---
title: Wood Finishing
description: Wood finishing is the final step of woodworking, involving surface preparation and the application of protective coatings. You will understand sanding grits, grain filling, and how to apply oils, varnishes, lacquers, and stains.
category: trades-crafts
subcategory: woodworking
difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced
url: /subject/wood-finishing
---

# Wood Finishing

Wood finishing is the final step of woodworking, involving surface preparation and the application of protective coatings. You will understand sanding grits, grain filling, and how to apply oils, varnishes, lacquers, and stains.

## Available Resources

4 Books • 1 Websites • 1 Papers

## Books

### 1. Wood Coatings: Theory and Practice

**Author:** Franco Bulian, Jon Graystone

Coatings-science text on how wood substrates and formulations interact: resin chemistry, film formation, adhesion, drying mechanisms, weathering and standardised performance testing. Written for technologists who need to explain finish behaviour rather than follow recipes.

**Difficulty:** Advanced | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0444528407?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** wood-coatings, coatings-chemistry, film-formation, weathering, adhesion

### 2. Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Finishing

**Author:** Jeff Jewitt

Photographic step-by-step manual from a professional refinisher covering sanding, pore filling, dye and pigment stains, brushing, spraying, glazing, toning and rubbing out. Shows the hand movements and sequencing that text-only finishing books leave implicit.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1627107673?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** wood-finishing, staining, spray-finishing, rubbing-out, woodworking

### 3. Understanding Wood Finishing, 3rd Revised Edition

**Author:** Bob Flexner

Reference covering how each finish class behaves chemically — oils, shellac, lacquer, varnish, water-based — plus surface prep, staining, grain filling and rubbing out. After reading it you can select and troubleshoot a finish from first principles.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1497101476?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** wood-finishing, finish-chemistry, shellac, lacquer, varnish

### 4. Understanding Wood Finishing

**Author:** Bob Flexner

Explains how oils, shellac, lacquer, varnish, and water-based finishes actually behave chemically, plus surface preparation, staining, and spray technique. Readers gain enough grounding to choose an appropriate finish and diagnose defects like blushing, fisheye, or poor adhesion.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0875967345?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** wood-finishing, shellac, lacquer, varnish, staining, finish-defects

## Papers

### 1. Chapter 16: Finishing Wood — Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282)

**Author:** Christopher G. Hunt

Government laboratory chapter on the physics behind finish failure: wood anatomy and grain orientation, moisture movement, UV degradation, extractive bleed and weathering. Explains why coatings fail on particular species and exposures instead of prescribing products.

**Difficulty:** Advanced | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/62269

**Tags:** wood-finishing, wood-weathering, uv-degradation, moisture, wood-science

## Websites

### 1. finewoodworking.com

Fine Woodworking is a comprehensive online magazine and resource for woodworkers, offering expert techniques, step-by-step project plans, and in-depth tutorials. It also features tool and accessory reviews, shop tips, and instructional videos to help builders of all skill levels improve their craft.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://finewoodworking.com

**Tags:** websites, arts-design, creative-arts

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