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- Arm-R-Seal

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General Finishes, Wood Stains and Finishes

General Finishes make the finest wood finishes in America. They are easy to use, the colours are fabulous and the top coats are strong and long wearing. Whether you want the bold, luscious colours of water based paints and stains or the classic traditional wood tones of our wipe-on oil base finishes, we have the finish for you. Our Environmentally Friendly products now offer Green Technology.

Popular Products

Gel Stain
Milk Paint
Glaze Effect
Outdoor Oil

Gel Stain
Easy-to-use stains simply wipe on with a cloth or foam brush. Formulated with a combination of pigments, oils, and urethanes to produce a durable and beautiful  finish.

EF Milk Paint
Interior / exterior acrylic paints suitable for indoor or outdoor furniture, crafts, and cabinets.
Produce a high quality satin sheen finish

EF Glaze Effects
Translucent water based colours used to create beautiful decorative finishes such as distressing, marble, shabby chic, & more. Burnt Umber Glaze over Antique white Milk Paint shown.
Outdoor Oil
Exterior-rated penetrating linseed oil. UV stabilizers, mildew prohibitors, and twice the oil contained in competing brands.
For all outdoor wood projects, particularly wood furniture.
Arm-R-Seal
Handi-Painter Pads
H.P. Top Coat
Orange Oil

Arm-R-Seal
Urethane topcoats made with the highest quality urethane resin. Extremely durable. Formulated to be wiped on with a cloth or applied with a foam brush. Penetrate to provide deep down protection and that " natural" look.

Painter Pads
Painter paint pads are THE BEST applicators for large surfaces, way better than foam brushes! Can be split in two.

H. P. Top Coat
Winner of Fine Woodworking's Best Overall Choice Award. The hardest, most durable consumer polyurethane top coat on the market today. Contains a UV Stabilizer. Can be used on floors.
Orange Oil
Very popular. Can be used on any finish and does a superb job of removing everyday dirt and dust. All natural, non-combustible and made from real orange rinds.

Stockists

Classic Hand Tools

Classic Hand Tools stockist of excellent woodworking tools and supplies. Exhibit at many shows.
Address: 77 High Street, Needham Market, Suffolk, IP6 8AN. Tel: 01449 721 327.
Direct online shop link. 

The ToolPost

The ToolPost specialise in the supply of quality tools and equipment for woodturners, carvers and woodworkers. Address: Unit 7, Hawksworth, Southmead Industrial Park, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 7HR. Tel: 01235 511 101.
Turners Retreat Turners Retreat first for wood, tools, abrasives, finishes, machinery, project supplies and safety equipment.
Address: Brunel Close, Harworth, Nottinghamshire, DN11 8QA, UK. Phone: 01302 744 344.

Go Green With General Finishes Environmentally Friendly Products: Most of our General Finishes and Enduro Water Based products now meet four of the American green standards. For details see our Go Green With General Finishes Environmentally Friendly Products pdf. (Note some products are only available by special order).

Exterior 450 Performance Data: See our detailed Performance Data for our new Exterior 450 finish designed for exterior wood applications, Exterior 450 varnish provides your wood with a tough, protective finish that will withstand the rigors of the sun, rain, and wind. Ideal for outdoor furniture, doors, and case goods.

Foolproof Wood Finishing

Suggested Wood Finishing Book: We recommend this book "Foolproof Wood Finishing by Teri Masaachi". RRP £11.99, ISBN 978-1-56523-303-4. You can order direct from GMC Publications or by calling 01273 488 005. See sample pages (reproduced with permission).: Applying Quick-Dry Wiping Stains - page 61 - Applying Gel Pigment Stains - page 63 - Applying Non-Grain-Raising Dyes by Hand - page 70 - Soft Rub-Out for Penetrating Wipe-On Finishes - page 122.

New Wood Finishing Info Forum: We have launched a wood finishing forum Wood Finishing Info at www.woodfinishing.info for supporting our product and encourage user discussion. As a small incentive one random active user will win some free products of their choice (details in 'General Finishes Announce' forum). For questions about our products please now use our 'General Finishes Global Discussion & Support' forum.

The Country Color range is being discontinued: Stocks shown in the store are final amounts available. Due to this we are offering buy 2 get 1 free. Please add your first and second choice for your free Country Color in the 'Any Delivery Instructions' comment field at checkout. We will always try to supply your first choice.

Factory Photo : Below is a photo of the new manufacturing facility in East Troy, Wisconsin which opened in 2006. For more info see our History page.

General Finishes, East Troy, Wisconsin
Completed East Troy factory, 2007.

Review: Ian Taylor in The Woodworker, August 2007 builds a Country-Style table and uses General Finishes Milk Paints and Water Based Top Coat to create a distressed finish. "The process worked very well, and for a first attempt I was pleased with it. I’ll definitely try it again – a matching pine storage chest has been added to my future projects list. There’s a wide range of options with this finish." See full review pdf.

Free Draw: Sign up for our newsletter for news, offers, tips and regular free prize draws. (Sorry prize draw limited to Mainland Britain only).

Stock: We now stock the larger (946ml / Quart) sizes of our popular Gel Stains, Outdoor Oil (great for garden furniture), Butcher Block Oil and Cherry Danish Oil.

Review: The Woodworker, March 2007. Review of range, testing High Performance, Arm-R-Seal and Gel Stain. "Pros: High quality and big range. Cons: Not yet available in the shops. Recommended". See full review pdf. See stockists above!

Review: Water Based High Performance rated "Author's Best Overall Choice" by Fine Woodworking Magazine Nov / Dec 2006. Trade enquires, please see our Trade page.

The Product Ranges

Water Based Finishes
Oil Based Finishes
Enduro Industrial Waterborne Wood Finishes

Water Based Finishes
Waterbase Top Coats, Wood Stains, Country Colors, Milk Paints, Glaze Effects and Crackle.

Oil Based Finishes
Wipe-on Liquid Top Coats, Gel Stains & Top Coats, Salad Bowl Finish, Outdoor Oil, and Danish Oils.

Enduro Industrial
Waterborne Finishes
Industrial Stains, Acrylic Top Coats, Undercoats, Milk Paints, Glaze Effects & more.

Water Based Products