In Part I of this series on wood stains and finishes, we shared 11 examples of displays we fabricated out of wood that featured different types of stains, washes and finishes. If you missed Part I, be sure to check it out here. Today we’ll show 13 more examples of different wood finishes we have used on POP displays that we have manufactured in our millwork shop. As we pointed out in our last post, this is not an exhaustive set of examples. Rather, it is intended to provide to communicate just a few of the possibilities for how wood POP displays can be finished. Generally, these finishes are readily available, and most are reasonably cost-effective to execute.
The 3 examples shown below all have white painted finishes. These were done with a high gloss white paint to create a high-end look. The first two examples are apparel tables we built for Maidenform. The third example is shelf display we made for Dr. Harvey’s. These types of glossy white finishes tend to be more expensive since they require multiple coats are more labor-intensive.
Bamboo is a great eco-friendly alternative to solid wood or plywood. It’s generally not stained, nor are the edges typically finished. The example below is made of clear coated carbonized bamboo.
The example below shows the other kind of common bamboo which is called “natural.” Similar to the example above, it is simply finished with a clear coat.
The Natural Balance display shown below was meant to look rough and unfinished. We used raw plywood and just added a sealer.
The Landmark Vineyards wine display below is just another example of pine wood finished with a golden oak stain.
The product risers shown below were finished with a light cherry stain. It’s much more transparent than the Buddy Fruits dark cherry stain discussed in Part I of this series.
Most of the displays we make with MDF use a melamine or a laminate finish. These finishes are typically black, white, cherry, maple, etc. It is possible to get these finishes in almost any color so in many ways it is easier to match a particular color than if the unit is stained. The downside is it does not look quite as natural as the wood fixtures with stain or wash finishes.
The 3-panel display shown below was built using solid pine wood for the frame. The dark brown stain we used provides a good contrast to the lighter pegboard panels. The shelf display below uses the same stain and just provides another example of this stain on a different unit.
The VIXS Swimwear display below was built out of mahogany. We used a similar stain to the stain we used on the above display, but you can see it has a bit of a different look because of the difference in wood species.
Finally, the shelf display below is made of pine wood and has no finish. Because it has no sealer the wood will likely darken over time.
There are a wide variety of stains and washes that can create interesting looks for your POP display. Stains and washes can be blended, diluted and color matched to achieve a custom look.
Jim Hollen is the owner and President of RICH LTD. (www.richltd.com), a 35+ year-old California-based point-of-purchase display, retail store fixture, and merchandising solutions firm which has been named among the Top 50 U.S. POP display companies for 9 consecutive years. A former management consultant with McKinsey & Co. and graduate of Stanford Business School, Jim Hollen has served more than 3000 brands and retailers over more than 20 years and has authored nearly 500 blogs and e-Books on a wide range of topics related to POP displays, store fixtures, and retail merchandising.
Jim has been to China more than 50 times and has worked directly with more than 30 factories in Asia across a broad range of material categories, including metal, wood, acrylic, injection molded and vacuum formed plastic, corrugated, glass, LED lighting, digital media player, and more. Jim Hollen also oversees RICH LTD.’s domestic manufacturing operation and has experience manufacturing, sourcing, and importing from numerous Asian countries as well as Vietnam and Mexico.
His experience working with brands and retailers spans more than 25 industries such as food and beverage, apparel, consumer electronics, cosmetics/beauty, sporting goods, automotive, pet, gifts and souvenirs, toys, wine and spirits, home improvement, jewelry, eyewear, footwear, consumer products, mass market retail, specialty retail, convenience stores, and numerous other product/retailer categories.