This is the essential guide for everyone who loves to build but hates to finish. Woodworking's premier finishing instructor takes the mystery out of finishing, and helps you to avoid costly and frustrating mistakes. Teri Masaschi shows you how to choose, use, and apply the perfect finish in more than 50 easy-to-follow exercises. Discover how to determine the best finish for your project, prepare your wood, fix minor defects, avoid uneven results, and circumvent common wood-coloring pitfalls. Also included are more than 20 "recipes" for creating timeless looks such as deep antique cherry or nut brown mahogany.