finishing-pine

As much as I like putting a nice finish on a wood project, that first whiff of fumes from the can kind of spoils the experience for me. I suppose it’s because I don’t like getting bombarded with a witches’ brew of chemicals – chemicals with names I can’t pronounce, and names that I’ll probably never learn the full meaning of.
One thing I have learned, though, is that it’s nearly impossible to finish a piece of wood without releasing some amount of toxins in the air. Whether we like it or not, the chemical properties of a finish -- the solvents, pigments, and binders -- are what make a finish what it is. The trick then, is to choose a finish with the least amount of offensive chemicals in the mix, but still effective in creating a durable, long-lasting surface.