You'll need to sand furniture repeatedly between coats when applying this finish.
According to Jeff Jewitt of the website Wood Central, a mission finish refers to a process where craftsmen expose the wood furniture to very powerful ammonia fumes in an airtight room. This type of finish shaded softer woods and created a more uniform tone throughout the wood. Luckily you don't need to use ammonia fumes to recreate this style of finish. A more modern method allows you to create this type of coloring and even tone while highlighting the grain of the wood. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Rub 150 grit sandpaper across the surface area of the wood furniture. Fill a spray bottle with distilled water and spray the furniture evenly to help raise the grain. Rub 180 grit sandpaper all over the surface of the wood.
2. Blast the exterior of the furniture with a can of compressed air. Apply a light or dark mission style stain to the furniture with a 3 inch nylon brush to give the furniture a distinctive undertone. Let the stain soak into the wood and then wipe up the excess pigment with a very soft cloth. Allow it to dry for eight hours. Sand it with 320 grit sandpaper. Wash off your nylon brush.
3. Apply a coat of 2-lb. cut colored shellac with your nylon brush. Select any color of shellac you want. Allow the shellac to dry completely and then sand it with 320 grit paper. Then apply a second coat, letting it dry completely. Run a vacuum across the surface of the furniture to suck up any dust.
4. Mix 1 cup of brown glaze with 1/2 cup black glaze in a small pan. Apply it lightly to the furniture, going in the direction of the grain. Blot up the excess glaze with a cloth. Allow the glaze to dry for at least 12 hours.
5. Spray a finishing coat of uncolored shellac over the glaze. Allow it to dry for a full 24 hours. Dip a wad of 0000 steel wool into a paste wax and coat the furniture with a light layer of wax. Buff it to a shine.
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