Hand Pad to Enhance the Woodgrain

Hand pad (hand padding) in the wood finishing is the application stain by padding. Hand pad is a handwork process to make more “life-look” and to give the art touch for the finishing. A cloth (usually a special cloth) is dipped into the special stain until it is wet, and then the damp cloth is padded to color the surface part. The color result depends on the stain color and how we apply the wet cloth. There are some finishing effects that can be obtained, but basically we can divide it into 2 things: to make a smudge effect and to enhance the grain. About the hand pad to make an antique effect, you can go to our previous article, “smudge pad for wood finishing”. Now in this article we want to share about hand pads to enhance the grain to make the wood grain stronger look and make the finishing look more lifelike. 

The hand padding will give the “uneven” coloring result; it depends on how we apply the rag. We can smear the stain according to the part and area we want. We can do hand pads according to the grain pattern to enhance the grain. There are two methods of hand pad operation: it is done directly on the raw wood or done on the surface sealer or top coat. A hand pad done on the raw wood will produce a more natural appearance if it is done properly, but it is more difficult to be controlled. We cannot see the hand pad result at the time we do the hand pad, since there are still some followed with other finishing processes; if we make some mistakes at this step, we cannot correct it. Then a proper and clear step panel is the important tool to control the process. 

While the hand pad on sealer or top coat is easier to be controlled. We can see the staining result at the time we do the hand padding. We can use this technique to add color at the color setting to make the final color more even at the finished product. For this purpose, a special stain called "pad stain" is used. It is the alcohol stain that could color the sealer and lacquer without too "biting" the film. (See our previous article: pad stain for wood finishing). But however, we still need the step panel to control the process and make sure we got the proper color and look.

The process of hand pad can be seen in the pictures below.

the raw wood panel that is ready to be hand padded

the cloth is dampened with the stain

the stain is padded at the wood panel

the stain is reduced and smoothed with sandpaper.

the hand pad result

the panel after sealer application

the stain is padded at the panel

the final color result after hand padding

The considered things in the hand padding.

•  Consider the grain pattern of the wood.

No matter how well we do hand pads, it will not be able to replace the wood grain appearance. The purpose of the handpad is to enhance and maximize the beauty of the wood grain. Therefore, it should be done according to the pattern of the existing wood grain. For the wood very strong character, we can do stronger padding. The more concentrated stain can be applied and the more thick stain can be made because it will blend with the strong character of the grain. But to wood with a vague grain, then the hand pad should be done more carefully. Make sure the handpad stain is not to strong and “artificially looked.”.

• Consider the form and shape.

The purpose of the hand is to enhance the beauty of the furniture. The hand pad is also purposed to make the product more lifelike and beautiful. Then the handpad is also needed to accord with the furniture shape and form. Make sure we understand the concept of the design, then we can add the artistic touch by the handpad.

•  Consider the final color of the finishing.

Hand pad is the application of stain that will always change the color and appearance of finishing. The process should be done with consideration to the final color at the finishing. Always make a step panel and see the final finish results before doing this process to the product.