National Institute of Wood Finishing » Blog

Summer Workshops for 2010

2010-05-18T12:09:00.005-05:00

This July we are proud to offer 2 great workshops; on July 20-22, Author & Senior Furniture Conservator, Donald C. Williams, will be here talking about & demonstrating Restoration of Veneers and Their Finishes. This intensely hands-on workshop will focus on the nature and technology of veneer-work and restoring damaged veneered surfaces, including a range of applications from the laying of new veneers to re-integrating aged and damaged veneers, and replicating veneer and marquetry surfaces. Special emphasis will be on the selection and making of veneers, and in finishing them in a manner most compatible with the existing surrounding surfaces. This course also integrates adhesive technology as a critical component in the problem solving process.

Then, on July 26-30, National Institute Of Wood Finishing instructor, Mitch Kohanek, will be teaching a 5-day course on Finishing New Wood. This comprehensive wood finishing class will educate you to know how and why you finish wood. Students will keep all of the panels they create. Sessions include: The proper preparation of wood, methods of using dyes, stain, glazes and toners to color wood. Understanding why and how to apply oils, shellac, lacquer, varnish, urethane and water base coatings using rags, brushes and spraying equipment. How to create the desired sheen and maintain that sheen will also be covered. Problem solving and repairing finishing defects such as blotching, orange peel and fish eye will be explained.

If you'd like more information on these workshops, please visit: http://www.woodfinishing.org/workshops.htm
Seats are still available for both courses.

Rights of Passage - Another year ended...

2010-05-14T12:44:00.010-05:00

Today was the last day of classes, the graduation ceremony is next Monday (5/17/2010). Just like the classes that have passed through these doors since 1988, the graduating class of 2010 got up on a ladder for the "signing of the tube".

The Dust collection tube that runs through the workshop has been part of a tradition at DCTC, where the students leave their mark on the school, just as the school has left it's mark on them. Each year the students paint, decorate, veneer, faux finish, or install something from their class. This year, the class of 2010 had a group photo taken, enlarged and framed in a frame that they gilded and painted the NIWF logo and 2010 in reverse on the glass.

Good luck to all the grads of 2010. They have worked very hard, and we hope that as they go out into the world, they will always keep in touch and visit the school when they can, to help pass along their knowledge to the current students in the upcoming years.

Wood 1021 Wood Refinishing: More Before & After Pictures

2010-05-06T20:19:00.003-05:00

We are wrapping up really fast, and a lot of great furniture is being turned out by the students. I just wanted to share some more of the work.

This bamboo chair came it in rough shape, as you can see! But some great work and a little shellac, and we've got a beautiful little side chair.

Here is a picture of a Mission Library Table that had an ink spill on the top. With a little artistry and skill, the ink stain has been removed from sight. a little shellac and some spot repair, and this table is set for another 100 years.

Wood 1021 Wood Refinishing: Before & After Pictures

2010-04-29T12:01:00.009-05:00

Students are in their final section of the 9 month course, Refinishing. Here we take furniture, strip it down to the bare bones, and start over. We involve our knowledge of methods of fastening as we need to re-glue many items before they can be stripped. We may use some of our wood shop skills if we need to replace missing wooden components. We may need some spot repair skills to fix nicks, dents and scratches, or to in-paint on filler. We use our knowledge of solvents to devise a game plan for how we are going to strip the furniture. We make educated choices about coatings taking into consideration both the needs of the object, and the needs of the user. Then we make it happen by stripping, coloring and coating the furniture. Here are 2 examples of before & after results that our students are turning out every day!

A Maple Rocking Chair Before... And After!

A Mission Style Plant Stand Before... And After!

Wood 1010 Wood and Finishing Technology: Larry Van Isagam from Van Technology visits NIWF

2010-03-30T13:39:00.004-05:00

We were very fortunate today to have Larry Van Isagam, President and founder of Van Technology, come and spent the day with us to talk about water based coatings. Larry and the students had a great conversation about water base,

which is an ever increasing part of the wood coatings industry.
The students had some great questions regarding their experiences

with the coatings, and Larry was very helpful in explaining how they work, and why we might choose to use a water based coating.
He also demonstrated a few of his products and allowed the students to use them and get some

more 1st hand knowledge of the coating and see what they are all about.
A Big thanks to Larry, who has always been a friend to the program here at DCTC!

wood 1032 Furniture Conservation: Don Williams and The MN Woodworkers Guild meet at DCTC

2010-03-26T16:08:00.005-05:00

Don Williams came in from Washington D.C. yesterday and today to work with the students, as well as co-sponsor of his visit, The MN Woodworkers Guild. Yesterday he & the Students had an in depth conversation about color matching & color theory, Molecular Thermodynamics, solubility parameters of coatings, and what ever else the students wanted to know about.

Today was a more hands-on day. The Guild members joined the students to watch Don demonstrate several different methods of mold making and duplication for use in repairing wooden items such as picture frames and carvings that may be missing or damaged, and to learn about gold leafing or gilding.

Don demonstrated a number of materials that can be used to make and cast molds, and he demonstrated both water and oil gilding. In addition, there was some great back and forth about hide glue, shellac, Japanese Lacquer, and general conservation techniques Don uses in his day to day work as a Museum Conservator.

We always like to have Don in to work with the students, and we can't wait until his next visit this summer for his 3-day workshop on the restoration of veneers and their finishes. (July 20-22, visit http://www.woodfinishing.org/workshops.htm for more info on summer courses)

Students return to Fort Snelling for more conservation work

2010-03-24T16:25:00.008-05:00

We took another field trip to the Fort Snelling Chapel today, where the students could see how their work held up since their last visit (very well, I might add!) and get back to work on this historic building.
Today we looked at some solvent testing, went through all the steps we've learned in school and developed a cleaning and re-coating schedule, then followed through on it!
All the students felt confident taking on new challenges in a real-life setting.

Wood 1010 Wood and Finishing Technology: Sample Boards

2010-01-28T14:45:00.003-06:00

In our 1st class back from winter break, we hit the ground running! The students have studied our 2 main text books, and we do some intense lecturing about solvents, coloring agents and coatings, as well as different means and methods of applying these things. Then we put this knowledge into action by finishing 10 different boards with 10 different finishing schedules.

We spray and brush lacquer, spray, brush and pad shellac, we brush varnish, we shoot gloss & satin, we do open pored finished, and closed pore "piano" finishes. We color strike pores, we stain, dye, glaze, distress, tone and shade. and we dabble a bit with water base finishes as well.

This intensive 3 week section is full of learning, and getting to experience what tools we have as finishers and what their benefits and challenges are.

Wood 1007 Methods of Fastening: Day One

2009-11-23T12:51:00.007-06:00

Today we begin another new section; Methods of Fastening. In this section we look at and learn about the many ways that furniture is fastened, as well as how to repair the best, and the worst of joints. We will be re-gluing chairs and tables, and making any replacement parts we might need along the way using the skills we acquired in our woodworking section.

We started the day with some conversation on why glue joints fail. There are many reasons that glue joints can fail and it only takes one misstep to make even the nicest looking joint come loose. However, we often find that there is at least one, if not many things wrong with some joints, and we need to learn how to respond to these situations. Our 1st step is learning about how our furniture is constructed.

The students brought in many of their own projects, but we also have some pieces that need attention here in our workshop. We need to know how furniture is put together in order to know how it is taken apart, so we need to look at each chair individually to check for nails, screws and other fasteners, we look at where the joints are and number them so we can put the chair back the way it was. Then we get down to the nitty gritty and actually begin dis-assembling the furniture, and clean the joints, make any necessary repairs in preparation to re-glue each chair.

Wood 1004 Wood Working: Veneer Patching

2009-11-19T13:11:00.000-06:00

As we wind down the woodworking section, we have looked at power tools and hand tools, we have learned how to square a board, we have done riping and cross-cutting on the table saw, made tenons on the router table, used the scroll saw to duplicate a back splat for a chair, we've hand cut tenons, made usable cutting boards and now we are looking at veneer patching.

There are a number of ways to patch veneer, in Spot Repair I, we learned how to do burn-in's, in Spot Repair II we learned that we could do a polyester fill, now we look at replacing wood with wood. This gives us our grain and texture back, if the piece should ever be stripped, there will be wood there, and it gives us another tool we can use to solve problems. Even within the veneer patch, there are a few different techniques, you could cut a uniform shape into the veneer and replace the missing piece with a new piece of veneer, scarfing the joint to feather in the new wood. If you have the piece of veneer that came off you can re-glue it. You can also cut your new veneer with a jewelers saw and fit it into the existing gap, while not loosing any original wood or finish. Once you have put all the new pieces in, it is a matter of an accurate color match and top coat and you can have a very nice repair on any veneered surface.

Wood 1004 Woodworking: Begining a New Chapter Again

2009-11-04T12:57:00.004-06:00

We are 3 days into our next section of our program, we set color aside for a bit and turn our focus to woodworking. Our students come to us with a variety of backgrounds, some have never worked with wood, some have hand tool experience and no power tool experience, or vise-versa, and some have been woodworkers, professional or hobbyists for many years. With this mixed bag, it is important to cover all the basis, and look at safe practices and proper technique.

In the wood working section we learn techniques required to make wooden components for repairing wooden objects. We learn how to square a board, make, and repair a number of different common joints used in woodworking, and the proper technique for sharpening hand tools and the safe practices of using any of our tools.

Although wood working is not the primary focus of our training at NIWF, it is a useful skill to be able to make replacement parts for wooden furniture, millwork, or any other wooden objects.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: NIWF Tours Schneiderman's Distribution Center

2009-10-29T18:02:00.007-05:00

On a week packed with field trips, we visited Schneiderman's Furniture Distribution Center. Our guide was past NIWF Graduate Kathy Morse, who works at Schneiderman's ensuring the quality of the furniture meets the Schneiderman's standard. We saw how they do touch-up and repair on some of the furniture that comes in that might not meet their standards, or on returned furniture that had been damaged. After a few demonstrations Kathy also let the students perform some of the repairs as well.

Once again, the class got to see a past grad in action at their work place, using their skills and knowledge that they gained while attending DCTC & NIWF.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Class of 2010 visits HOM Furniture

2009-10-28T16:52:00.004-05:00

Once again, NIWF Students got to take a behind the scenes tour of HOM Furniture's Distribution Center. And like in years past, they got to work side by side with the Techs at HOM doing spot repair, upholstery repair, leather & vinyl touch up, wood fills, burn-ins and many other techniques the students already learned.

Working out in the real world gives the students a first hand view of what they might face on a day to day basis once they leave DCTC. Some of the Employees at HOM are past graduates of the program so they speak the same language of wood finishing. This unique experience helps to shape the students knowledge of some of the careers that may be opening up to them as graduates of the National Institute of Wood Finishing.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: NIWF Does Conservation Work at Historic Fort Snelling Chapel

2009-10-27T12:33:00.011-05:00

On our 1st of many field trips, the students got to roll up their sleeves and put to good use the knowledge they have already acquired. The Fort Snelling Veterans Memorial Chapel, built in 1927. Fort Snelling was deactivated as a military post in 1947, leaving the chapel sitting unused until it narrowly escaped a scheduled demolition for the highway system in the mid 60's. It is alive and well today serving many facets of the state's population through such programs as: weekend open houses for tourists to the historic Fort Snelling; rehearsals and weddings of all faith groups; funerals of all denominations; general community meetings; and weekly Sunday non-denominational services.

Our goals were to clean and conserve the pews, kneelers and surrounding wood. Each student dug in with a few pews each, using mild cleaning solution, replacing worn finish where needed, spot repair as needed, and finally padding shellac to give an authentic, original look, feel and lustre to that well worn interior.

We were guided by past NIWF grad, Travis Beard, who volunteers on the Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel Foundation, and has been working in the chapel for a while, cleaning and restoring the woodwork, carvings and wooden statues.

Another Testimonial From a Past Grad

2009-10-26T15:36:00.008-05:00

Gerald Cartwright Graduated in 1998. He currently lives and works in Harrison, AR, where he runs his own finishing shop - Cartwright Wood Finishing Company

"In May of 1997, I attended a woodworking trade show in Little Rock, AR. It was through this show that I made a chance contact with a former graduate of the DCTC Wood Finishing Technology Program. The successful graduate explained the course work, skill sets learned, and the joy of knowing how to repair furniture. From this meeting, I was inspired to contact Mitch Kohanek at DCTC.
I graduated the Wood Finishing Technology Program at DCTC in June of 1998.
After graduating from the Wood Finishing Technology Program at DCTC, I was employed with a high end commercial furniture dealer in the Twin Cities area. My position was Manager, Restoration Services. I was tasked with starting a furniture service department at this company. Upon the completion of 2.5 years of employment, I was given the opportunity to purchase all of the assets of the service department and provide service through a sub-contractor arrangement.
In mid 2001, I relocated back to north central Arkansas, the area where I was raised. I started a furniture services company in Harrison, AR. My services include furniture refinishing, pre-finishing, and furniture touch-up, serving both commercial and residential customers.
The skill sets I learned at DCTC from Mitch Kohanek has allowed me to repair and finish anything with great confidence. All of the technical skills learned at DCTC Wood Finishing Technology Program are applied in my current business.
Mitch Kohanek is an inspiring teacher who can communicate his skills to those who care to learn."

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Joe Renchin Spends the Day Talking Upholstery

2009-10-22T15:25:00.003-05:00

NIWF Advisory Board Member and Master Upholsterer, Joe Renchin Came in today for another great demonstration on upholstery. Joe has spent 35 years in the business and he is always happy to share his expertise with the students at NIWF. He spoke extensively about the business of upholstery and demonstrated stripping down an upholstered piece, then recovering, as one might need to do to repair something inside of an upholstered piece of furniture. He also demonstrated different methods of fastening upholstery to an object, making and attaching buttons, blind stitching and more.

Joe has been a friend of the program here for many years, and we can't thank him enough for the time he spends here preparing our students to meet any situation head on with the knowledge and skill set that may be needed by the professional wood finisher.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Ken Norgard Visits to Demonstrate Leather & Vinyl Repair

2009-10-20T15:05:00.005-05:00

This week we are having Ken Norgard spend a few days with the class demonstrating leather & Vinyl repair, which can be an important part of the on-the-road touch-up artists job. The students practiced using an array of repair products on a number of different scenarios such as scrapes & scratches, cuts, punctures and more. Along with attending to the damage, the students also put their color theory to use and matched paints to mask their repairs, then finally coating them to protect them and match texture and sheen as well.

The students had a great time getting to use this new medium, while still applying what they have already learned to this new skill set. A big thanks to Ken for passing on some of his knowledge on the business of leather & vinyl repair.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Jerry Behrens visits DCTC again to talk touch-up

2009-10-12T16:09:00.015-05:00

Today we had our old friend Jerry Behrens back to talk touch-up work. You might remember Jerry from an older blog post, as he is a regular visitor to the program. Jerry graduated from NIWF in 1989, and has served on the board since 1992. He has also written, produced, and hosted two Wood Restoration Videos and has been gainfully employed in the field of wood finishing for 20 years.

Today Jerry was showing some of his techniques for doing spot repairs. Like I tell my students, if you see 10 different repair people doing a repair, you'll see 10 different ways to do the repair. So it's great to get some past grads in to show off their techniques, it exposes the students to a variety of solutions to a problem. Jerry was using colored graining pencils for one repair he demonstrated. He also shared some insight on color matching, working in the field, and did a large repair on a cupboard door.

Both repairs only took about 25 minutes and looked great when he was done; and he was able to pull them off while talking to students and answering questions. A big thanks once again to Jerry for sharing his time and talents with our students.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Past Grad Dave Smith, Guest lecturing at DCTC

2009-10-09T15:33:00.011-05:00

If you follow the blog, you've already met Dave Smith in an older blog post from January, but if you are new to the blog, let me introduce Dave again. Dave Smith graduated from NIWF in 1994, and since then has been working in the field. He is part owner of Fresh Air Finishers, a finishing company that specializes in the restoration of historic interior woodwork and wood ﬁnishes. They also maintain and repair modern wood furnishings. Fresh Air Finishers uses environmentally and human friendly products with no residual odors. Specializing in green finishing has been a passion and a great avenue for them, as more and more consumers are looking for an eco-friendly alternative to solvents and chemicals . Dave and the whole crew are professionally preserving & restoring wood throughout the United States from their St. Paul, MN headquarters.

Dave came in today to show us some of his techniques for some advanced spot repair. Here we see him replacing a broken piece from a chair with an epoxy fill.

After filling the void, he shaped it to the original shape of the chair.

Next he painted in the background color.

Finally, with some skilled in-painting, it begins to take on it's original look. With a bit more attention and some coating on this chair, this repair would become almost invisible.

Throughout the year, we continue to learn techniques like these, and it's always a pleasure to have past grads come in to show their skills! Thanks Dave!

A Testimonial‏ From a Past Graduate

2009-10-08T14:46:00.007-05:00

I’d like to write about my experience at NIWF. I graduated in 2000. This nine month course was demanding. Mitch (the instructor) set high standards and challenged us. The course is designed to enable you to succeed, not just get a job.
After graduation I worked for a refinishing shop that readily employed NIWF graduates because the owner knew the graduates were qualified, professional, and required little training. This employment was valuable in that it taught me the real world of furniture finishing as a business. That is, dealing with customers, how to make a profit, and what it takes to run a finishing business.

I moved to Virginia 4 years later and started my own business. Make no mistake; this was not easy. I now have the largest finishing shop in my town. I have 4 wonderful employees who love the work as I do. We are still struggling but business gets better each year.

Because of NIWF, I have the most rewarding career. I and my employees enjoy coming to work every day.

Dick Patch

Astonish Furniture Restoration
2000 Graduate
Roanoke VA

Wood 1015 Spot Repair I: HOM Furniture visits DCTC to demonstrate spot repair technique

2009-09-30T13:09:00.010-05:00

Three past Grads from NIWF who now work for HOM Furniture came in today to share some of their repair techniques with us and talk a bit about life in the field. They demonstrated burn-in techniques to fill and repair scratches, a flocking technique to repair micro-fibre and leather and vinyl repair as well. It was an interesting visit, the students got to see many different techniques for simulating wood grain & matching color, and they were introduced to some new tools as well.

It is always gratifying to see past students become the professionals and to watch them teach the new group of future pros!

Wood 1015 Spot Repair I: French Padding Color

2009-09-26T15:35:00.009-05:00

French Padding color onto a wooden object is part of Spot Repair. In these pictures you can see very worn wood, all the finish and much of the color has been worn away from years of use.

We can apply pigment to the wood, then use a French Padding technique to lock in the color.

The end result, we have replaced color and replaced coating so our color is protected.

Wood 1015 Spot Repair I: Fixing vertical surfaces

2009-09-22T13:31:00.005-05:00

Not all of our repairs are convenient to get to all the time. Sometimes you have repairs on walls, floor boards, door frames and other hard to reach areas. We try to simulate that here in the classroom. You can see the students doing whatever it takes to perform professional repairs in the hard to reach spots.
The techniques we use for vertical repairs are the same as any other, but the mechanics of it change as our range of motion can become limited, and gravity takes hold of our materials.

Wood 1015 Spot Repair I: Repairing a scratch

2009-09-19T15:22:00.000-05:00

We are back at it in 2009 doing some spot reapirs. In Spot Repair I we learn to clean, fill, and hide scratches in wood. In the following pictures you can see damage to this piece of furniture. It has been filled with a plastic. Once the voids are filled and level and smooth, we begin painting in color and mimicing the grain pattern in the wood. finnally we protect our repair by giving in a coat of finish to seal the color into the repair.

Techniques like these are used everyday by professionals.

Wood 1012 Color Theory - Using New Mediums

2009-08-31T15:05:00.006-05:00

Color Theory is the root of much of what we do. We can not repair a wooden object and hide that repair unless we can match the color of the wood and the coating on the wood. In color theory, we will make color wheels, and learn how colors relate to one another. We look at hue, value and chroma; and we learn how different mediums work differently.
In the first picture, you can see we are color matching, that is to say, the students are given a sample of wood and asked to find a mixture of colorants that will match. Currently we are using glazes to find that match, but in the near future, we will use powdered pigments, dyes as well as using different glazing and toning techniques to achieve a match.

In this second picture, we are discovering our powdered pigments. With these powders, we can mix them with a binder and carrier and make a paint. In this picture we are charting out what these colors look like on a white background so we can start to understand how they will behave when we start using them on wood.

2009-2010 School Year Begins

2009-08-30T14:34:00.005-05:00

Another year has begun with a fresh group of students. Once again we will be chronicling the year in order to show a prospective student what the NIWF experience is. The Wood Finishing Technology Program is a 36-credit course; all 36 credits are in wood finishing with no other gen-ed requirements. You can follow our curriculum throughout the year by class title. The 9 month program (August 2009-May 2010) is broken up into nine classes:

Wood 1012 Color Theory
Wood 1015 Spot Repair I
Wood 1019 Spot Repair II
Wood 1004 Wood Working
Wood 1007 Methods of Fastening
Wood 1010 Wood and Finishing Technology
Wood 1026 Advanced Finishing
Wood 1032 Furniture Conservation
Wood 1021 Wood Refinishing

Each course is approximately 17 working days and is set up in a way that one could take just one or two courses, please refer to the DCTC catalog for more information on classes that might have a pre-requisite at www.DCTC.edu

Most of the blog posts will be titled with the corresponding class, so if you want to know what goes on in any of these classes, stay tuned and see first hand what and how we learn! And be sure to go back in the blog are read about last year.

On a side note, NIWF offers a Furniture Service Technician certificate program for completing the first three courses (Color Theory, Spot Repair I & Spot Repair II). Furniture Service Technicians repair minor damage (referred to as spot repair) to wood, vinyl, leather and fabric. Spot repair usually involves (but is certainly not limited to) repairs such as minor water damage, scratches, nicks, dents, cigarette burns, or even a fairly large damaged area such as the corner of a table. These repairs are made by filling the void with a solid material and applying color to it, matching the surrounding area. Leather and vinyl repair is done much the same way. Upholstery can be repaired without having to re-upholster the entire piece.Furniture refurbishing means cleaning (instead of stripping) furniture and furniture maintenance (polishing and waxing).Furniture Service Technicians may work at the customer's home site, in furniture stores, or in a workshop. Possible job opportunities include self-employment, furniture stores or outlets, or an existing furniture service business. While total furniture restoration requires a workshop setting, the Furniture Service Technician can work from a small toolbox.

Wood 1026 Advanced Finishing: Don Williams in for summer seminar on Restoration, Chemistry and Technology of Transparent Furniture Coatings

2009-07-24T12:49:00.003-05:00

Don Williams, Senior Museum Conservator , was in for a summer seminar on Restoration, Chemistry & technology of transparent furniture coatings. This intensive 5-day course introduced the history, technology, chemistry, properties, deterioration, and treatment of transparent coating materials and colorants, along with color theory, finishing techniques, and treatment and manipulation of existing coatings. The course was organized along three major themes.
*The History of Coatings - What Was It Originally?
*Technology of Materials and Processes - What Is It, and How Do we Know?
*What Will We do About It - Treatment Decisions and Processes

Some of the specifics that were covered were:

*Introduction to Coatings Chemistry and Technology: Formulation and Film Formation
*Historic and Contemporary Wood finishing Materials and Techniques
*Solvent Theory and Solubility Practice
*Evaluation of Appearance
*Characterization of Historic Coatings
*Survey of Coating Resins Used in Conservation
*Natural and Synthetic Dyes for Furniture Finishes
*Strategic Techniques for Coatings Restoration and Preservation

A subsequent coatings course (July 2010, proposed) will emphasize painted finishes, e.g. poly-chrome sculpture, decorated furniture finishes, and consolidating and inpainting painted surfaces. A third course in the series is tentatively scheduled for July 2011, and will emphasize advanced applications in the workshop setting.

Master Finisher, Greg Johnson teaches workshop at DCTC & NIWF

2009-07-23T15:09:00.000-05:00

Greg Johnson came in for a five day workshop that focused on excellent looking nitrocellulose lacquer, two part coatings and special effect coatings. Each student got to keep their projects and the formulas to take with them. They covered how and why each step of the process is used to make stunning colors and coatings. Starting with raw wood samples, we proceeded with step by step processes, kept a written record of each step. Finishing techniques used include waterbase dyes, stain on dye, bleaching, clear and opaque coatings. Special effects such as crackle lacquer, satin rub outs and high gloss polishing were also covered.

Greg Johnson has been in the furniture making trade for almost 40 years and has earned the reputation as one of the most innovative wood finishers in America. He began working at his father’s cabinet making and restoration shop in Maryland in the early 1970’s. After completing a two year furniture program in ’81 at the Worcester Center for Crafts, he worked with his brother Tom in Boston. It was during this time Greg found his niche in wood finishing. In 1989, he became the principal finisher for designer Wendell Castle in Scottsville, NY. In 1999 Greg took a management position running the finishing department at a new production company called The Wendell Castle Collection. In April of 2005, Greg went into his own business full time, Johnson Furniture Restoration where he offers of full range of services including restoration, conservation, and custom finishing. You can find out more about Greg, and see his work at his WEBSITE

Past Grad, Sean Harrigan Talks About His Experience at NIWF

2009-07-22T14:17:00.004-05:00

Sean Harrigan graduated in 2008 from The National Institute of Wood Finishing, he is currently living and working in Livingston, Montana where he is the owner & operator of Deluxe Lustre Fine Wood Finish & restoration.

"In March of 2008, while researching a wood finish, I came upon the National Institute of Wood Finishing's website. Astounded, I thought "what is this?!?" Being a painting contractor and looking to expand my skill level into other ventures, this program immediately sounded like something designed just for me. As I read through the syllabus and testimonials I knew I must venture from Montana to Minnesota and see for myself what this was really about. When I toured the classroom and work area and saw what the current students were doing & I knew this is where I wanted to be. Fortuitously, I was able to secure the last open spot for 2008-2009. All this, just 3 weeks after learning of the program. Without delay my wife and I began to make plans to move to Minneapolis for 10 months.
Mitch eases everyone into this intense program. He shapes your skills from the ground up, building a sturdy foundation in color theory. Even the most talented students are challenged, and Mitch will not leave you with an uninteresting moment. As you strive further, Mitch pushes your potential as far as you dare to take it, leading you on the path to success. As the student advances through the program, you see how one class develops into the next, finally reaching the crucial goal; an unyielding understanding of color, coatings, wood, conservation, solvents, spot repair, adhesives, methods of application, tools used and modus operandi. Through Wood Finishing Technology, you as the student can find out how many things there really are to know about wood finishing. This is a sound program that Mitch has designed and honed for over 30 years.
Upon re-entering the workforce, I am slowly building my own Wood Finishing business. Now contracting on-site wood finishing work, I feel I have an edge over the local competition. I’ve executed successful spot repairs and attractive interior finishes. I am able to offer many finishing solutions and options on projects old and new from furniture to architectural millwork. My knowledge from N.I.W.F. is used on a daily basis. Everyday I think of new ideas and I am impressed how far this education has already taken me.
Mitch Kohanek is inspiring, passionate and dedicated to teaching you the art and craft of wood finishing. He has instilled in me a level of confidence and a thirst to seek out and learn more about finishing. This program is one of a kind. It has enhanced my quality of life immeasurably. Thanks Mitch. I’ll see you at one of your summer offerings."

Past Grad & Advisory Board member, Tammy Wold visits

2009-06-02T15:08:00.000-05:00

Past Grad, Tammy Wold, came to visit and talk about spraying technique. Tammy graduated in 1980, and was hired on as a touch-up and repair tech at a furniture company in St. Paul, MN where she worked for 2 years. In 1982 she worked as a subcontractor doing refinishing of furniture and residential kitchens. In 1983 she went to work for a refinishing company in St. Paul until 1986 when she opened a small business in Maple Grove, MN. Their main work was prefinishing for other businesses in the industry, cabinetmakers, furniture makers, and store fixture manufactures. In 1998 Tammy went to work as a supervisor of the finishing department for Nevers Industries, a company that manufactures conference room furniture to order. We are also honored to have Tammy as a member of the Dakota County Technical College Advisory Committee, which she joined in 1999.

Wood 1021 Wood Refinishing: Glazing Color

2009-05-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

Glazing is another wood finishing technique, that, at it's base is simply applying a pigment on top of a finish. it can be used to create any number of effects in your wood be it a subtle color shift, to obscuring the grain, adding depth, or distressing furniture to make it look old. Glazing is an invaluable refinishers tool to match colors and a skill that our students learn that will serve them well in the field.

Wood 1026 Advanced Finishing: High Gloss Buffing

2009-05-18T13:11:00.001-05:00

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words! In Advanced Finishing we look to get a very high quality product, you can see here that we mean High Gloss!

Wood 1032 Furniture Conservation: A Visit with Paul Storch, Senior Objects Conservator at the MN Historical Society

2009-05-15T12:54:00.001-05:00

Senior Objects Conservator for the Minnesota Historical Society, Paul Storch, had a great conversation with students today about conservation. You can see Paul showing off one of the fine historical pieces that has come to him. This is a drum from the Civil War that had just come in for testing to establish what might need attention to preserve this historical piece. Here is another fine example of what it meas to involved in conservation.

Wood 1021 Wood Refinishing: Putting it all together

2009-04-22T13:11:00.000-05:00

We are now in wood refinishing! We've gotten through all the other sections and we are at the point where we put it all together. We must establish the need and use of the object, then make informed decisions as to what the appropriate course of action would be, then we execute that plan. You can see that we are stripping and staining some chairs. This is real world, hands on experience, and the students can point to some of these projects as a culmination of their year here at DCTC.

There is a great pride that can be taken in the knowledge that you began a project, planned it out, can justify your decisions and have a beautiful piece of furniture at the end of the process!

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Working field trip to St. Paul's Cathedral

2009-04-18T13:46:00.001-05:00

Getting out into the real world and doing some service with our new found skills is a big part of the NIWF program. Today we took a trip to the Cathedral in St. Paul where the students had the chance to attend to some real wear and tear on actual furniture in a public place.

In the past we have done work at the Governors Mansion, the State Capitol, any number of different churches, The Glensheen Mansion and The Landmark Center to name a few places.

Wood 1032 Furniture Conservation: French Polishing

2009-04-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

In furniture conservation, we teach the conservation techniques I learned at my internship at The Smithsonian Museum. With these techniques we can restore and preserve valuable wooden objects. Among such techniques is French Polishing.

In the Victorian era, French polishing was commonly used on mahogany and other expensive woods, and was considered to be the best possible finish for exclusive furniture. The process was very labor intensive, and many major manufacturers abandoned the technique around the 1920's & 1930's, instead preferring the cheaper and quicker techniques of spray finishing nitrocellulose lacquer and abrasive buffing. Sadly, today, French Polishing is somewhat of a lost art.

Wood 1026 Advanced Finishing : Lori Shade demonstrates distressing

2009-03-31T12:37:00.005-05:00

Lori Shade, from Plato Woodworking, came in today to discuss and demonstrate distressing techniques that they use in the manufacturing and finishing of some of their kitchen cabinets.

Plato Woodwork is a family owned cabinet manufacturer located in Plato, MN. They have been in business since 1893 and have developed quite a reputation, including winning the "Most Imaginative Kitchen Cabinet" award from Women's Day Magazine in 2008. Thanks to Lori for showing off some of their great techniques.

Wood 1021 Wood Refinishing: Caining a Chair

2009-03-31T12:30:00.006-05:00

Cane chairs are not only beautiful but they evoke a sense of history and craftsmanship. There are two kinds of cane seats--those woven by hand with long strands of thin cane and those made of a machine-woven cane sheet. Even if all the original cane is gone from a chair, one tell which type of seat it had. If there is a narrow groove around the seat frame, the chair had machine-woven cane. For years cane chairs were made in the factories but sent out to weavers who would weave the cane seats and backs by hand. Eventually, machines began to do the weaving mechanically. Pre-woven cane makes re-caning a chair a much simpler process, but it still takes patience and a steady hand to bring old cane chairs back to life.

In Wood Refinishing, we learnhow to install both types of cane. We learn a basic 6-step weave for hand caining of chairs, we also learn installation of a factory weave.

Wood 1026 Advanced Finishing: 3M visits to show off their newest spray guns

2009-03-26T13:17:00.007-05:00

3M visited us to demonstrate their latest spray guns. Just one of the benefits of attending the NIWF is that industry leaders come to us to alert us of their latest innovations. With 1 on 1 face time, we can ask questions, observe and try their products.

Wood 1032 Furniture Conservation: Past Grad Seth Stevenson talks antiques

2009-03-25T12:39:00.001-05:00

Past NIWF graduate, and professional antique dealer, Seth Stevenson, came in today to talk about his business in dealing, refinishing, refurbishing and conservation of antiques. Seth was dealing in antiques before he came to DCTC, but decided to take his knowledge, skills, and abilities to the next level by attending the National Institute of Wood Finishing.
Seth is a walking encyclopedia of American Furniture, and it shows when he talks to the class. It has been a lifelong study for him and his expertise pays off.
Seth came in as part of our Furniture Conservation section, because that is such an integral part of the antique business, who better than Seth to talk about it.

Wood 1032 Furniture Consesrvation: Tim Inman visits to discuss and demonstrate restoration techniques

2009-03-24T14:53:00.001-05:00

Tim Inman, from Randolph, Iowa was kind enough to join us to discuss restoration. Here he is showing the students techniques for restoring antique picture frames.

Tim has been in business doing refinishing since 1974. His company, Historic Interiors, offers both custom restoration services to individuals and businesses for antiques and other quality furniture items, including clocks, movements, picture frames, etc., as well as providing specialty products and training to the trade and other active hobbyists. They also make custom reproduction pieces as commissioned.

Tim has served as an advisory board member for the National Institute of Wood Finishing at Dakota County Technical College since the early 1980's

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Mirka visits to demo new products for polishing marble

2009-03-23T12:33:00.001-05:00

A representative from Mirka came in today to demonstrate new materials for removing the scratches from marble. Information like this is so valuable for doing on-site touch-up and spot repair, it just adds another service that the professional touch-up artist can provide.

products are always evolving in this competitive marketplace, we are always happy to have our students getting the 1st hand demonstration of the latest innovations from the professionals!

Wood 1032 Furniture Conservation: Cleaning & Conserving

2009-03-20T14:04:00.000-05:00

Sometimes furniture comes in that doesn't need, or shouldn't be refinished, sometimes preserving the original finish is the way to go. In fact, there can be some wonderful surprises in store when preserving a finish. This chair came in and the goal was to clean the years of grime and build up that had accumulated.

After determining what the finish was, the right solvents and cleansers were chosen, and the chair was meticulously cleaned.

After a bit of careful, skilled work

we discovered beautiful, ornate painting that was previously covered with years of dirt and oil.
Learning to make these decisions of refinish vs. refurbish is something that sets NIWF grads well on their way to a successful career in wood finishing technology.

Wood 1026 Advanced Finishing: Practice Boards & Story Boards

2009-03-20T13:56:00.007-05:00

When it comes to Advanced Finishing, it is so important to get lots of hands on experience. The students get about 20 boards that they must prep and finish using different materials and techniques. From crackle lacquer to varnish and shellac, from dying, staining and glazing; Advanced finishing give a hands on approach to the use of many products wood finishers will encounter.

Another important aspect of Advanced Finishing is to create Story Boards. A Story Board is a recipe, of sorts, for wood finishers. It is a step by step visual and written set of instructions for creating a color, finish or effect on wood. You can see in the picture that each step in the process is masked off, preserving it so that the end result can be obtained again and again. This is a valuable skill for wood finishers because, if done well, any finisher should be able to look at a story board and re-create what has been done in the past without having to do a lot of guess work.

Wood 1026 Advanced Finishing: working our color theory with dyes

2009-02-17T13:31:00.000-06:00

"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence."

-Abigail Adams

The color theory never leaves us, we just get the opportunity to apply it differently. We are in advanced finishing (Wood 1026) and we are, once again, matching colors, but this time we are using dyes instead of pigments. We are still using our color wheel and going about the process the same way to match the hue, value and chroma of the color, only the materials have changed. Exercises like this really solidify color theory and give us a greater understanding of the materials we are using.

Wood 1010 Wood and Finishing Technology: Organic Chemestry

2009-02-13T12:58:00.008-06:00

In Wood and Finishing Technology, we go in-depth into some of the organic chemistry behind finishing products. This knowledge assists students in making decisions about what products to use on what types of finish; how when and why you can and cannot mix chemicals together; what different solvents will do to different finished; what is safe to use on certain finishes and a whole host of other useful information for the professional finisher.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Audrey Vincent comes in to demo König touch-up products

2009-02-06T13:31:00.001-06:00

Alum and König Mid-West Sales Rep, Audry Vincent came in to demonstrate König Touch-Up products. König is a is a family owned business that traces its beginnings to 1892. Located just outside of Frankfurt, Germany, they have been supplying touch-up and repair products for wood, laminates, and other surfaces since 1930. They brought their products to North America in 1996.

In addition to her schooling here at DCTC, Audry has been formally trained by König, so we get to learn first hand how König want us to use their products.

Wood 1026 Advanced Finishing: Ken Boettcher visits to discuss muti-step glazing techniques

2009-02-04T13:10:00.001-06:00

Past graduate and Master Finisher for E Street Makers, Ken Boetcher came in today to discuss and demonstrate some high-end multi-step glazing techniques as well as crackle lacquer.

"I graduated from the DCTC Wood Finishing program in 1982.It's hard to believe that I have been in my chosen profession for 25 years...
My career started as a touch-up/prep person for an imported furniture store,on to a high-end refinishing shop,to a precision match sampling company and then on to my current employer of 16 years E Street Makers."

Ken has visited us at the National Institute of Wood Finishing many times over the years to share his knowledge with the students. Ken says of NIWF, "I use the program as a recruiting platform and as a sounding board for various questions that arise".

"Over the years I have found that hiring someone that has taken the finishing course not only provides an employee that has chosen wood finishing as a profession but also someone that comes in with a basic understanding of the industry.They are easier to train,easier to hand-off special projects to and easier to communicate with."

A big thanks to Ken for his visit, we look forward to the next one!

Wood 1010 Wood and Finishing Technology: Applying Finishes - Spraying

2009-01-30T15:06:00.005-06:00

Understanding how to spray a finish can be a very important part of finishing new wood, or re-finishing. In Wood 1010 - Wood and Finishing Technology, we cover many different spraying techniques, we examine a number of different spray guns and delivery systems, and we learn how to properly maintain our spray guns, including how to disassemble and reassemble our guns.
Students get plenty of opportunity to apply color and finish using many different spray guns that we have here at DCTC. Our shop is equipped with 2 spray booths.

Wood 1015 Spot Repair I: David Wendell Larson visits NIWF for a spot repair demo

2009-01-20T12:19:00.001-06:00

Master spot repair artist David Wendell Larson came to visit and show his more than 45 years of spot repair expertise! David has been self employed since 1957, and has been operating his business in the Twin Cities since 1966, not to mention that he was the furniture conservator for the Groves Collection from 1976 to 1984 and for the Norwest Corporation of Arts Program from 1988 to 1998. He was a Member of the George Frank Study Tour to China in 1987 and to Paris & London in 1994. He is a contributor to Professional Refinishing magazine, and we are pleased to have him on our Advisory board as well. David is always a welcome addition to our classroom, we thank him for his visit, and look forward to next time!

Past Grad Dave Smith takes on The Office Credenza

2009-01-17T14:52:00.016-06:00

Past Grad and owner of Fresh Air Finishers in South St. Paul, Dave Smith, shared one of his past projects with us. Dave had to take care of some problems in this office, all the work had to be performed on-site, so here is a brief overview of a day in the life of an NIWF grad.
You can see that there was blushing, peeling and cracking on the finish.

So after masking off the office, it is time to strip the old finish that is failing

Then, after careful preparation, it is time to apply color and spray the new finish.
After much hard work, Dave's skilled hand returns the office back to it's rightful owners looking brand new!

Great work Dave, Thanks for sharing your work with us!

Wood 1010 Wood and Finishing Technology: Wood Identification

2009-01-17T14:42:00.002-06:00

Wood & Finishing Technology is one of the most involved sections of the program. In this sections we cover so many topics; one of those is Wood Identification. Wood ID is important because different wood reacts differently to chemicals, stains, dyes and many other things. Wood, as an organic object, is not all created equally, and it is imperative that students know how to work with different woods and what precautions might need to be taken with certain woods, whether they are finishing, doing wood working, or trying to avoid possible health hazards.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Jerry Behrens visits DCTC Wood Finishing Program to talk about touch-up work

2008-12-11T12:27:00.001-06:00

Jerry Behrens was in talking with the students about some advance touch-up. He was happy to share his years of expertise with the class, do a demo, and was open for questions. Jerry, a former grad of NIWF (class of 1989), has also served on the NIWF board since 1992.

Jerry was the Touch-Up Technician for Gepharts Furniture, until he accepted a position as a Technical Sales Representative with Mohawk Finishing Products Inc. in 1992, he was awarded the National workshop instructor Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Rep, and Goal Buster in his first year with Mohawk! He was also a three time member of the President's Club (top 5 in company). Next Jerry accepted the Vice President position with national franchiser Kitchen Tune-up where he does technical training for new franchises and on-going support for existing franchises.
He has also wrote, produced, and hosted two Wood Restoration Videos.

Wood 1007 Methods of Fastening: Re-Glueing a chair

2008-12-05T14:07:00.000-06:00

Methods of Fastening covers the dismantling and rebuilding of furniture joints. In wood working (Wood 1004) we learned how to repair or replace furniture components, now we take those repaired or replaced components and rebuild our furniture. Here you can see some chairs being re-glued.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: DCTC visits Schniederman's Furniture

2008-12-03T07:09:00.001-06:00

NIWF students went on a field trip to Schniederman's Furniture warehouse and meet some of the graduates of the NIWF program. Kathy Morse (in the green shirt), a past graduate and now employee of Schniedermans gave us a tour of the warehouse and demonstrated some repair techniques as well. There were opportunities for the students to try these new techniques with the Master Technicians.

A Master Leather Technician at Schniederman's shows the students real world leather repair techniques on furniture that is soon to hit the showroom floor.

Students get lots of opportunities to see professionals working, it is crucial that they see the hows and whys of the entire process. To go out and see masters making a living using the same skills that they are learning at the National Institute of Wood Finishing in invaluable!

Wood 1004 Wood Working: Being Creative

2008-11-28T12:47:00.000-06:00

Sometimes when we are making components for our furniture, we need to be creative. Here we needed a bead for a chair, instead of using the lathe for this small piece, we decided to do the work on the drill press.
Getting the detail of the bead was crucial to achieve the right look, we were at a loss for the exact right tool, so we made our own from a piece of tool steel. The drill press spun the bead, it was anchored below by a dowel, then the scraper was fed into the piece, while being stabilized by the block of wood behind it.
It is just this kind on craftsmanship that is needed when taking on antiques, as each piece was usually hand made and unique.

Wood 1004 Wood Working: Making Components

2008-11-25T12:57:00.000-06:00

We are in the thick of our 4th of 9 sections. This is Wood Working (Wood 1004) where we start the section by learning how to sharpen out hand tools such as chisels, block plains, cabinet scrapers and just about anything that needs sharpening. After that the goal is to repair damaged wooden components, or, if something is missing, we must replace that piece. We work with both hand tools and power tools, including wood lathes, band saws, routers, table saws as well as hand saws, files, rasps, chisels and many others to hone our skills as wood workers so that we can re-create the original look and feel of furniture that has been worn, or damaged.
You can see in the photos, students are working in the power tool room creating various parts to go into repair work, or working with hand tools making new components. We also focus on veneer repair and hand joinery. Understanding of how furniture is constructed is an important part of knowing how to fix it in an authentic manner.
Although we do not build furniture in this section, we are re-creating almost an part of it in order to complete our repairs.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: DCTC Vists HOM Furniture

2008-11-05T14:25:00.001-06:00

HOM Furniture employs several NIWF graduates. Today we are going on a working field trip to learn about the life of Spot Repair Technitions in the warehouse. The day was full of learning new techniques and the students having a chance to use their new skills of wood, leather and vinyl repair.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Leather Repair

2008-11-05T13:19:00.000-06:00

Spot repair wouldn't be complete without a working knowledge or leather and vinyl repair, as well as an understanding of upholstery. In Spot Repair II (Wood 1019) we cover Vinyl & leather repair. You can see the students working hard to repair and hide the damage done to these leather chair pads.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Bondo fills on a chair

2008-11-05T12:27:00.022-06:00

In Spot Repair II we are looking to do problem solving with our furniture. One option would be to replace the broken section or piece with a new piece of wood as we do in our "Wood 1004 Wood Working" class, but for Spot Repair, we are going to look to Bondo to fill and repair this chair. Bondo makes a durable repair, especially for larger repairs in high traffic areas or on edges where you need a strong repair.
Here you can see there was a pretty sizable chunk of the chair missing.

After mixing up some Bondo, we trowel it into the damaged area

Next we get a rough shape of the chair

Then we refine the shape, and prep the Bondo.

Next we paint in a background color and get ready to in-paint, where we mimic the appearance of wood.

The finished product should be unnoticeable to the untrained eye, with the look, feel and durability of the wood, as if the damage had never happened.

Wood 1032 Furniture Conservation: NIWF and the Minnesota Institute of Arts National Antique Show

2008-10-27T12:34:00.001-05:00

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts was conducting their 25th Annual National Antique Show October 23rd through October 26th. This show has some of the finest furniture, art work, jewelry, paintings and glassware that you can find.

The DCTC students have portered in these valuable artifacts for every one of those 25 shows. It has been very rewarding being a part of this show and the opportunity to handle millions of dollars worth of art. The dealers involved with this show have always been willing to share their knowledge with the students.

Andrew Wellesley (red shirt) from Lake Forrest Illinois always has some really wonderful furniture. Andrew is always willing to stop and answer questions about the history of the pieces he sells. The chest on chest has a date written inside the cabinet with the makers name and the date of 1795

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Leather and Vinyl Repair

2008-10-24T12:15:00.001-05:00

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II would not be complete without having leather and vinyl repair. A Furniture Service Technician needs to be ready for damage that occurs to wood, coatings on wood, upholstery, leather and vinyl.

Studying leather samples is an important part of identifying various leathers. All leather is not repaired the same way.

NIWF Advisory board member Ken Norgaard is sharing his leather repair skills with the students. Ken is employed by Mohawk Finishing Products.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Graduates returning to teach the new students

2008-10-24T12:08:00.000-05:00

Graduates continually return to DCTC to share their knowledge. Wilfried Hien and Josh Boyer are back sharing their new skills learned since leaving school. Both Wil and Josh are employed by HOM Furniture.

Hom Furniture has hired several graduates from the Wood Finishing Program. Here you see Rosendo Delgadillo, Delivery Prep Manager from HOM Furniture addressing the new students about employment possibilities.

And don't think it's just lecture and discussion, we get to see these pro's in action!

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Upholstery Repair

2008-10-24T11:41:00.000-05:00

Along with repairing damaged wood, this class also involves minor upholstery repairs. The photo on the top photo shows Joe Renchin, a Wood Finishing Advisory Board Member, sharing his knowledge of 35 years of upholstery.

Wood 1019 Spot Repair II: Large Damage to Wood

2008-10-24T10:43:00.000-05:00

Wood 1019 Spot Repair:

This class instucts students how to repair large damaged areas of wood. Polyester fills are one of many methods of returning the damaged areas to their original shape. They must then have a faux finish applied which color matching and inpainting.

Wood 1015 Spot Repair I: Nick, dent and scratch repair

2008-10-13T10:49:00.000-05:00

The second class of the year is Wood 1015 Spot Repair I. The students are learning the art of scratch, nick and dent repair. Several different methods of achieving the repair of small damaged wood and coatings. Each student will purchase their own repair kit and repair several different species of wood. One method of repair is using the traditional "burn in". method. It involves a hot knife and melting a colored plastic stick into the scratch. Once the excess stick is removed, in-painting is needed. This involves painting in fine lines to recreate the grain pattern of the wood that is missing.

Wood 1012 Color Theory: A color matching class.

2008-10-13T10:24:00.000-05:00

The first class of the year is Wood 1012 Color Theory. In this class we discuss the terminolgy of the artist, and then complete a series of laboratory sessions at their benches to put the theory to practice. The photo shows a number of panels that each studentis required to duplicate.

Short term Wood Finishing Classes

2008-10-07T09:29:00.000-05:00

Here is the DCTC summer session classes for 2009. Please go to http://www.woodfinishing.org/ for detailed information on each class, registration and housing.

Color Matching: $465.00
June 29th – 30th 2009
Instructor: Mitch Kohanek

Introduction to Spot Repair: $465.00
July 1st – 2nd 2009
Instructor: Mitch Kohanek

Restoration, Chemistry and Technology of Transparent Furniture Coatings: $750.00
July 7th – 10th 2009
Instructors: Donald C. Williams, Mitch Kohanek

Hands on Finishing: $750.00
July 13th – 17th 2009
Instructor: Mitch Kohanek

Advanced Finishing: $750.00
July 20th – 24th 2009
Instructors: Greg Johnson, Mitch Kohanek

Spraying Equipment and Techniques: $465.00
July 27th – 28th 2009
Instructors: David Smith, Mitch Kohanek

Piano Grain Filled Finish: $465.00
July 29th – 30th 2009
Instructors: Kevin Hancock, Mitch Kohanek

Follow us through the year and see what our students learn

2008-10-04T14:21:00.000-05:00

This blog is designed to show a prospective student what the NIWF experience is. You can follow our curriculum throughout the year by class title. The 9 month program is broken up into nine classes:
Wood 1012 Color Theory
Wood 1015 Spot Repair I
Wood 1019 Spot Repair II
Wood 1004 Wood Working
Wood 1007 Methods of Fastening
Wood 1010 Wood and Finishing Technology
Wood 1026 Advanced Finishing
Wood 1032 Furniture Conservation
Wood 1021 Wood Refinishing

Most of the blog posts will be titled with the corresponding class, so if you want to know what goes on in any of these classes, stay tuned and see first hand what and how we learn!

On a side note, NIWF offers a Furniture Service Technician certificate program for completing the first three courses (Color Theory, Spot Repair I & Spot Repair II). Furniture Service Technicians repair minor damage (referred to as spot repair) to wood, vinyl, leather and fabric. Spot repair usually involves (but is certainly not limited to) repairs such as minor water damage, scratches, nicks, dents, cigarette burns, or even a fairly large damaged area such as the corner of a table. These repairs are made by filling the void with a solid material and applying color to it, matching the surrounding area. Leather and vinyl repair is done much the same way. Upholstery can be repaired without having to re-upholster the entire piece.
Furniture refurbishing means cleaning (instead of stripping) furniture and furniture maintenance (polishing and waxing).
Furniture Service Technicians may work at the customer's home site, in furniture stores, or in a workshop. Possible job opportunities include self-employment, furniture stores or outlets, or an existing furniture service business. While total furniture restoration requires a workshop setting, the Furniture Service Technician can work from a small toolbox.

Welcome to the National Institute of Wood Finishing

2008-10-03T10:58:00.001-05:00

Hello,

This is the first blog coming from the National Institution of Wood Finishing at Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) in Rosemount Minnesota.

It is a nine month program that began in 1970 by the State of Minnesota. To my knowledge it is the only certified nine month post secondary Wood Finishing Technology program in the USA.

It is dedicated to preparing individuals for the wood finishing industry including: the finishing of new wood products, the conservation, restoration, refinishing of "old' wood, and the repairing of damaged wood and damaged coatings - old or new.

Stay tuned for more information about this program and the educational "hands on" wood finishing courses that I offer for the hobbyist, the professional and those who want to be a professional finisher.

Mitch Kohanek
http://www.woodfinishing.org/
http://www.dctc.edu/