Finishing

At the Rex Lumber Company, we are able to provide custom sealing, priming, staining and topcoat finishes to almost all types of mouldings using our spray finishing line. Many expert finishers recommend that the best time to apply finish to wood is immediately after machining when it is clean and dry in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment. We wholeheartedly agree and have been priming in our vacuum coater since 1995. Our spray finishing line has been delivering superior quality since 2008.

We Work to Your Specifications

Like all of our other value-added operations, we work to your specifications to meet your needs. Most mouldings that pass through the finishing line are sanded using our wide belt sander and/or our profile sander prior to having finish applied. Exceptions to this general rule include some interior and exterior paint grade mouldings that are being primed or perhaps even a flat topcoat and stain and clear coat that is being used in a lower end application by the end user.

Sanding

We generally recommend sanding all high-end mouldings prior to finishing. Once a moulding is run and sanded, it is brought into our finishing room, which is in a separate section of one of our millwork facilities. The finishing room is separated from the main section of mill to prevent dust and other foreign particles from contaminating the millwork as it is being finished. Having a separate finishing room also allows us as to maintain the appropriate temperature and humidity for finishes to cure properly. The finishing line is set-up custom for each run depending on the size and shape of the moulding, the species of lumber and type of finish being applied. Anywhere from one to six spray heads are used to apply the finish on up to three sides of the moulding in a single pass. The spray pattern, location and number of spray heads used varies depending on the moulding. As the moulding exits the finishing line, it is fed into our automatic stacker, and then fed into drying racks. Once a drying rack is full, it is removed. Depending on the type of finish, the moulding is either left to air dry or put into our 40’ x 60’ drying room to speed up the process. Once the finish is dried, the material is then ready to be packaged, buffed, and/or have the next step of finish applied.

Custom Finishing

When we provide custom finishing, the finish on the first and last piece of any given run will be consistent. A moulding that has a multiple step finish will have to pass through the finishing line multiple times. An example of this process is a Hard Maple Casing to be sealed and have two coats of clear pre-catalyzed lacquer topcoat on the exposed faces. The first step is to sand the exposed faces of the mouldings. The second step is to seal all four sides; this will require two passes through the finisher. The first pass will apply sealer to the back of the moulding then, after drying, the moulding it is put back through the finisher to apply sealer to the exposed faces. After drying the moulding will be sent through the profile sanders, but instead of sanding to remove knife marks, the moulding is sanded with buffing wheels to smooth out the sealer. The next step puts the moulding back through the finisher, this time the first coat of Pre-Cat Lacquer is applied, and the moulding is allowed to dry. At this point, depending on our customers’ specifications, the moulding may be buffed again before the final topcoat, or it may just receive the final topcoat.

Any Finish You Want

We can spray almost any type of finish available. The list includes both water and solvent based (oil/alkyd based) finishes for both interior and exterior applications. The types of finishes we can apply include, but are not limited to primers, sealers, stains, dyes, bleaching oils, pre & post catalyzed lacquers (both clear and tinted), paints, and fire-retardant coatings.

If you provide us with your finishing specifications, including all stain numbers and topcoat numbers, then we will be able to use the same finish as any other components being produced for the job. At Rex Lumber Company we use a wide array of finishing products.

We have the ability to color and finish matching to a sample that you provide us. This takes extra time to create a match and provide samples for approval. Additional costs may apply to get sample runs of finish and sample run of moulding.

AdvantagesLet Us Apply Finish vs In Your Shop

Applied using state of the art properly calibrated equipment.
Operators well trained on equipment operation and product use.
Consistent coating thickness.
Applied in temperature and humidity-controlled environment.
Applied to freshly machined wood surface at proper feed/coverage rates.
Identified costs and reduced labor in shop or at jobsite.
No VOC’s at jobsite.

The capacity of our spray line is between 1/4” and 3-1/2” thick, and 1” and 11-1/2” in width.

FRT Coatings

With Rex Lumber Company’s extensive millwork capabilities, we can coat almost all profiles, panels or components with a fire retardant coating.

We offer primer with fire retardant additives. Clear fire retardant coatings are also available. For large projects, yields can be improved and waste reduced by pre-selecting and pre-ripping /crosscutting blanks before fire retardant treatment.