At Loewen Design Studios we work with a number of different finishes, all of them are excellent. This is in an effort to give a little bit of background on each of them, and why or when we use them.
The Finishes
The three finishes we use are Rubio Monocoat, Osmo PolyX, and a Conversion Vanish. Rubio and Osmo are both handrubbed oil finishes, while the Conversion Varnish is sprayed.
Rubio Monocoat
We use Rubio for our primary finishes because we think it’s excellent. It bonds with the wood fibres, but not with itself, so you can spot finish something if needed. It’s also 0 VOC, which means it can be refinished in a home with no concern. All in all, it means that Rubio Monocoat is a finish that can be maintained throughout the life of the furniture, even with significant wear. It’s easy for someone without any significant skills to bring a table back to new with just a little effort. We especially like this finish as we imagine our tables can live a long life, and this allows that to be successful.
Osmo
We use Osmo less often, and primarily to add a satin sheen to a table finished with Rubio first. We’ve done this for years with a lot of success. Osmo is also a 0 VOC product that’s very easy to use.
Conversion Varnish
The final finish is a Conversion Varnish. There are a few situations where this excels. There are also a couple of drawbacks to Conversion Varnish. It’s a finish that must be done by a professional with proper ventilation. This means that you can’t really fix it up in your home. The balance to that is that it’s an incredibly durable coating that will stand up to an awful lot. It also comes in many different sheen levels. There are a few different times that this finish is preferable. One is anything we make with Rustic Maple. As the wood is not smooth, a finish that builds up on top of the surface helps to smooth the top to be more even. It isn't thick enough to be entirely smooth, but it does take the edge off. For applications where the table will be cleaned with more aggressive cleaners it’s also good to use a Conversion Varnish over a hand rubbed oil to stand up to harsher chemicals. Oftentimes it’s possible to just use the appropriate cleaners, but some commercial environments require this.
These are our three main finishes, and when we use them. If you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to talk to us! We’re happy to help with whatever you might need!
