Care and Maintenance

1. Clean Surface - When refinishing or refreshing already finished wood surfaces, clean the surface of any gunk (crayon, dried baby puke, etc). Make sure the surface is completely dry water before applying a finish.

1. Apply First Coat (most important step) - Make sure the surface is sanded at 220 - 320. Apply a thin coat of finish by hand with 220 - 320 grit sand paper or a nonwoven sanding pad. You can also use an orbital sander/buffer, however avoid putting your body weight into it so you don't sand the finish out as you're applying it.

Thoroughly and patiently work finish into the wood grain until it's no longer visibly wet and feels smooth. Allow 12 - 24 hours to dry. With the first coat, the longer you give it to cure, the better. After it has had time to cure (usually 1 - 2 days), buff off any remaining residue with a nonabrasive pad until it feels dry.

2. Apply Additional Coats (as needed) - In most cases for projects needing additional coats of finish, you can get by with just a second coat. However, for the best finish possible, we recommend up to 3 to 4 coats (like heavily used tables and chairs). Follow Step 1, but increase the grit size as you build coats (as shown below):

First Coat: 220 - 320 grit
Second Coat: 320 - 400 grit
Third Coat: 400 - 600 grit
Fourth Coat: 600+ grit

3. Prevent Unwanted Results - While oil-based finishes are less likely to have splotchy finish issues, it's important to exercise care to prevent it, as well as avoiding finish dissipation.