One of the first things I was taught when I was learning this trade (will always be learning as long as I am in it) is that you can’t rush finishing. My experience since that was communicated to me is that it holds true nearly 100% of the time.
Probably the criticism we have heard the most over the years is that sometimes we take too long. The bad news is, sometimes we think we can do more than we really can in the time we say we can. The good news is that we will not slop a job together just to get it done. It seems that every time I have tried to rush it, I find myself repeating at least one of the steps on the project so it can be presented as Final Finish work.
This Law of Finishing holds true in every step. If the stripping is rushed and part of the piece still has finish on it, you end up having to sand it harder in areas and it doesn’t take the color as smooth and evenly as when it is stripped right. If you rush when sanding, you may have marks show up that shouldn’t be there. If the finishing coats are rushed, it is easier to get runs trying to get the color in one heavier coat instead of the wiser two thin coats. You also may overlook areas that need attention.
The details are where we believe we win battle to be the best finisher around. When we stop caring about the details it is probably time to hang up the sanders J. The final and most important detail that we care deeply about is our customer’s satisfaction. If we ever deliver a piece that our customer is not satisfied with, we sincerely hope they will bring it to our attention so we can make it right. Usually it is a pretty easy fix, maybe darken it or increase the gloss. Whatever it is that didn’t meet your expectation, we want to know so that you will be raving fans, not a reluctant bill payer.
Have a great week!
Final Finish Crew
