What Kind of Finish Does Amish Furniture Have?

ByJeff

All our wood products are finished with Woodwright Brand Catalyzed Varnish. A catalyzed varnish (also called a conversion varnish) is a type of varnish often used in high end furniture. It’s heat and moisture resistant, so you don’t need to worry about water rings, spills or a putting a hot cup of coffee on it. It has twice the dry film thickness over a traditional lacquer. Catalyzed varnish is more durable and slightly more elastic than a lacquer. This elasticity is an advantage for solid hardwoods, as they tend to move and expand slightly with humidity changes.

Whereas a lacquer will often need several coats to achieve a proper finish, a catalyzed varnish is mixed with a hardener component to an exact ratio, then sprayed on. This is a delicate process, which is why we’ve worked hard to only choose the best Amish finishers to finish our furniture. The results speak for themselves – our catalyzed varnish provides a long lasting, durable finish that protects our furniture and draws out the natural wood beauty.

Below are the performance specs provided by the varnish manufacturer:

Woodwright Brand Catalyzed Varnish Performance Specifications

Application Procedure for Testing

  • Surface – Applied to new samples of clean, dry red oak, q.s oak, maple or cherry.
  • Coating Weight – Two coat systems, sprayed at 4-5 wet mils per coat and finished to a dry coat weight of 3.5 – 4.0 mils.
  • Aging – Coated samples were aged at room temperature for 24 hours prior to chemical and cold check testing

Testing Methods

  • Cold Check Resistance per Severe Cold Check Standards: Passes 20 cycles with no film failure.
    • Each cycle consists of: 1 hour at -20°F, next 1 hour at 140° and finally 1 hour at room temperature.
  • Moisture Resistance: Exposed to 1,000 gram weight for 15 minutes with and without moisture present.
  • Print Test: Exposed to cloth with weight transferring 2psi to the surface. Applied for 24 hours at 77° and 104°F.

Testing Methods

Substance Exposure Effect
Vinegar 24 Hours None
Oil Base Paint 24 Hours None
Mustard 24 Hours None
Turpentine 24 Hours None
Lemon Juice 24 Hours None
VM & P Naptha 24 Hours None
Mayonnaise 24 Hours None
Milk/Cream 24 Hours None
Margarine 24 Hours None
Ketchup 24 Hours None
Orange Juice 24 Hours None
Red Ink 24 Hours None
Coffee 24 Hours None
Tea 24 Hours None
Substance Exposure Effect
Olive Oil 24 Hours None
Cooking Fat 24 Hours None
Grape Juice 24 Hours None
Polish Remover 2 Minutes None
100 Proof Alcohol 24 Hours None
200 Proof Alcohol 24 Hours *Slight
Water 24 Hours None
Acetone 2 Minutes None/*Slight
MEK 200 Rubs None
Print Test 77°F None
Print Test 104°F None
Heat Resistance 185°F Dry None
Heat Resistance 185°F Wet None

*Possible Gloss Change

Note: The above tests are based on laboratory evaluations conducted on currently available products and are believed to be reliable. However, due to variances in customer application and use, the manufacturer cannont make any warranties on product functionality.

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