All about polishing

Polishing is the highest quality carpentry finish. The purpose of polishing is to give the surface of an object a long-lasting smooth reflective sheen. On a polished surface, the grain of the wood is exceptionally distinct and deep; all shades and transitions of tones, layers of wood, interlacing of fibers, etc. become visible.

Along with this, all surface defects also stand out clearly: spots, stripes, bumps and even the slightest scratches. From that the surface which you plan to polish, has to be irreproachably prepared.

For products operated in conditions of variable temperature and humidity, polishing finish is not suitable, since dampness and temperature fluctuations quickly destroy it. Therefore, polishing is used only for joinery products intended for service at room temperature (furniture, interior fittings).

Only the simplest joinery can be polished assembled. In all other cases, it is necessary to polish the products in separate parts before the final assembly, since the corners, especially the corners, cannot be polished well.

Flat surfaces are most well and easily polished. Embossed surfaces (mouldings, plastics) are much more difficult to polish. The need to polish products in disassembled form complicates and increases the cost of preparing for finishing, since the products must first be assembled dry, then disassembled, polished, and only after polishing finally assembled with glue.

When polishing parts of the product, it is necessary to ensure that the gluing sites are not contaminated with finishing compounds. After polishing the parts, the finishing areas adjacent to the subsequent adhesive joints must be lubricated with lard so that the polishing is not spoiled during gluing.

There are three types of polishing: for wood (carpentry polishing); lacquer coating (semi-polishing) and polishing of lacquer coating (polishing). For polishing on wood, wood of finely porous species (maple, pear, alder, etc.) is most suitable. Large porous wood species are much more difficult to polish.