If you’re using a finishing shop, such as the Finishing Shop by Swedish Door, for your woodworking projects, the natural question you might ask is: what kind of finish is used? It’s a really good question.

In a nutshell, there are low-cost, low-end products out there that can do the job, and premium, high-end products that deliver a truly higher-quality finish. You can probably guess which ones we use. Right, the top-of-the-line products. Why? We want to provide the best finish possible.

We use 2K polyurethanes for most of our solid colour finishes, since they offer the highest durability. We also use catalyzed conversion varnish and acrylic polyurethane solvent clear finishes for the same reason. These finishes provide a strong, scratch-resistant, long-lasting finish. They may cost more, but we believe in offering high quality -- not the cheapest price. We only use top-of-the-line products to give you the best finish for your project.

What Are the Benefits?

The finishes that we use both last longer and look better. For instance, the acrylic polyurethane that we use won’t yellow with age and it’s hard enough to use on stair surfaces and table tops. It’s also able to stretch, which is important because wood will expand and contract as it is exposed to both temperature and moisture. You’ll want your coating to do the same.

The dangers of using a cheaper coating are that it will yellow as it gets older and, worse, it will have a tendency to crack around joints, such as those on cabinet doors. If you’re making cabinet doors to be used in front of sinks, you’ll want a higher-quality finish, too. Otherwise, the doors may have to be retreated after perhaps as little as a year as moisture finds its way into the material.

Are There Any Drawbacks?

With any type of varnish, as with anything, there are some slight drawbacks. For example, conversion varnish is not as clear as other types of lacquers or vinyl. Polyurethane is also a plastic, which means that there’s more work to be done sanding between layers, and you have to wait longer between applying coats -- which means that you won’t get your products back as quickly as you would if we were using cheaper lacquers.

However, the benefits outweigh the liabilities. The type of high-quality varnish that we use means that it is durable and easily repaired. That makes things easier for your customers, if they decide to refinish the product somewhere down the line. Also, polyurethane is the hardest finish that you can apply, which means that the end product winds up being more durable and long-lasting. You will pass that quality on to your customer. These types of finishes may cost more money, but it’s well worth applying them.

Contact Us

If you’re ready to have a high-quality finish put on your woodworking projects, you now know that we use only the very best products possible. You can email or give us a call to learn more information, and, in the end, we’ll be more than happy to answer any questions on the road to making your furniture and cabinets as durable as possible.