MPF Conservation specializes in antique furniture restoration, furniture repair, antique upholstered furniture, and traditional woodworking. This page discusses finishes of all types on wooden objects: shellac, wax, paint, oil and lacquer finishes.
Right, a table layout during a studio opening, showing many types of raw finish elements.
There are many aspects to finish work, as many approaches as there are types of finishes. In these pages we will discuss the following, and understand some of these are listed on one page but are here for convenience as they may be known by one name or another:
- Shellac
- Tree Resin Varnish
- Barriers
- Oil Varnishes
- Burn-ins (actually molten infills) and Infills
- Waxes
- Paint
- Lacquer
- Jappan or japan finishes
- Polymerizing Oils
- Earth-Based pigments and Dyes
In many instances, especially in the USA, the use of barriers between historic and new layers of finishes are standard protocol. This is not true in many instances in other countries, and we discuss when we do and do not use barriers.
Image from Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian: Sitting among pieces of Mason Monterey,
Mitchell Powell discusses the differences between conservation, preservation and restoration
processes — differences that, at times, can be quite nuanced.
To understand how to take care of many objects, read below by clicking on continue reading below:
