Wood finishing has gotten complicated with all the products and marketing claims flying around. As someone who’s been doing this in my garage shop for going on twelve years, I learned everything there is to know about why we finish wood in the first place — and honestly, it’s simpler than most articles make it sound.
Let me walk you through the real reasons finishing your wood projects matters, from somebody who’s made plenty of mistakes along the way.
It Keeps the Elements From Destroying Your Work
Wood is porous. Like, really porous. Leave a piece of raw oak on your porch for a season and you’ll see what I mean — it’ll absorb moisture, swell up, then dry out and crack. I lost a perfectly good Adirondack chair that way my first summer woodworking because I figured “eh, it’s outdoor wood, it’ll be fine.” It was not fine.
A good finish — whether that’s varnish, lacquer, or a quality sealant — creates a barrier that blocks moisture and UV rays. UV damage is the sneaky one. It doesn’t just fade the color; it actually breaks down the lignin that holds wood fibers together. So that graying you see on unfinished outdoor wood isn’t just cosmetic — the wood is literally weakening.
Your Furniture Will Actually Last
Probably should have led with this section, honestly. Durability is the main reason most of us finish our projects. A properly applied finish resists scratches, dings, and the general beating that furniture takes in a real household.
My kitchen table has four coats of oil-based polyurethane on it. Three kids eat at that table every day. Homework gets done on it. My youngest has carved into it with a fork more than once. The poly took the hit instead of the wood underneath, and that table still looks good after six years. Without finish? The surface would’ve been destroyed in the first month.
That’s what makes a good finish endearing to us woodworkers — you spend all that time selecting lumber, cutting joints, sanding everything smooth, and the finish is what protects all of that effort.
It Makes Wood Look Incredible
Beyond protection, finishes do something almost magical to wood’s appearance. I remember the first time I wiped Danish oil onto a piece of figured maple — the chatoyance just exploded. The grain went from flat and bland to three-dimensional and shimmering. I actually said “whoa” out loud in my shop. My wife thought something fell on me.
Different finishes give you different looks too. Want a mirror-like gloss? Lacquer or high-gloss poly. Prefer something more subtle and natural? Oil finish or satin varnish. Want that deep, aged patina look? Shellac and wax. You’ve got options, and they all change the character of the piece dramatically.
Stains and dyes open up even more possibilities. I’ve made poplar look like walnut and pine look like cherry. Not everyone approves of that — the wood purists give me grief sometimes — but it lets you use affordable wood on projects where appearance matters but budget is tight.
Cleaning Becomes Way Less Stressful
Unfinished wood and spills are not friends. I once left a raw maple cutting board on the counter after chopping beets. The stain soaked in so deep I ended up having to plane off an eighth of an inch to get back to clean wood.
Finished wood? Damp cloth, quick wipe, done. The sealed surface won’t absorb liquids, dirt, or whatever your kids decide to smear on the kitchen table. This is especially valuable for kitchen and bathroom pieces where water exposure is constant.
I keep a spray bottle of mild soap solution and a microfiber cloth near my finished pieces and that’s literally all the maintenance they need. Compare that to the constant sanding and re-treating that raw wood demands, and finishing starts to look like the obviously smart choice.
It Can Actually Add Value to Your Home
This one surprised me when we were getting our house appraised a few years back. The appraiser specifically mentioned the refinished hardwood floors and the custom built-in bookshelves I’d done in the study. Well-finished woodwork reads as quality craftsmanship, and apparently buyers notice.
Whether it’s hardwood floors with a proper polyurethane coating or kitchen cabinets with a professional-looking lacquer finish, quality wood finishing signals that a home has been maintained with care. It won’t single-handedly sell your house, but it contributes to that overall impression of quality that buyers are willing to pay for.
You Can Restore Almost Anything
One of the things I love most about wood finishing is the restoration angle. I picked up a beat-up Victorian dresser at an estate sale for forty bucks. The original finish was shot — water damage, scratches, the whole nine yards. Stripped it down, repaired a couple of joints, applied fresh shellac to match what would’ve been on there originally. That dresser looks like it belongs in a museum now and my wife won’t let me sell it.
Finishing also lets you customize pieces for specific needs. Kid’s furniture? Non-toxic finishes are easy to find now. Bathroom vanity? Moisture-resistant marine varnish. Cutting boards? Food-safe mineral oil and beeswax. There’s a right finish for every application, and matching the finish to the use case is half the fun of the craft.
The Bottom Line
Finishing wood isn’t just the last step in a project — it might be the most important one. Protection, durability, beauty, easy maintenance, property value, restoration possibilities… the benefits stack up fast. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that a mediocre project with a great finish will look better than a great project with a mediocre finish, every single time.
The good news is that finishing options keep getting better and more accessible. Water-based products have come a long way, application tools are more refined, and there’s more information available now than at any point in woodworking history. So pick up a can of something, grab a brush, and start experimenting on scrap wood. That’s how all of us learned.
