Wood Finishing Services For Homes Edmonton Homes
There is nothing that brings out the quality features or a home then the look and feel of authentic wood. The wood look brings out the character and beauty that only it can. Staircases, cabinets, beams, fireplace mantels, doors and trim are all features that can be enhanced by the timeless character of wood.
The wooden features in your home are an investment in quality and craftsmanship that you want to look its best forever. To ensure you achieve this you want professional wood finishing that delivers the eye-catching appeal and protection that is perfect.
What is Wood Finishing and Why Do You Need It?
Finishing Wood is the process of protecting the surface against moisture, dirt, chemicals and other contaminants. A finished wood surface is also one which is much easier to keep clean and sanitized as the process is one that seals the pores making bacteria impenetrable. Most of all, a finished wood surface looks great!
The combination of products that are applied have many trade-offs between the appearance, protection, durability and even cleaning ability. These combinations of wood finishing options can really only be appreciated through experience of many, many applications. Perspectives like light exposure, general color pallet of the area, and area traffic are all factors that influence finished wood choices. You want expertise that not only does the work right, but provide advice on what is going to look best for years to come.
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Heritage Finishing Are Your Local Professionals
Heritage Finishing are your Edmonton and area professional wood finishers. For 20 years, we have specialized in completion of all wooden structures in the home. In many cases our customers are not sure what type of look they want. They know they have invested is quality craftsmanship, but don’t want to make the mistake of wrong choices. With our experience, we help explain the options that are going to influence the final product.
An engagement starts with a free consultation and estimate. We come out to your home to view the features that you have had professionally installed. We discuss with you the desired feel of the room. We look at lighting and other color pallets being used in the room. We look at durability factors that include traffic and cleaning. We discuss the type of wood that has been used and amount of desired naturalness you want to retain. And finally, we discuss the desired shine or gloss you wish to have. From aesthetics to protection we give you the benefit of our experience to make the choices that will thrill you for many years.
We then take you through the range of work that would be required to achieve various looks you are interested in. We determine if the current finish is fine enough or if more sanding is required. We discuss staining or even bleaching, to determine if colour adjustment is desired. We then discuss the finished appearances and the various effects of products such as wax, shellac, drying oil, lacquer, varnish or even paint. With each of the applications there are pros and cons, so we make sure we discuss the options in detail so that you understand the impact of each product. With all these options presented, we help you narrow down your decision and firm up the process that will provide you with your desired look and finish.
After you have made your choices on what wood finish you want to achieve, we take measurements of the surfaces. We need this to determine both the materials and the labour required to complete the work. The challenge with proper work is depending on the material applied, coats need to dry sometimes up to 48 hours before another coat can be applied. This means that we need to make multiple trips to complete each application. As part of our estimate calculation, we determine the number of times we will need to return and the combined labour time to apply each coat. We also take into account other efforts like sanding and fully cleaning the surface. Once we have all the details, we provide you with our estimate to complete the work exactly as you desire.
How Do We Deliver Stunning Results
First and foremost, we leave nothing to chance. There is too much at risk if we don’t get everything just right on your features. As such, we don’t leave this work to junior people. In most cases the owner of Heritage Finishing, Chris Lundstrom, will complete your custom job. If he is not available, he will ensure that only his best senior and highly experienced team members are assigned to your project.
Preparation is the key first step. If sanding is required on the surface, we go through a series of refined sandpaper to get just the right fineness for the grade desired. Sanding can be messy business, especially if the home is occupied. We do our best to minimize the mess by using a vacuum sander, which is great at controlling the dust. Once the sanding is complete, we go through a very thorough cleaning process with a variety of methods. The method of choice will depend on whether you are staining or leaving it natural. Either way, we make sure the surface is precisely prepared for the next stage.
If the wood is being stained, then staining is the next step. Stains don’t protect the wood, they simply colour it. And there is no turning back once it is applied, so we have to get it right. Staining is a hand process which can become uneven if it isn’t done just right. We make sure that no excess stain is applied that can leave pooling or blotching marks. Depending on the wood type, we may apply a wood conditioner or sanding sealer before applying the stain. What this does is stabilize the wood to allow the stain to penetrate more evenly. If the conditioner is used, we make sure to not let it dry completely before we apply the stain, as this generates the best result. Typically, two coats of stain are done and these can usually be done on the same day.
Once the staining is complete or the natural wood is finely detailed, we move to our final stage which is the topcoat. The choice of topcoat options will have been discussed and presented to you before the process begins. There are a number of options like oils which dry inside the wood, to a range of surface finishes from polyurethane, varnish, shellac and lacquer. These are the most common types of finishing that we do; however, many of these terms are used interchangeably and they are all quite different in usages and results.
Shellac – this is a natural product that is safe once dried and hardened. In addition to a protective coat, it adds an amber colour to the wood. It does have some limitations such as being susceptible to heat such as hot bowls or mugs, so it could be a consideration.
Polyurethane – this is essentially a plastic that is liquid until it dries. It comes in either water or oil-based and in a variety of shines from satin to glossy. Much like shellac, the water-based polyurethane won’t hold up to heat, so that may be a consideration. Oil-based polyurethane is more durable than water-based, so it might be a more suitable option for surfaces exposed to things or people that may cause damage. The oil-based will take longer to dry and may leave more odour in the home. Application can be brushed or rolled, but we prefer spraying where possible as we find it has the best result.
Varnish – this is a common product used for exterior natural wood top-coating. The end- product is very durable because it has a high ratio of solids. One of the terrific qualities of varnish is provides ultraviolet light protection, so it is a great solution for direct sunlight.
Lacquer – this is the product that is used for an extreme high-gloss finish. It if very durable and resistant to damage, so it is great in high traffic areas. To maintain a the natural product, lacquer is often the best option. For the best finish possible, we use our sprayer, because it provides an ultra-smooth appearance.
The choice of topcoat will influence the frequency that we need to apply coats, but regardless of choice we come back as many times as we need to until the work is perfect. Our objective is to provide you with as close to perfect result as possible. Want to learn more about wood finishing products, check out Wikipedia.
In Summary
So what we do to deliver stunning results is listen to your desires, we provide options, we share experiences, and we help you come to a decision you’ll be happy with. Then we do old fashioned hard work and precision application that is based on years of experience delivering beautiful work for happy customers. There are no shortcuts. With wood finishing, we don’t take chances and we don’t think you should either. Check out a few of the services we provide and then give then call the pros at Heritage Finishing today.