The lost art of Staining

This is a topic that I have been neglecting to post because of the fact that it has become a lost art over the years. I believe it is because of the fact that it is so much more easier to paint over something then to put in the time and effort it takes to do a nice stain. We need to become more old school in our treatment of our wood, and there is no better way then to apply some stain.

I know that some of you are saying to yourselves that you are afraid to mess up and have a horrible looking project well I am going to go over the basic techniques with you to help you do a great stain job every time.

First thing you must do is Prep, this means that whatever the project is(cabinet doors,vanity,kitchen table,etc...) you must sand off the old finish(If there is one)and make sure you are very diligent when doing so,get in all the nooks and crannies so that the wood looks like new. Always sand with  the grain of the wood.Try to sand out any dings and dent that you may find. Start with a medium grade sandpiper and gradually move up to a finer grade.

After you have removed all the old finish you must go over the whole project with a Tack Cloth to make sure there is no dust or debris left to mess up your finish. When you are confident the you have a smooth and dust free project then you can do what were here to do.

Now the fun part the Staining, make sure you have a pair of rubber gloves and a good staining brush to apply the stain. Make sure you brush it on in one direction and don't forget all the nooks and crannies,
don't be afraid to apply too much you will be wiping off the excess. After it is all covered let it dry for about 10 minutes and wipe with a clean rage. Let dry for about 4 hours and apply a second coat if you wish to darken up the color or just let dry over night.

When you are pleased with the finish apply a good Polyurethane(water based or Oil) and your project is complete. Hope this was helpful. Send me pics of projects that you have completed, I would really enjoy seeing them.

Customer Satisfaction

No matter what business you are in ,whether you sell goods or a service your #1 priority should be your customers satisfaction. If that is not top of the list for you then you need to reevaluate your priorities.
There are too many companies out there today that seem to think that the customer owes them.Without our customers we would be bagging groceries somewere or probably doing some job that we really dislike instead of owning our own businesses.

It is a privilege to provide our services to our clients and we should understand that before we ever apply for our first business license, to go into business thinking anything else is a mistake that can cost you everything. Your reputation is something you must pride yourself on from the star if you want to succeed.

I heard a local company on the radio yesterday that had a great line that said "we are not done until your satisfied" and I thought that is so true, if we all took that approach think how much smoother ever transaction would be. All business would benefit from that approach.

Take the time to ask your customers if everything is O.K and take care of any little problems along the way.
Make sure the lines of communication are always open and you can reached at any time to answer any question or concern that they may have. Take the time when the job is complete to say thank you and tell them that you appreciate there business.

The way the economy is today we as small business owners owe it to ourselves and our clients to make sure we provide the best service possible.
Our customers are the reason we are able to earn a living, we should never forget that..