How to guides and tips.

Here are some useful sanding tools to make things go smoother:

Orbital Sander
An orbital sander comes in handy which can make preparation work move a lot faster. We always find that a lighter, hand sanded approach works best for sanding between coats.

Block Sander
Block sanders are great for tabletops and larger areas that require a smooths and flat surface. Sand with long strokes to even out any inconsistencies that show up with machine or hand planning.

Sanding Sponge
Sanding sponges make easy work of rounded and sculpted legs and detailed areas. Keep an eye on the grit you are using as some sponges will only specify the grade such as medium, fine, superfine. Do not use a grade that is too fine for initial prep work.

Hand Sanding
Good old hand sanding is always needed in any project to get to those hard to reach areas. Be mindful of hand sanding so that your finger do not push too hard onto the surface of the wood or you will be left with finger marks. You can try folding the sandpaper in half or quarters to make those hard to reach areas easier on your fingers.

Fixing holes and gouges in the surface:

Wood patches.

A wood patch is a small piece of wood that is patched into a large hole or gouge in a surface. This is usually seen in large empty holes where screws have been inserted and are filled with matching wood in the same shape as the hole to disguise and cover up the problem area.

A wood patch can also be used to fill in splits or gaps in the wood of poorly fitted joints. Generally the grain of a patch is aligned with the surrounding wood so that it will shrink and expand and stay in place. Wood fillers such as putty are not flexible and are seldom used as permanent fixes to larger gouges, splits, or gaps since they will tend to crack and dislodge.

The method of patching a gouge or large hole is the same for plugging a screw hole. The patch will be less visible it it is elongated following the grain of the wood rather than round or square shaped. Select a piece of wood that has a similar color and grain pattern to the wood that you are replacing, trace the pattern of the patch onto the surface being repaired and cut out the necessary wood with a chisel.

Patching gaps and splits in woods are much easier and usually thin slivers of the same type of wood, or pre-cut veneer can be used in the opening. This type of patch is easy to disguise and is almost as permanent as the surrounding wood.

Wood putty.

Wood putty is a substance used to fill small imperfections, such as nail holes, in wood prior to finishing. It is often composed of wood dust combined with a binder such as finish, glue or gypsum (plaster of paris) and sometimes pigment. that dries and a diluent (thinner), and, sometimes, pigment. The binder cures and holds the solids particles together to make the patch. Most commercially available wood putty is basically the same as the finishes you use, only with some added wood flower to provide bulk.

You can make your own wood putty at home from glue or finish and sawdust. Use the same sawdust as the wood you are going to patch and mix it with any time of glue or a small amount of the finish you will be using. Use the minimum amount of glue or finish with the maximum amount of sawdust to minimize a darker patch than the surrounding wood.

All wood putties are generally applied the same way, using a putty knife, place a small amount of putty on the surface of the wood and push the putty down into the hole or gouge. You want the putty to form a small mound so that when it shrinks as it dries it will not leave a hollow indentation on the surface. One the putty is thoroughly dried, sand it level with the surrounding wood and you are ready for finishing.

Matching the surrounding area can be done by coloring wood putty while it is still in paste form or after the patch has cured. To color the putty itself you can add color to match the color of the wood to its post stained and finished state. It may take some experimentation to arrive at that color and you can see how the colors will look by dampening the surrounding wood and patch with a little water after they are dry.

If you find that the patch is a different color than the surrounding wood, you can color the patch after it is dry and sanded smooth. You can apply your stain to the entire surface or you can spot color just the patch to match the surrounding wood. For more elaborate patches, you may want to apply more than one color and imitate the wood grain by scratching into the surface of the patch lightly with the point of a knife.

Hand application:

We might as well start with the oldest tool in the toolbox, the hand. Hand varnishing has been done for centuries and there is no one right way as you may have found out yourself. Everyone has their own methods and tips and tricks and so we wanted to share our experience with you in hopes that we can learn together. And don’t forget to wear your gloves which makes for a fast and easy cleanup after you are done.

Applicator Pad
When applying varnish by hand, it is imperative that you use a lint free cotton cloth. We like to fold ours as neatly and smooth as possible trying our best to get rid of any bumps or creases in the fabric which could make unwanted streaks in the finish when applying. Pre-wetting the applicator pad with some mineral spirits is a good idea to make sure that the applicator is evenly wet, again to avoid streaks. Going with the direction of the grain, use long and quick strokes making sure that your overlaps are kept wet so that they form into one seamless area.

We recommend sanding with #400 grit sandpaper between coats to get rid of any dust that may have settled on the surface when drying. Sanding between coats also makes the end result smooth.

Hand application pro tips:

Hand application gets easier the more that you do it. Here are some tips we have learned along the way.

1. Make yourself a pro applicator. If you are seeing streaks or uneven areas, it is most likely your applicator. We have found that wrapping a nylon stocking around your cotton cloth will make the streaking less and overlaps seamless.
2. Work moderate-to-fast and never look back. This is hard to do, but once the finish is setting up and getting tacky resist the temptation of going back over a problem area again which might even make things worse. It is much better to cut your losses and let the problem coat dry fully, lightly sand the problem areas away and do another coat to even out any mistakes.

Brush application:

Because we have pre-thinned L.Co tung oil-based varnishes they are ready to use straight out of the can and are easy to be brushed on. Before going with just any old brush, choosing the right brush for the job is important if you want good results. High quality brushes hold more finishing material and spread the material more smoothly minimizing brush marks and other defects. There are three basic types of brushes: sponges, synthetic bristles and natural bristles.

Foam brushes are popular because they are inexpensive and limit surface imperfections like brush marks and air bubbles from getting in the way. They are disposable and make cleanup fast and easy.

Natural and synthetic brushes depend on one factor that determines whether it is a good brush to use or a bad brush to use and that is the quality of its bristles. A high quality brush will usually split the tip of each of its bristles into several strands, so take a close look at the bristles. What this does is double or triple the number of bristle fibers that are in direct contact with the surface and as a result the brush will hold more material and apply the material smoother than bristles that are not split. The overall shape of the brush also is a sign of how it will perform and there are two basic shapes you should look out for. Tapered bristles and a chiseled edge. Tapered brushes, ones that that have thinner bristles at the tip than the base, outperform non-tapered bristles because more bristles will contact the surface and spread the finish evenly as a result. With chisel shaped brushes you will notice that the center bristles are a bit longer than the sides which do a much better job of applying a smooth finish than a square cut brush.

The difference between synthetic bristles and natural bristles is the choice between a harder plastic like bristle made from polyester or nylon or a softer natural hair bristle made from animal hair. Both types perform well so the cost difference between the two could be an important factor of which brush you choose although most finishers do prefer the results they get from a natural bristle brush over synthetic.

Different size brushes work for different areas. Choose a smaller brush for hard to reach detailed areas of a piece and a larger brush to handle flat surfaces. If your brush is new, hit the bristles against a hard surface like the edge of a table to shake free any loose bristles which may find their way into your finish. In an empty container, pour only enough finish as the job requires and never dump any unused finish back into the can which could contaminate any unused material. You never want to dip the entire brush into your finish, you only need to allow half of the brush to be submerged and after you dip the brush make sure to level off the brush onto the side of the container to remove any excess finish so that the brush wont drip.

Going with the direction of the grain, use long and smooth strokes making sure that your overlaps are kept wet so that they form into one seamless area. On large flat areas begin brushing about 5cm (2inches) away from the edge of the surface to prevent material from running off the edge. When you reload the brush, begin by overlapping your previous stroke by a couple of inches.

Again, we recommend sanding with #400 grit sandpaper between coats to get rid of any dust that may have settled on the surface when drying. Sanding between coats also makes the end result smooth.

Brush application pro tips:

How you clean your brush is as important as the type of brush you use.

1. After cleaning your brush in mineral spirits or turpentine, remove the excess solvents by spinning the brush between the palms of both hands inside an empty can.
2. Store your brush in a paper bag or wrapped paper towels and hold the paper in place with tape or a rubber band. When you use the brush again, the bristles will be straight, clean and just like new.

Roller application:

A high quality microfiber roller will help you deliver a fast and professional finish and is perfect for large ares to give a smooth and even finish. A good roller will be sturdy and will last for multiple applications when you wash and dry them properly.

Care should be taken to apply L.Co thinly and evenly and avoid over applying the oil or allow build of of oil at the ends of the roller. Use a short nap roller, 5mm recommended, for thin and even coats. You will also need a clean tray, roller frame and an extension pole for easy floor application. Here is a step by step process of using a roller with L.Co products:

1. Fit the roller onto the roller frame.

2. Sparingly, pour L.Co Tung Oil Finish, Exterior Oil, or Color Oil into the paint tray reservoir.

3. Dip the roller lightly into the oil covering less than half of the roller. Roll it backwards and forwards on the ramp of the tray to distribute the oil on the roller cover evenly.

4. Roll the paint onto the surface and level the finish by laying-off with long, parallel strokes. Laying-off needs to be done before the oil has started drying, so it is best to work in small sections at a time.

5. Never leave a used roller exposed to the air for any length of time. Wrap it in plastic wrap or a plastic bag when not in use and clean it completely after use.

6. Clean up with mineral spirts or turpentine to thoroughly remove the oil then wash the roller with warm soap and water.

Roller pro tips:

Cleanliness is next to godliness.

1. De-fuzz new roller sleeves prior to use by using tape to remove excess lint.

Applying L.Co Color Oil:

There are two ways to color and stain wood, you can either apply the color to bare wood so that it soaks into the wood substrate or you can apply the color to sealed or partially sealed wood so that the color remains on top of the wood. By letting the color soak into the wood substrate you emphasize the natural beauty of the wood grain and by applying color over partially sealed wood will add color without highlighting the wood grain. You can apply color over a sealed wood when you would like change the overall tone of the wood or if you only want to highlight pores without changing the color of the wood itself.

Applying Color to Bare Wood:
It is very easy to apply a color stain to bare wood. You can wipe on with a cotton cloth, brush or spray the color onto the wood, wait until the desired color is reached and wipe off the excess before it dries or leave it to dry as is. If you want a darker color, do not wipe off the excess but leave it to dry as is. Building up thicker layers of color will give different effects but will generally obscure the wood slightly.

Applying Color to Sealed or Partially Sealed Wood:
Controlling the color’s penetration into the wood gives you more ways to reduce or eliminate contrast in the density of the wood such as side grain or end grain, blend heartwood and sapwood, mute the visual impact of the woods color, figure and grain, highlight the pores of the wood without changing the color of the wood itself, make two different woods resemble each other or to mask splotches caused by uneven color penetration.

Partially sealing the wood before applying a colorant is called washcoating and completely sealing the wood before applying a colorant is galled glazing. Shading or toning is when you add the color directly into the coats of finish. Let’s look at each in more detail:

Washcoating:
You may washcoat when you want to reduce the color’s penetration into the wood or you want to reduce splotching. The result will be a light coat of color on the top of the wood. There is a simple method for washcoating wood. You can use a slow-evaporating solvent like mineral spirits that remain in the pores while you are applying color. Allow the solvent to soak into the wood, wipe off the excess and apply the color before the solvent evaporates out of the wood. It is recommended before applying a color to a washcoat that you sand the surface of the wood lightly with 280-grit sandpaper which will remove the washcoat from the surface of more dense areas of the wood and will allow the color to penetrate better. One difficulty in washcoating is getting consistent color penetration as the amount of solvent to use is hard to gauge.

Glazing:
Glazing is when a thin coat of color is applied between coats of finish by brushing the color evenly and wiping off on the high spots. Color can be applied by hand, cloth or brush and by spray gun. L.Co Color Oils contain a binder that adhere the pigment to the previous finish coat and offers many possibilities such as blending heartwood and sapwood or blending different colored woods to match. Glazing can add a richness and depth to the wood, highlight pores and can imitate a worn or antique appearance.

Shading and toning:
Unlike with glazing and washcoats, shading and toning colors are always applied by spraying and are not wiped off. The color is built slowly with many thin layers. To darken a color you just add another coat and once you are satisfied we recommend applying 2 coats of L.Co Tung Oil Finish or Exterior Oil to protect it.

Staining pro tips:

Difficult woods.

1. Pine is one of the hardest woods to color. Pine varies in density and you often will see dark splotches appear when you apply color. To solve this try sealing the wood with a coat of finish and let it dry completely. Lightly sand and spray a coat of color over the wood which will help spread the color more uniformly.
2. Woods like maple which have very small pores are difficult to color as well. As with pine, it might be best to seal the wood first with a coat of finish and letting it dry completely. Try toning the wood by spraying on your color in very thin coats, alternating between finish and color. The result will have depth and dimension while reducing splotchiness.