{"id":10485,"date":"2021-08-26T11:54:40","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T10:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wood-finishes-direct.com\/blog\/?p=10485"},"modified":"2025-06-16T14:49:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T13:49:16","slug":"the-roots-of-wood-finishing-where-did-it-all-begin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wood-finishes-direct.com\/blog\/the-roots-of-wood-finishing-where-did-it-all-begin\/","title":{"rendered":"The Roots of Wood Finishing – Where Did it All Begin?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Obtaining a clear and defined history of wood finishing isn\u2019t as straightforward as you might think. Until somewhat recently, wood finishes were not considered pertinent to the design and craftsmanship of antique furniture. Records were not made and it is no longer possible to study the original finish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only as recently as the 20th century were significant developments made in identifying a particular wood finish. The Forest Protection Laboratory in Wisconsin, USA formed the \u2018Wood Finishing Research Project\u2019 in 1922. Until then, no one had studied the interactions between wood and coatings before. The project made strides, shedding light on the functions of primers and paints in particular, and understanding the interaction between exterior wood and moisture.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Project mostly focused on the interaction between exterior paint, wood and the elements. Credit to: \n\nDan Meyers<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

What we can define, however, is where it all began; the general roots of wood finishing. For the purpose of this blog, and to help narrow down our discussion, we will be focusing on the big three: oils, varnishes and paints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oils<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foundation of wood oils can be traced back to Ancient China, where linseed (also known as flaxseed) and tung oil were inexpensive and widely available. Indeed, farmers were encouraged to grow flax for the purposes of producing cloth. Tung oil was obtained by pressing the seed from the nut of the tung tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The downside of these oils was that they dried very slowly and needed multiple coats. So to speed up the process, derivatives of lead were often cooked in to get the oil to dry faster. The produced finish was also considered quite dull and suffered damage fairly easily. As a consequence, these oils were mostly used on furniture such as chairs, as these were harder to varnish and didn\u2019t receive as much wear as other pieces, such as tabletops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\"tung-tree\"<\/a>
The tung tree nut from which the oil is harvested. Credit to: \n\n\n\nTatters ?<\/a><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Varnish<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, varnish was considered the go-to finish for much of the period\u2019s furniture. Varnishes were largely Influenced by the majesty and allure of high-gloss, Oriental-lacquer finishes. These pieces of furniture were imported into Europe from the Far East, especially from places like Japan. The finish was produced from the sap of a tree native to East Asia and exportation was considered forbidden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, there were many alternative resins imported in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Commonly, these came from plants, trees and insects (shellac was a resin derived from female lac bug on trees in the forests of India and Thailand). They could also be found as hard, fossilised chunks of copal and amber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most prominent theme it seems is variety. Each shop had its own unique and secret recipe for turning resins into varnish. Commonly, however, there were three types of varnish most widely used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n