Factory Tour

Mike Whittington

Finish Inspection

Meet Gene. Gene has been with us for 50 years. Gene inspects each piece before it begins the finishing process. He will sand down any raised grain that occurs while in "white" stock. He will tone down any noticeable difference in color within the piece. He also distresses the piece (at the level called for or as requested by the customer) using different tools. The different levels of distressing is an art learned over many years.

Base Stain and Washoff

Meet Pat. Pat has been with us for 22 years. Pat applies the crucial first stain, which is a water based stain. This stain, especially, must be applied evenly so that the color is constant across the whole piece. As you can see Pat is not on an assembly line and is not compelled to spray this piece in a certain time limit. After sufficient drying time, he will then apply a "wash coat" to seal the base stain and, again after sufficient drying time, he will sand the raised grain smooth. Keep in mind that a first rate finish is due not so much to the number of steps but to the care taken at each step and the quality of sanding before it is finished.

Wipe Stain

Meet Bill & Sonny. They are part of our finishing team. Bill has been with us for 36 years and Sonny has been with us for 35 years. After a dark stain is applied to cover the entire piece and allowed to soak in a certain amount of time, Bill & Sonny and their team wipe off the stain, using soft cloths, to the desired color. This is an art based on the drying time and other characteristics of the particular finish.

Highlight

Meet Bobby. Bobby has been with us for 23 years and is our highlighter and inspector. He uses steel wool to wipe off more of the color in a way that reveals the many grain patterns in the cherry wood. If done haphazardly, this can be nothing more than stripes but under Bobby's experience and eye, the result is a beautiful surface.

Sealer and Unitone

Meet Dave. Dave is part of our finishing team and has been with us for 25 years. Here Dave is applying the unitone in order to soften any contrast that may have developed previously. He then applies a sealer which preserves the work done so far. Our goal is to achieve a finish full of depth and each layer is distinct and builds upon the other. In this way we continue to build upon the layers of grain laid down by nature over many years. Dave will finally sand down the grain raised by the sealer in preparation for the lacquers.

Lacquer and "Padding"

Meet Tony and Gary, both part of our finishing team. Tony has been with us for 30 years and Gary for 39 years. Here Tony is applying the first coat of lacquer. Gary will then "pad" in some stain in order to further highlight the grain pattern. He will follow that with a second coat of lacquer. The application of lacquer is very important. The lacquer is heated which allows us to use a lacquer with 50% more solids than the average kitchen cabinet. This insures that the finish underneath is protected. It must be sprayed evenly with plenty of coverage so that you do not create "orange peel" or runs. The lacquer must be allowed to dry overnight and lays the foundation for the rubbing operation the next day.

Rubbing

Meet Terry. Terry has been with us for 40 years and is responsible for our rubbing operation after the lacquer has been allowed to dry overnight. The rubbing operation provides the proper sheen that we are seeking, neither too high nor too low. It also eliminates imperfections or "orange peel" in the lacquer that may build up. Terry actually does three operations. He oils the piece completely and then uses the rub machine with 360 grit paper on all flat surfaces followed by a polishing operation. He then hand rubs all moulded surfaces and difficult to access areas. Finally he completes the piece with a "final rub" operation on all tops, using a heavy buffering machine. The final result is Statton's deep, layered finish, full of character and beauty.

Final Inspection

Meet Bill. Bill has been with us for 36 years and is responsible for our finishing room final inspection. Bill is especially careful that we have obtained the right color for each of our finishes. He, along with our entire finishing team, is provided with sample panels showing the correct color at each stage of the finish. He can then compare each piece and keep the whole process in balance. Bill also looks for small nicks, lacquer runs or "orange peel", "checks" that may have developed in the wood, and examines the overall piece for effect.