Hardwood Furniture Finishes
Our business practices are like our home: we try to be as sensible and efficient as we can be, not generating unnecessary waste, and not contributing to landfill waste through sales of inferior and unhealthy materials and/or workmanship.
Finishing shops that work with hardwood makers in Amish country are very skilled at applying oil-based wipe stains to wood with two or three coats of a post-catalyzed "conversion" varnish finish to follow. (Note the application with respirator above). Conversion varnishes are tinted with pigment to give them an opaque finish, which is both protective and just more substantial. High levels of solids build up the finish so that the grain is nearly imperceptible to the touch, and a bit of haziness is meant to provide more consistent color and sheen.
We removed most harmful chemicals from our sofas and chairs, but the hardwood furniture industry has yet to adapt its finishes to non-toxic. We now have widely available new finishes that are very durable, improve the feel of the grain in the wood, do not contain yellow or amber, and are completely non-toxic to apply and to use soon afterwards. If you would like to order furniture using new, non-toxic Italian water-borne finishes here in Maine, contact us. (Note: oil based stains are not compatible, this is best for clear coating without stain or solid colors, which can be matched).
Some reading:
About OCS finishes used by Amish shops
MSDS for non-toxic water-borne finishes
Is US hardwood furniture production sustainable?
This photo shows a worker without proper protection spraying old-school clear coat on a tabletop at one of the oldest chairmakers in the USA. Photo was taken in 2009 in Lancaster, PA.
