many hours spent processing materials and assembling the product.

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Chapter 47

Preparing the Surface for Topcoating

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Preparing the surface for topcoating involves adding color (staining), filling open grain hardwoods, sealing or priming wood surfaces, and applying decorative coatings. This phase of the cabinetmaking process makes the greatest change to the wood’s appearance .

There is no clear-cut order of events for applying stain, filler, and sealer. Stain most often is applied by itself. Yet, it can be mixed with filler or with the topcoating material. (Combination stain and top-coat finishes are discussed in Chapter 48.) Filler can be applied before stain, with stain, or after stain for different effects. Sealing may be done at several times. A thinned coat of sealer applied before stain (called a washcoat) helps even out stain penetration in spring wood, summer wood, and end grain. Sealer applied after stain or filler provides a barrier coat under the topcoat. Primer, an opaque sealer, prepares wood and metal surfaces for enamel.

Decorative finishes include antiquing, gilding, graining, marbleizing, mottling, stippling, and splattering. Most are opaque and consist of a glaze coat applied over a base coat. These treatments are typical on poorer quality lumber and manufactured wood products to provide an attractive appearance.

Before working with any finishing material, read the container label. Identify the recommended applications and note any cautions or warnings. 

Summary

This chapter has covered a number of steps in the finishing process. The most common order of events to prepare for topcoating includes washcoating, staining, filling, and sealing. The sealer is omitted if you plan to apply a penetrating topcoating. Each step plays an important role in the attractiveness of the completed product. The washcoating evens stain penetration, especially in species having great variations in density between spring wood and summer wood. Staining alters the color of the wood. This may be done to enhance the grain, conceal the grain, or make a low-cost wood look like a more expensive species. Filling may be done before or after staining. Packing filler into the large pores of open grain wood levels the surface. Sealing follows filling when a built-up topcoating will be applied. Sealer prevents stain from bleeding into the topcoat. It also prevents the topcoat from soaking into the wood.

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Chapter 48

Topcoatings

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Topcoating is the final protective film on an assembled product. It is a penetrating or built-up layer of finish that resists moisture, dirt, chemicals, stains, and daily wear. Traditionally, natural materials have been used for the topcoating. However, synthetic products offer improved characteristics such as hardness, fade resistance, durability, and elasticity.

The topcoating may be clear or opaque. Clear coatings are applied over fine woods so that you see the beauty of the grain. Opaque coatings hide the surface and are applied to manufactured wood products and poor quality lumber.

Ingredients in a topcoating are either volatile or nonvolatile. The volatile liquid evaporates as the finish dries. It includes the solvent or water that helps you spread the finish. The nonvolatile­materials form the protective coating and do not evaporate. They may include resins, silica, oil, driers, and possible pigments or dyes.

Always consider the environment when applying any topcoating. Dust in the air may settle on a wet coating and create a rough surface. High humidity can slow the setting and curing time for finishing materials. Ventilation is necessary where toxic solvents and resins are present. Also, prepare a nearby place to store newly coated, wet products. Make it easy to transfer a product to the drying area.

Topcoatings, skillfully applied, help create high quality products. The topics described in this chapter include selecting and applying penetrating and built-up topcoatings, deglossing, polishing, and applying surface accents.

Summary

Topcoating is the final protective film on a cabinet or piece of furniture. There are two types of topcoatings: penetrating and built-up. Penetrating finishes soak into the wood, leaving the grain texture. Natural penetrating finishes include linseed oil, tung oil, and penetrating wax. Synthetic penetrating finishes include alkyd and phenolic resins. Built-up topcoatings form a film on the wood surface. Natural products include shellac, French polish, lacquer, and varnish. Synthetic products include lacquer, as well as varnishes and enamels.

Repeated coats of shellac and lacquer soften the previous film to improve adhesion. This does not happen with varnish and other finishes containing drier. Deglossing is needed between coats to provide tooth for the next film. This can be done with sheet abrasives or a liquid deglosser.

Built-up topcoatings can be rubbed and polished to increase or decrease sheen. Rubbing is done first with dampened fine grit wet-or-dry sheet abrasives. Follow that with even finer powdered abrasives. Polishing involves buffing the surface with liquid or paste wax.

Surface accents can be applied between coats or on the final topcoat. Accents include decals, stencils, and stripes. Be cautious when placing accents between layers of finish. Some solvents can damage them.

Unwanted films can be removed with liquid or paste removers. You might remove old finish from an antique or a newly applied, but unsatisfactory finish. Removers soften and peel the topcoating, allowing you to brush or scrape it away.

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Chapter 49

Kitchen Cabinets

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Kitchens are an integral part of the home and offer one of the most prominent markets for cabinetmaking. Kitchen cabinets provide practical storage and convenient work areas for numerous food preparation tasks. In addition, kitchens are used for dining, study, office space, laundry, and watching television.

Designing kitchen cabinets to suit a home and its owner is a challenge. Designers may be architects, design/building contractors, interior designers, designers, building center personnel, homeowners, and cabinetmakers. In almost all cases, the ­cabinetmaker will refine the design to create shop drawings. Some cabinets are built to architectural standard sizes. Custom units take into account the human factors discussed in Chapter 5. Kitchen ­cabinets must be well made, durable, and attractive. Surfaces should be wear-resistant since they generally receive more use than other cabinets in the home. In addition, the appearance should blend with surrounding furniture and the style of the home.

In this chapter, all dimensions are in inches. At the end of the chapter, metric units (and some important inch equivalents) are given. The two are separated because standard metric cabinet dimensions are not always exact conversions from inches. If no metric standard is given, multiply the inch measurement by 25.4 to obtain the equivalent in millimeters.

Summary

The kitchen is one of the most functional rooms of a home. It must be designed to be convenient and efficient. Planning begins with determining the tasks to be performed. Many activities are related to the preparation and consumption of food.

To support kitchen activities, you must consider storage, work centers, appliance areas, utilities, and other potential uses of the room. One measure of function is the kitchen triangle. Short paths between the sink, range-oven, and refrigerator are part of an efficient kitchen. Designs you might choose include one-wall, corridor, L-shape, U-shape, peninsula, and island layouts.

The four basic types of cabinets are wall, base, tall, and specialty units. Manufactured base cabinets come as standard height and depth, in 3▓ width increments. Wall units can vary in height, as well as width. Tall units are 84▓ high with varying widths. Specialty cabinets include corner units, sink/cook-top fronts, suspended units, hutches, bottle racks, and appliance garages.

When planning a kitchen, measure the available area and make a rough sketch. Then determine kitchen appliances and features. Arrange the appliances and cabinets in an attractive and efficient manner. Work carefully. Once installed, utilities are expensive to relocate.

Installation follows. Lay out the walls by locating studs and measuring cabinet heights and position. Have the kitchen walls and soffit finished. Finally, install wall, then base units. It is best to connect the range hood and vent before the base units. Otherwise, you must reach over the base cabinets. Cabinets are attached to the wall and to each other. The final steps are to mount the countertop and make any necessary cutouts for the sink or cooktop.

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Chapter 50

Furniture

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Many cabinetmaking procedures and products have been described in this text. You have learned about case goods, kitchens, frame and panel construction, and many other cabinetmaking techniques. There is no end to the number of creative products you might build.

This chapter samples the wide range of furniture and cabinet products you might encounter. Exploded views are used to show the design information needed to thoroughly plan a product.

Summary

Creating furniture is a challenging activity. This chapter has illustrated a number of pieces you might build. Your design skills are important when planning furniture. If the piece should replicate a certain style, make sure you research the wood species, dimensions, and finishes of that period.

Being able to analyze joinery is another important skill. Keep in mind that there are usually several joints that will assemble the product. Select those that can be made with available equipment, machines, supplies, and tools.

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Chapter 51

Built-in Cabinetry and Paneling

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The chapters up to now have focused mainly on freestanding casework and kitchen cabinets. There is another equally important area—built-in cabinets. These are storage units often custom-made to fit special space restrictions.

In addition, this chapter covers selecting and installing paneling. Paneling has found wide acceptance as wall covering because it is easy to install, yet very attractive. There are several types of paneling from which you might choose.

Summary

Built-in cabinets make use of otherwise idle space. They also help solve storage and workspace problems not solved with freestanding cabinets.

When planning for built-ins, know size, quantity and weight of the items to be stored. Decide how to store it, and identify where the items will be used. Additional storage may be located in dead space in bathrooms, closets, stairwells, and attics.

You might also look for space for activity areas. This could involve converting and remodeling an extra room, basement, attic, or area under a stairway. When roughing in new areas, always install utilities first. Hot and cold water, sewer connections, and electrical service all run through the walls.

Paneling is an alternative to plaster or drywall. It is available as millwork lumber in various widths and as manufactured 4" x 8"  (1 200 mm x 2 400 mm) sheet products. The surface texture can range from smooth to very rough. It may also be covered with plastic laminate or photo paper. Paneling can be installed horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

A sound backing is necessary beneath paneling. Millwork is installed easily over furring strips or all studs. Sheet products are too flexible and need plywood, particleboard, or wafer board backing.

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Chapter 52

Industrial Production Cabinetmaking

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The main purpose for producing cabinets is to profitably meet the changing needs and wants of people. Cabinetmaking serves home and commercial markets, both wanting quality products at an affordable price. Advancements in technology now allow firms to produce quality products with reasonable material and labor costs.

Cabinetmaking has changed over the years. In earlier times, cabinets were assembled and completed individually on a custom basis. Now, all but a few are mass-produced.

Summary

Throughout this book, you learned how to make cabinets productively. An efficient cabinetmaking shop has the right people, with the right materials, in the right place, at the right time. Without a concerned marketing staff, you cannot identify customer needs. Without trained and satisfied workers, you cannot produce quality products in a timely profitable manner. With good aftermarket representatives, a customer feels you support your products. The point is that teamwork is essential to satisfy both market and aftermarket demands. Companies without teamwork fail.

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Chapter 53

Employment in Cabinetmaking

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Employment in the cabinetmaking industry can be compared to many other sectors of the economy. Cabinetmaking, for an efficient producer of quality products, is a relatively stable field because homes and businesses always need new or replacement furnishings. The market trends for furniture and cabinets are set by the needs and wants of consumers. The advertising industry helps create these needs and wants. There is also an important aftermarket in the industry. The skill of rebuilding, repairing, and refinishing is often in demand.

Summary

This last chapter is a capstone to the book’s many pages of information and skill development. It leads you from a world of study to the world of work and study. You may make cabinetmaking your career, or just a stepping stone to another field.

Jobs related to cabinetmaking can provide challenge and job satisfaction. If you are a person who looks to improve cabinetmaking processes and products, this may be a career.

As a decision maker, your responsibility will be to meet the consumer’s needs. When quality slips, or your products are no longer needed, buyers do business elsewhere.

Advancement up a career ladder can lead to even greater satisfaction. Accepting responsibility means you have been trusted to handle people. Changes you make can affect the entire company.

Individuals with knowledge, experience, and a desire to be their own boss, acquire or start a business. It might be to create a product or provide a service. Although a market demand is the key to starting a business, it is not the only factor for success. There must be financial backing that supports the company until it turns a profit. With the strength of your ideas, and a good proposal, money will become available.

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