No matter how much care and skill you put into constructing your built-ins, their ultimate success depends on how you finish them. A carefully selected and well executed finish applied to the plywoods you have chosen can enhance and enrich their appearance. A sloppy finishing job can destroy the natural beauty of the plywoods and detract from the appearance of the built-ins.

There are many finishing possibilities, in fact, whole paint storefuls of modern finishes to choose from. If you've used inexpensive plywoods with wild grain patterns, you can play down those grains and give the surface a satin-smooth finish. If you've invested in finer-finish plywoods, you can bring out the handsome grains to best advantage. If you wish to match the color scheme of the surroundings of your built-ins, you can paint the plywoods by first applying a base coat of resin sealer.

Finishing kits are available to the build-it-your-self er, too, complete with instructions. To finish many of the projects in this book, the author used the Gaston Finishing Kit, which contains a prepared stain-filler combination, a sap stain without filler for darker woods, and a varnish finish, plus instructions.

Preparing the surface. When finishing plywood, the first step is to prepare the surface carefully. Remember that if you use a clear, or even darker finish, any unevenness or scratches in the surface will be magnified after the finish has been applied. All holes, cracks and flaws must be filled with matching putty. Force the putty into holes and cracks with a flexible putty knife, building it up to a small mound. This mound will compensate for any shrinkage in the putty while drying, and can be sanded flush.

After imperfections are filled, the entire surface must be sanded to a glassy smoothness. Always work with the grain when sanding. Sanding across the grain raises fibers in the surface and causes scratches that will mar the finish. Begin the first, rough sanding with No. 1/2 garnet sandpaper for hardwood plywoods, such as walnut, oak, Nakora, etc.; and No. 1 garnet sandpaper for plywoods such as fir or pine. Follow up with No. 2/0 garnet sandpaper for the second sanding and finish to a smooth surface with No. 4/0 garnet sandpaper.

It is best to wrap the sandpaper around a piece of hardwood about 2 1/2" wide, 5" long and 2" thick. When sanding, brush the surface clean often to prevent particles or splinters from gouging the surface. When sanding larger surfaces of your built-ins, a power sander is a work and time saver. A belt sander is used for the first, course sanding, while a finishing sander, fitted with finer paper, is used to achieve the final glass-smooth finish.

The finishes. Clear finishes are designed to leave the wood looking like its original self and yet protect it from dirt and wear. They work best on the finer hardwood plywoods that aren't afraid to show their grains without extra embellishment. You'll get the clearest result by applying one coat of clear sealer, then using ordinary flat water-white lacquer, simply brushed on and allowed to dry. One coat is usually enough, but two will give a more durable finish for areas you know will get heavy wear. Steel-wool each coat and finish up with wax.

Before applying steel wool between coats, make sure the finish is thoroughly dry and hard. Work with steel wool in long, even strokes with grain, brushing away excess surface dust often with brush.

Author uses a prepared filler stain for darker woods, as on this walnut cabinet, part of bar project described earlier in this book. After stain has dried overnight, a varnish finish will be applied.

Varnish will darken wood more than lacquer, but is a better bet where you need a tough, water-resistant finish—such as in the kitchen, powder room or laundry described in this book. Use the flat, water-clear kind, apply two coats, and then wax.    

Wax finishes darken wood still more, but produce a mellow, grain-heightening effect that may help add character to pale, grainless panels. One kind, developed in the West especially for redwood, also works nicely on many other woods. That is, simply apply unbleached beeswax dissolved in hot turpentine two pounds of wax to a gallon of turps. Or you can try the natural-color stain wax, discussed below.     

Satin finish will give your surface a low gloss, which tends to play down any imperfections in the wood, in contrast to high gloss finishes, which magnify them. Typical of this type of finish is Satinlac, which is flowed onto the surface with a brush, like varnish. Two coats are recommended, using steel wool between coats. Check the instructions on the container of the finish you use to allow ample time for the finish to dry. Before applying steel wool between coats, make sure the finish is thoroughly dry and hard. After the two coats of satin finish have been applied, a final application of paste wax will give the finish lasting protection.

Blond finish is a favorite choice for standard rotary-cut fir or pine plywood, or even open-grained hard-wood plywoods, where the chief problem is to soften the violent effect of the wild grain. A bit of pigment will do this without entirely hiding the natural look of the wood.

One method uses ordinary flat white wall paint, thinned with turpentine and applied with a brush or rag. After a few minutes, wipe off the excess with a cloth. Or, you can obtain a resin sealer, made to tone down grains, such as Firzite or Rez. If you want to tone your walls with color, you can tint the paint with colors in oil. For maximum durability finish up with a coat of clear lacquer and wax. Stain waxes produce a finish very similar to the blond or color-toned ones, but are quicker to apply since they save thinning and tinting and do not require the coat of lacquer.

You can buy Cabot's stain wax in such ready-mixed colors as white, ivory, gray and blue. You just brush it on, wait five minutes, then wipe it off. The single coat adds color and protection without greatly masking the grain, If you want a high-luster finish, let the first coat dry overnight, then follow it with a coat of clear stain wax, buffed to a gloss.

Wood stains are fine for mild-grain hardwoods, but in the darker shades like oak, walnut and mahogany produce an entirely too harsh effect. They are used chiefly to deepen the tones of a matching wood oak stain on oak, walnut stain on walnut or to give a dark-wood appearance to pine and other lighter woods. It's a good idea, however, to avoid trying to change one wood into another; the results are often weird.

The soft-hued stains light grays and driftwoods can be used on nearly all woods and may even work well on rotary-cut firs. So may Color Rez, a stain made especially for plywood.

A good routine for any stain is to begin with a thin coat of resin sealer, which will help the stain take more evenly. Then apply the stain and follow with a coat of reduced clear varnish. Fine-sand this lightly and finish with a coat of flat or gloss varnish.

Color grain, made by Adelphi Paint & Color Works, Ozone Park, N. Y., is a special transparent wood stain that comes in a number of brilliant, unusual colors such as ruby, chartreuse, turquoise, black, rose, amethyst and blues and greens. It may be a trifle too bright over an entire wall, but will add a striking touch to small areas like cornices, furniture, built-ins and doors.

Brush on the stain, then wipe it off to let the grain show through. One coat produces a glossy, durable surface. Bleaching is pretty laborious for large areas, but produces results not obtainable with other finishes. It turns most woods white or a very light gray. Use a prepared bleach, available at paint stores, or one of the common household types like Clorox. This must be brushed or wiped on in large quantities and repeated until a deep, uniform bleach is obtained, Wear rubber gloves and protect your eyes if it will bleach wood, it will bleach you.

Because the wood gets well soaked in the process, allow a good 48 hours or more for thorough drying and then fine-sand the raised grain. Add a coat of lacquer sealer and finally one of clear lacquer.

Apply paint with a brush first, then go over area with a roller to eliminate brush marks and achieve a solid, even finish. Allow plenty of time for first coat to dry before applying second coat.

Pickling is ideal for open-grain woods where pigment can be worked into the pores to highlight the grain. It is most often used on oak, Nakora and also on elm and Korina. It produces a "wheat" effect on Philippine mahogany and a blond effect on cedar and birch.

Begin with a coat of white resin sealer, thinned with about one pint of turpentine to the gallon. Brush it on, wait five minutes, then rub it into the pores as you wipe off the excess. Let dry for 24 hours, then fine-sand lightly, apply one or two coats of clear flat or satin lacquer, rubbing with steel wool after each coat, and finish with wax.

A wood stain called Satinstain is nicely adapted to several shades of pickled finish on oak or Nakora plywood. First coat is Satinstain in weathered gray, brown or—for something really startling—ebony. Follow with white wood filler, rubbed in and wiped off, and seal this with one or two coats of clear satin lacquer.

While finishing some of the projects in this book, the author discovered that Novoply can be made very attractive by applying a coat of thin stain. After stain has dried, a coat or two of Satinlac, or other satin lacquer, is applied, followed by a final coat of paste wax, buffed to a gloss. Do not use fillers on Novoply or similar hard boards.

Work from top down, and brush wallpaper out from center with wallpaper sweeper. Take great care to keep the paper clean before and during application and don't allow paste to spill on decorative side.

Painting plywood is not Rs simple as it sounds, for the grain, especially in the loud-grained kinds, like fir or pine, insists on showing through. You can bat it down where it belongs with a base coat of resin sealer (Rez, Firzite). Apply the sealer with a brush, sprayer or cloth. After a few minutes, use a cloth to wipe off any that is not absorbed. Let it dry at least six hours, then sand lightly with No. 6/0 sandpaper. Then give it two coats of enamel.

For an attractive finish, a roller is recommended for walls, and for woodwork as well. A good technique, recommended by painting expert Andy Bog-danowicz, who helped the author finish many of the projects in this book, is to apply paint to the surface first with a brush, then go over the area with a roller, to eliminate brush marks and achieve a smooth finish.

Wallpaper adds a decorative touch to any plywood wall, and is often combined with natural wood or painted areas. The plywood makes an ideal backing for the paper since it is hard, smooth, won't crack like plaster and takes picture-hanging nails without leaving large holes that ruin the paper.

It is best to use felt lining as a smooth backing for wallpapering over plywood. Use standard wall liner or 3/4 lb. deadening felt. Cut strips slightly longer than wall height, then coat both wall and felt with ordinary wallpaper wheat paste to which gelatin size has been added. Butt the edges of the felt pieces carefully together so they don't overlap and cause bulges. After a short drying time, apply wallpaper over felt.

When applying wallpaper, whether over felt or a plaster wall, start at top with each new strip and work down, keeping paper straight and free of wrinkles. Brush the paper out from the center with a wallpaper sweeper and take great care to keep the paper clean before and during application.

Now you can have fine, modern and provincial furniture in your home by using patterns designed by Bill Baker, furniture designer to the stars. All Bill Baker patterns include shop-tested, easy-to-follow directions and exact size, heavy duty paper pattern pieces. You'll just have to trace the pattern on the wood, cut out the pieces and assemble. No elaborate tools are needed for any of the designs in this series.

For an illustrative brochure, mail 25<j> to Bill Baker, P. O. Box 1997, New York 22, N. Y.

101 Lazy Susan Coffee Table $1.50       
102 Magazine Rack 50                           
103 Planter Desk 1.00                            
104 Two-level End Table  1.00              
105 Classic-Modern Coffee Table 50     
106 Compact Fishing Box 1.00              
107 Bookcase-Coffee Table 1.00           
108 Modern Television Cabinet 1.50      
109 Bridge Lamp-End Table 50             
110 Sectional Coffee Table 50                
111 Sewing Cabinet-Radio-End Table.  1.00   
112 Barbecue Bar Cart 1.50                  
113 Modern Knick-Knack Shelf 50       
114 Modern Kneehole Desk 1.00          
115 Wheelbarrow Planter Box 50           
116 Adjustable Chaise Lounge 1.00       
117 Modern Headboard 1.00                 
118 Couch-End Table 1.00                    
119 Occasional Table 1.00                     
120 Utility Table 1.00                             
121 Children's Desk Combination 1.00   
122 Swivel-Top TV Table 50                 
123 Contour Lawn Chair 1.00
124 Indoor Portable Bar 1.50
125 Phonograph Record Cabinet 1.00    
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127 Modern Dining Table 1.00
128 Provincial Drop-Leaf Table 1.00
129 Provincial Knick-Knack Shelf ...1.00
130 Toy Trio #1 50
131 Modern Buffet 1.50
132 Modern Combination Cabinet 1.00
133 Provincial Coffee Table 1.00
134 Television Stand-Bookcase 1.00
135 Toy Trip #2 50
136 Provincial Low Boy 1.00
137 Provincial Swivel-Top TV Stand 1.00
138 Modem Telephone Stand 1.00
139 Provincial Bench 1.00
140 Workbench 1.00
141 Provincial Breakfront 1.50
142 Fireside Bench 1.00
143 Provincial End Table 1.00
144 Provincial TV Console 1.00
145 Garden Chaise Lounge with Arms     1.00
146 Sectional Couch 1.00
147 Modern Garden Chair 1.00
148 Corner Cabinet 1.00
149 Serving Cart 1.00
150 Provincial Bedside Table 1.00
Prices subject to change without notice.
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