Applying the N3 Nano Finish to help you protect your woodworking projects, while increasing their lifespan.
The Importance of Wood Finishing
Whether you’ve searched far and wide for the perfect dining table, commissioned a maker to construct your dream coffee shelf, or have put in the long hours to craft something with your own hands, it all takes time, and a lot of it.
With the amount of effort it takes to obtain or build a unique piece of wood furniture, the protection of that piece should be your priority. However, no matter how careful we or our guests are, spills happen, scratches happen, and life happens.
Learning to properly finish furniture and to implement wood preservation treatments can make the difference between a project you are proud to show off to company, or one that is relegated to the least visited corner of your home.
Properly finishing your furniture can extend its life, protect it from potential hidden damage such as UV rays, and at the end of the day, make it look great. With all of the hard work required to create an excellent piece of furniture, one of the most crucial steps is the final one.
The N3 Nano Finishing Principals
It is important to note that N3 is not a stand-alone finish for wood. It is a nano-layer of protection that goes over your finish of choice. Think of it like the wax on a car. It's not the paint or the clear coat, it is the barrier that protects everything underneath. However, N3 is infinitely better than any wax out there. N3 is compatible with any wood finish from lacquer to epoxy, hardwax oils, polyurethanes, shellac, and more. N3 is tested to be compatible with ALL wood finishes. This is not the case with many other products on the market. So make sure to do your research.
While no wood finish or nanofinish is truly “bulletproof”, N3 Nano provides your furniture with the highest level of protection available. Real-world spills from wine, beer, citric acids, hot sauce, water, and more have all been tested for up to 30 minutes with zero effects or marks that remain. There have even been independent tests done with wine that showed no marks, even after leaving for 24 hours. Here is that video if you would like to see the results.
All of this said, we still recommend wiping up spills as they happen because if you push any wood product far enough for long enough, you will be able to damage the finish.
The Full Application Process
To showcase the effects of the N3 Nano Finish and how to properly apply them, we revisit a previous project. The desk is roughly three years old and was initially finished with Rubio Monocoat. Though the finish still looks fine, this example will highlight the striking difference that N3 Nano can make.
Begin the N3 process by ensuring that the finish is completely cured. N3 will provide a physical barrier between your finish and the outside world. Meaning, that if you apply it to a finish that hasn’t yet cured, that finish will not cure because it will no longer be in contact with the air.
What you’ll need for optimal finishing:
Respirator
Well-lit workspace
New and Improved Application Process for Wood Protection
Step 1: Using the N3 Prep Spray, thoroughly clean the surface of your furniture. You want to ensure there is no dirt or oils from your hands that will interfere with the N3 bonding to the wood. With your cleaner and towel, gently clean the entire surface area of the furniture by moving in small, circular motions. The N3 Prep Spray is specially formulated to gently clean surfaces without damaging previous finishes. While also not leaving behind any waxes or oils that can interfere with the N3. Many commercial wood cleaners contain such waxes or are made of harsh chemicals that can damage your existing finish.
Step 2: The N3 hard coat and top coat have been specifically created to interact as a 2-part Nanofinish, meaning to get the best results you must use both. Starting with the hard coat, saturate your applicator pad and use the pad to work one section of the surface at a time. I like to work in areas of around 4-6 square feet. Focussing on one small section ensures you will not have the N3 prematurely cure before you have a chance to buff off the excess. I like to draw one “well line” with the wet applicator pad. Then draw the N3 from that “well” perpendicular across my section. Then I will make passes with the pad perpendicular to those lines to ensure total coverage.
No Streaks! If at any point the finish starts to feel tacky, use a fresh microfiber towel to gently buff it off. Failing to do this can cause the finish to leave shiny streaks on the table. As a general rule of thumb, buff with a separate microfiber towel after 30-60 seconds of application time or once the finish starts to tack. Do not wait longer than 90 seconds to buff off excess N3.
Once you have thoroughly applied the N3 Hard Coat to one section of the piece and used microfiber towels to gently buff off any excess, you can move on to the next section. It is important not to move on unless you have completely buffed off all excess N3. There should be no streaks or shiny spots at this point. Working with light directly in front of you at about 45 degrees from the piece is very helpful for spotting any of these shiny spots of excess N3 that need to be buffed off. Creating mental grid layouts within the piece of furniture can help you to keep track of which sections you have completed.
Note: if you are worried about seeing “lap lines” between the sections you can rest easy. The N3 hard coat and top coat are “rewetting” nano finishes. This means for the first hour after application, applying n3 over another section of n3 reactivates it into its liquid form. So as long as you buff off all the excess there will be no difference in appearance from one section to the next.
Step 3: Once you’ve applied the hard coat to the entire piece of furniture, use a clean section of your microfiber towel to lightly buff the surface once more. You can't be too careful when it comes to removing any shiny streaks. Once you’ve used one side of your microfiber towel, make sure not to use it again. You can mark the sides of the towel with a marker to ensure you don’t accidentally reuse it. If at any point you feel the hard coat getting tacky, when in doubt buff again. Note: I like to fold my towel into quarters. That way I have 8 sections of clean towel available for buffing.
Step 4: Repeat steps 2 and 3 to apply two to three coats of the hard coat. Next, allow the hard coat to cure for 24 hours before moving on to the top coat.
Step 5: The top coat is responsible for the majority of the wood protection. Its coating protects from spills, general wear and tear, as well as UV damage that the sun can create within woodworking projects.
Liberally apply the top coat to a fresh applicator pad and then use it to apply the finish to small sections of the surface, just like the hard coat. The top coat cures faster than the hard coat, so you may opt to work in smaller sections. Not larger sections anyway. Work the applicator pad back and forth just like the hard coat, ensuring even coverage across your section. Allow the top coat to sit for roughly 30 seconds before buffing unless you feel it getting tacky. Just like before, if it gets tacky, lightly buff off right away. I like to add a minimum of two coats of the top coat. Waiting a minimum of one hour between coats. If you want to increase the sheen and protection, feel free to continue building coats. I’ve added as many as six coats for an insane level of sheen.
Step 6: Wait. Pieces finished with N3 can be handled lightly with gloves after a few hours. Used LIGHTLY after 24 hours (no spills), and will be fully protected after curing for seven days under standard conditions. Excessive cold can extend these times.
Step 7: Enjoy top-notch wood furniture protection against everyday wear and tear. You can use N3 Maintenance Spray to maintain the appearance and health of the surface over time.
Learn More About N3 Nano and its Application
To get a further look at the quality benefits N3 Nano products and kits like the FurniShield Kit can provide and to learn more about purchasing options, go to n3nano.com. If you are interested in learning more about the application process or you’re a visual learner, you can watch the entire tutorial right here. For more how-to videos, behind-the-scenes looks at how N3 products work, and to make suggestions for which acidic substances we should test the N3 finished surfaces against, visit the N3 Nano YouTube page.
