Hello, everyone! Well, our latest project is taking a restaurant which had white painted cabinetry and turning it into an elegant Antique Cherry wood. Flogging is what the first layer in some woodgraining finishes is called.  You are taking a mixture of tint and beer or soda (yes, you read that right) and slightly beating it onto the surface using a brush called a flogger. (Why they had to resort to using torture terms to describe woodgraining layers is beyond me.) A flogging brush has long bristles which help to simulate the open pores in wood and the underlying grain that occurs when wood is cut.

Our crew has had a fun time with this project.  The team has really gelled together and our finishes look nicely uniform. Plus, we all get along like seven peas in a pod. Our “What If?” situations for each other have continued (which started as we were all doing the Portofino Hotel commission, if you remember that blog post a few weeks ago) and we are now up to Name that Band game (identifying songs on the radio) and the Five Foods to Bring Along to a Deserted Island debate. (Mashed potatoes being on almost everyone’s list.) Everyone should have this much fun working and being with their co-workers!

This is our crazy Garay Artisans team (sorry it’s so fuzzy — they were moving!!!). Back Row: Pedro Santiago, Jason Rosales and Roger Herota. Front Row: Debbie Parsons, Yuri Garcia and Monica Zeuli. Not Pictured: Regina Garay, desperately trying to snap a non-moving group.

                                                 The Crazy Crew.jpg

Many finishers use different techniques for their woodgraining. For this commission, the layers that worked for us were: (1) Base color, (2) Flogging, (3) First Glazing Layer, (4) Second Glazing Layer, (5) Finesse Layer and two topcoat layers. You need to do this for both the vertical panels (stiles) and horizontal panels (rails).

Here you can see a partial before shot of the restaurant:

                               Panels B4.JPG

Here is Roger flogging the first vertical layer (the stiles) on a nice peachy base. When done, we will switch all the tape around and tackle the horizontal sides (the rails):

                        Flogging.jpg

Here is a sample of the first glazing layer. You can start to see where the glaze is being manipulated into the grain patterns.

                              1st Glaze Layer.jpg

We’re still working on the second glazing layer, which really deepens the color, adds depth and pulls it together. The Finesse layer is about taking all the woodgraining and making sure that the “wood” is not too perfect (since nature is never about being perfect) but making sure that it is perfect since you want an altogether balanced, pleasing and cohesive flow of color and grain. It’s a fine balancing act. Once we are done and the restaurant is put together, I’ll post a series of before and after shots. Talk to you soon!