Acrylic Lacquers
A high-quality clear system for finishing furniture, cabinets and a wide variety of wood and novelty items. They are water white in color with excellent nonyellowing qualities. Available in both solvent-type and water-reducible products.

*Aniline (Acid) Dyes
Synthetic colors which dissolve in the solvent for which they are formulated, i.e., water, alcohol, or oil. Many woodwork finishers refer to nearly all dyes as “aniline” even when this is not chemically true.

Binder
The part of the vehicle which does not evaporate. It binds the pigment particles together, stays on the surface, and forms the film of the finish.

*Bleaching
The chemical process used to remove color or whiten solid wood. This process may be used to lighten an extremely dark wood or to whiten a lighter colored wood. Most woods do not turn completely white when bleached.

Blushing
The whitish, cloudlike haze that occurs in fast-drying finishes, especially lacquer, when they are sprayed in very humid conditions. Blushing is most often due to moisture (water vapor) trapped in the film or to bits of resin precipitating out of solution.

Catalyst
Chemically, an ingredient added to a product to provide additional performance characteristics, such as faster drying, chemical resistance, or increased hardness of the finish.

Catalyzed Lacquer
A modified nitrocellulose-based coating with a catalyst added for enhanced performance.

Catalyzed Vinyl
A catalyzed coating with a vinyl resin base. Extremely tough and resistant to most chemicals.

Conversion Varnish
A catalyzed alkyd-based coating that is tough and resistant to household chemicals.

Coat
The final protective film of a finish system. There are various top coats with different properties.

Danish Oil
The general name for any number of wipe-on coatings based on tung or linseed oil, with solvents and resins added to enhance both drying and performance.

*Distressing
May be either of a mechanical or chemical nature to give special effects. *Filler: Used to advance the final build and smoothness of the finish. Filler may be neutral or a contrasting color to accent the pores. The use of filler alone may not completely fill all pores and is generally limited to horizontal surfaces of ring-porous woods such as elm, oak and ash. Close Grain species such as cherry, maple, birch and poplar seldom require filler. Few vertical surfaces benefit from the added labor of a filled finish.

*French Polish
A mixture of shellac and alcohol rubbed on with a cloth pad, usually to a high sheen.

*Glazing
An added step for achieving color uniformity and depth, and for highlighting the wood’s grain pattern. It also is used for tortoise shell, marble effect, or antiquing.

Gloss
Also referred to as sheen, a surface shininess or luster. *Hand-Rubbed Finish: The name given to an effect that is created by the manual process of applying a combination of abrasives and lubricants, after the final topcoat has dried, to smooth, flatten or dull that topcoat.

Metamerism
An apparent change in color when exposed to differing wavelengths of light; the human perception of color.

*Mirrored Polish Finish
Requires several steps of wet sanding, mechanical buffing, and polishing.

*NGR Stains
Non-grain-raising (NGR) stains are dye solutions that do not contain pigments. Spray application gives an overall transparent color to the wood, offering a high degree of clarity. Some fading may occur over time.

Orange Peel
The description of a coating which does not flow out smoothly; exhibiting the texture of an orange.