refers to the process of embellishing and/or protecting the surface of a wooden material.

Once the wood surface is prepared and stained, a number of coats of finish may be applied, often sanding between coats. Commonly used wood finishes include wax, shellac, drying oils (such as linseed oil or tung oil), lacquer, varnish, or paint. Other finishes called "oil finish" or "Danish Oil" are actually thin varnishes with a relatively large amount of oil and solvent. Water-based finishes can cause what is called "raising the grain" where surface fuzz emerges and requires sanding down.

Finally the surface may be polished or buffed using steel wool, pumice, rottenstone and other polishing or rubbing compounds depending on the shine desired. Often, a final coat of wax can be applied over the finish to add a slight amount of protection.

French polishing is not polishing as such, but a method of applying many thin coats of shellac using a rubbing pad, yielding a very fine glossy finish.

Special tools used to apply wood finishes include rags, rubbing pads, brushes, and spray guns.

Manufacturers who mass produce products implement automated flatline finish systems that run a on a conveyor belt that first begin by being sanded, then dust is removed, and the wood finish is applied via automated spray guns in an enclosed environment or spray cabin. The material then can enter an oven or be sanded again depending on the manufacturer's setup. The material can also be re-entered into the assembly line to apply another coat of finish or continue in a system that adds successive coats depending on the layout of the production line.

Additionally two very common methods of automating the wood finishing process are: the Hangline approach and the Towline approach.

With the Hangline approach, wood items being painted or finished are hung by carriers or hangers which are attached to a conveyor system that moves the items overhead or above the floor space. The conveyor itself can be ceiling mounted, wall mounted or supported by floor mounts. A simple overhead conveyor system can be designed to move wood products through several wood finishing processes in a continuous loop. Typical wood finishing processes would include sanding, staining, lacquer and sealing. The Hangline approach to automated wood finishing also allows you the option of moving items up to the warmer air space at the ceiling level to speed up drying process.

The Towline approach to automating wood finishing uses mobile carts that are propelled by conveyors which are mounted in or on the floor. This approach is very useful for moving large, awkward shaped wood products that are difficult or impossible to lift or hang overhead, items such as four-legged wood furniture.

The mobile carts used in the Towline approach can be designed with top platens that rotate either manually or automatically. The rotating top platens allow the operator to have easy access to all sides of the wood item throughout the various wood finishing processes such as sanding, painting and sealing.