Pro tip: I was buffing for years before I saw my reflection in a client's window

I was finishing a big oak table for a lady in Tacoma last week, working in her garage with the door open. I was doing my usual final buff with a white pad, thinking it looked great. Then I caught the table's reflection in her kitchen window in the afternoon sun and saw a ton of tiny swirl marks I'd missed. I guess the light in my shop just isn't as good. Now I always check the finish in direct sunlight before I call it done. Anyone else have a trick for spotting defects you normally miss?

2 comments

2 Comments

sarahjenkins7d ago

Feel your pain so much on this one. Sunlight is the most brutal inspector there is, it shows every single thing. I started using a really bright LED work light at a low angle after a similar disaster with a desk. It casts those long shadows and shows every imperfection you smoothed right over. That garage light will lie to you every single time.

burns.sage7d ago

My buddy painted his whole kitchen in the evening under warm bulbs. It looked perfect. Next morning, the sun hit it and you could see every single brush stroke and a patch he missed by the window. He had to redo the whole wall. That garage light is a total trickster.