Should we pre-finish before assembly or after? I've had it go both ways.

Last month at Jensen's Shop in Portland, I did a big kitchen job where I finished all the panels before assembly. But three years ago on a similar job in Eugene, I got weird glue seepage that wrecked the finish on two doors. The pre-finish crowd says it's cleaner, but the after crowd says you get better seams. What's your take on which method holds up better over time?

3 comments

3 Comments

robertb477d ago

That "glue seepage wrecked the finish" bit is exactly why I lean toward finishing after assembly now. You can always touch up the seams later, but fighting with glue that bleeds through cured finish is a nightmare nobody needs.

shanem377d ago

Buddy of mine built a nice walnut table, did the whole thing with tightbond and clamps. Wiped the squeeze out clean, or so he thought. A week later after he'd put on three coats of oil based poly, these little white spots showed up right at the joints. Turns out the glue seeped into the grain and the finish just couldn't bond there. He ended up sanding the whole top back down to bare wood, had to start the finish over from scratch.

johnson.paul2d ago

That "nightmare nobody needs" part hits the nail on the head. I've seen a few people make that exact same mistake @shanem37 described with the white spots. My rule now is to wipe the squeeze out, then take a damp rag and wipe the whole joint area again. Gets the glue out of the grain before it dries. If you're worried about water raising the grain, just let it dry and give it a light sand before finishing. Saves you from having to strip everything back down like his buddy had to.