How to: Easy Wood Finishing

Sand the surface of the wood to remove imperfections. Begin with a low-grit sandpaper, around 80 or 100. Follow this with a 120- or 150-grit sandpaper. Provide a very smooth finish with 180-grit sandpaper. You may use an electric sander for wide flat surfaces, but you need to sand corners or other intricately carved areas by hand.

Hold a light so the bulb is level with the surface on which you are working. Dim or turn off all other light sources in the room. Lean down and position your eyes directly across from the light. This provides the right angle and lighting to see any remaining imperfections in the surface of the wood.

Sand out any remaining imperfections if needed and again check all surfaces of the project until you are sure you have prepared the best possible surface for finishing.

Thoroughly clean the surface with a damp rag to remove any dirt or dust from the sanding procedure. Dust creates an uneven surface and results in a messy application of anything applied over it.

Apply a wood conditioner to ensure even absorption of the stain and finish. Use this conditioner over the entire surface of the piece, even if you don't plan to stain and finish areas such as the underside. This provides you with unnoticeable areas to spot test.

Apply both the desired stain and the selected finish in a small patch on an unnoticeable part of the piece, or on a piece of scrap wood if you built the item yourself. If you don't like the finished color, try a different combination of stain and finish, or do not stain.

Stain the wood if desired.

Apply the finish to the piece after the stain has dried. Use a synthetic paintbrush to apply water-based polyurethane finish. Apply oil-based finish with a natural bristle brush. Work with the grain of the wood.

Sand the wood very lightly with a piece of steel wool between coats of finish. Wipe away any mess created by the sanding process with a damp cloth. Apply subsequent coats in the same manner used above. Do not sand after the final coat.