Amateur woodworkers can achieve professional quality finishes on their projects with simple materials that are brushed or wiped onto the wood. There's no need to shell out the expense of professional spray equipment nor to invest the skill building hours required to use it.

The secrets include focusing on brushable polyurethane varnish, brushable shellac, and wipe on glaze coats.

Readers will learn how to use and clean a fine finishing brush, when to brush and when to wipe the finish on, and how to get a flawless finish without the tedious labor of rubbing out.

Includes detailed instructions for matching colors with simple stains, how to make nondescript woods such as poplar look great, and how to apply a glaze coat for professional highlights on carvings, moldings and other details.

Includes special section on reviving damaged finishes, erasing water damage, and when all else fails, how to strip off the old finish and start over.

Edited by: Randy Johnson