We've all experienced it: you walk into someone’s home or perhaps a luxury hotel, or a first class
commercial building and right away you notice something special; beautiful woodwork inspired by great design
and skillfully put in place by solid craftsmanship.
And often, one of the most striking aspects of the woodwork
is often the finish coating or color stain that has been applied. In this blog today, we’d like to share a few
things about the subject of finishes and color coatings, as it relates both to
prefinished panel manufacturing, (which is what we do here in our plant in
Eugene, Oregon), and also to those wood working professionals and hobbyists who
work with and painstakingly apply finishes to a variety of projects.
First, let’s start with some trends, and no surprise they
can vary significantly within the vast regions of North America. While recently we experienced color trends
and finish tones that were predominantly the rich, dark, coffee-type hues, we
are now seeing a gradual return to lighter looks.
At the States Industries prefinish plant, we talked with
Les Lawrence, Finish Coatings Manager. Les pointed out that the basic species continue to dominate the bigger
production runs, primarily maple, birch, cherry, oak and walnut. And he confirmed a resurgence of lighter
finishes, including washed appearances and warmer tones.
“We get to see a wide range of colors, trending from dark
and now back to lighter tones, with an interest in more vertical grain patterns
and specialty cuts of veneers that highlight a more straight grain effect.”
In a recent on-line article from homeyet.com, the writer
noted the following: “the warmer finishes trend is most evident in the
contemporary and transitional furniture categories. Gone are some of the dark espresso finishes
that required silver colored hardware…
instead, wood tones are softer, more Mid-Century modern in color and
shape---think “Mad Men” meets today’s modern loft.” They go on to suggest that in both the contemporary and
transitional style categories, “walnut veneers seem to be guiding the trend.”
North Carolina based Valspar Wood Products, in last
year’s publication of its “PEAK 2011: Style Guide,” reports a mixing trend,
blending both new and reclaimed wood in a range of finish colors.
Another an important part of the aesthetic component is the
gloss level on a particular stain, which can dramatically affect the final
look. Lawrence reports seeing a
“definite trend of lower gloss applications on many of our panel runs here at our plant.”
This may be somewhat related to a trend toward hardwood
floors sporting a low gloss appearance. The lower luster looks tend to hide small scratches and dents better
than the higher glosses and they are easier to maintain. Additionally, a lower gloss level will likely bring out more of the natural
characteristics of the wood in flooring as well as in hardwood-decorative
panels used for walls, surfaces, furniture and cabinetry.
The other interesting challenge around blending, mixing and
matching custom colors, is matching stains to laminate materials, especially
when dealing with contrasting colors which are more easily created in the
manufacture of laminates. But States’
Lawrence is quick to point out that “we can do that; over our many years of
finish coating experience, we have developed the competencies in matching our
wood panels and components to most any laminate.”
Finally, when wood surfaces are coated and finished, it
is important to recognize that the natural characteristics of wood can create some
variances in the gloss level, stain absorption and ultimately the color tone of
the final product.
To tie out this topic to our own product line, you may wish
to visit our website, www.statesind.com and for some compelling insight into the world
of finish coatings, check out www.coatingsworld.com.
Remember, when you have important projects where significant
decisions will be made with regard to the proper design elements… Color, texture, lighting and choice of
materials, you will always be well-served to enlist the services of
professional designers and skilled craftsmen.
Enjoy your projects and please remember to always work
safely.
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