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Tips for a Black Finish with Rub-Through
Question
For example:
Forum Responses
From contributor T: The last time I did this finish, I thought I could eliminate the full stain and seal steps by just staining the sand-throughs. If I hadn't been matching an existing finish, this would have worked, but since the match had to be pigment stain and my sand-throughs were done with 220 and 320 grit, then the wood was too polished to accept the stain. The next time I am assigned this type of faux finish I will do it like this: 1. Distress.
In my book that's an eight step finish schedule. Others may say it's more because of the extra coats. I believe each step in a finish schedule should be assessed at ten minutes per step per cabinet door and/or drawer front and/or piece of trim, etc. Granted we don't spend ten minutes for every step, but this accounts for the time it takes to steam out dents, fill gauges with putty, re-sand after stain reveals mill marks, fill knot holes, re-glue broken joints, position loose panels, sand poorly routed profiles, sand rough end grain, sand glue spots, etc, not to mention the uncountable dilemmas that the weather conditions and chemical invariance may bestow upon us. Ten minutes per finish schedule step; I stand behind it strongly. It may sound expensive to some, but it should be. We're not just making the woodwork pretty. We're making it scratch resistant, water resistant, chemical resistant, as well as preserving our art.
From contributor J: I do this finish all the time and it doesn't take much longer. 30 doors add about 4 hours to the process. The key is to use a spray stain or NGR. If you have to use a wiping stain, it takes a few more hours. Schedule:
From contributor B: Contributor J's process takes 10 steps... longer than any stain and topcoat finish job. Regardless, anyone who says it doesn't take longer has got to realize that a 10 step finish does just that! From contributor K: I add about 30% of my finishing charge if it is to have a stain or paint color under the topcoat. We do this with the solvent method. It is much less likely to burn through your undercolor. Sand and stain as usual. Then 2 coats clear. Let dry overnight. Color to be rubbed through should be a fairly solvent friendly finish. If you are using a solvent based system, use a tinted vinyl sealer. Let that dry to the touch and do your rub through with your solvent of choice. Something hot and fast works best; it will let you rub without having to go too hard and risk getting through the clear. We use waterbased and our primer and acetone to rub through. Then 320 and scrubby pad. Clear coat as usual and you're done. This is not the fastest way to do this finish, but it has served me well for years. I have done this using MLC system with Krystal as well as the Fuhr waterbased system.
From contributor J: Like I said, it does take longer, but it isn't huge. It adds 4 steps to the finishing process, none of which are a big deal. Step 2, 3, 4, and 8 are the extras. Estimate how long each of those steps will take you, then tack that onto your price. Usually takes me 2 days, including dry times, to complete a stack of 30 or so doors start to finish with this method. Without the rub through, I would be 1.5 days, including dry times, from sanding the raw doors to spraying the last coat. Would you like to add information to this article? Interested in writing or submitting an article? Have a question about this article? Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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