A vivid and very effective finish for furniture as well as for the
trim of some rooms is white enamel. It is used on new work and also
in re-finishing old furniture and other woodwork. In the latter
case the old finish, whatever it may be, must be removed and the
surfaces thoroughly sand-papered. But whether the wood be old or
not, a satisfactory enamel finish cannot be produced by using the
white varnish alone, since, like all other varnishes, it is somewhat
transparent. It is necessary, first, to coat the wood with flat
white--a paint made of white lead with some zinc oxide for hardening
and thinned with turpentine. Oil should not be used in any part of
the process. Three coats of this paint will generally be needed to
produce the right surface for the final finish. Each of these coats
should be allowed to dry and become well hardened. Two or three days,
better still a week, should be allowed for hardening between coats,
since insufficient hardening leads to cracks in the subsequent coats
and develops a tendency to chip off. When a surface is ready for the
enamel, only one coat of it should be applied, and that should be given
not less than one week to harden before it is exposed to wear. Enamel
is simply a good varnish coloured with zinc oxide ground in varnish. It
may be thinned, if necessary, with turpentine, and it is applied with a
brush like any other varnish.