At Rex Lumber, we’re here to help you serve your customers better. In addition to high-quality lumber and mouldings, we also offer custom priming and finishing services, saving you time and money.
We use a climate-controlled facility and guarantee quality control no matter the size of the order. The first piece and last piece will look identical, so you can rest assured that you are providing your customers with exceptional lumber products.
Why Let Us Do the Finishing?
Finishing at Rex vs. finishing in your own shop means:
- Top-tier equipment, always properly calibrated
- Skilled operators who know the machinery and products
- Even coating every time — no brush marks or inconsistencies
- Applied in ideal temperature and humidity conditions
- Finishes go on freshly milled surfaces for the best bond
- Saves time and labor in your shop or on the job site
- Keeps VOCs off your job site
Priming Services
Looking to save time and get a great finish on your wood products right from the start? Our priming services at Rex Lumber are a smart choice whether you’re working with basic boards or intricate mouldings. We can prime wood between 1/4″ and 2-3/4″ thick, and from 1/2″ to 11-3/4″ wide, so chances are we’ve got your project covered.
The best time to prime wood is when it’s freshly milled, dry, and clean — exactly the way we do it. Our standard white primer is specially designed to:
- Bond tightly to bare wood
- Seal the surface and prevent the topcoat from soaking in
- Provide an even base for painting
Our standard primer works with both water-based and oil-based topcoats, and we offer both interior and exterior primers. Our exterior primer includes a mildewcide and stain blockers to help prevent tannins and other natural wood compounds from bleeding through.
If our standard priming doesn’t meet your needs, we can buff the surface, sometimes called denibbing, for an additional fee. For buffing, the moulding is passed through a separate machine which uses special heads made of sandpaper and brushes to scuff the surface, providing a smoother coat for glossy, higher-end finishes. A second coat of primer can also be applied for higher end jobs.
Sanding
Sanding is the foundation of a good finish, especially if you’re after a smooth, high-end or glossy look. At Rex Lumber, we offer professional sanding services that prep your material properly, so your finishes go on cleaner, look better, and last longer.
We strongly recommend sanding for:
- High-end or glossy paint finishes
- Clear finishes and stains
- Any application where surface quality matters
Our team uses a step-by-step sanding approach, starting with coarser grits and working up to finer grits, typically finishing at 150 grit, which is ideal for most finishes. Need finer? We can do that too.
Depending on the wood type, we may do multiple passes per grit to get a clean, consistent scratch pattern. Skipping grits may seem faster, but it can cause uneven stain absorption and blotchy finishes.
Finishing
Finishing wood is all about timing and precision. The best time to apply a finish is right after machining and sanding, when the surface is clean, dry, and ready to absorb it. At Rex Lumber, we take care of that for you in a controlled environment, so your material arrives looking great.
We can spray almost any finish on the market, including:
- Water-based and solvent-based (oil/alkyd) finishes
- Interior and exterior applications
- Custom color/finish matching (available for an additional cost)
Our spray line works with materials from 1/4” to 3-1/2” thick and 1” to 11-1/2” wide. Once coated, the mouldings are sent into drying racks by an automatic stacker. Depending on the finish, they’ll air dry or go into our 40’ x 60’ drying room to speed things up.
Custom Finishes, Consistent Results
When you order a custom finish from Rex Lumber, we make sure the first piece and the last piece look exactly the same. Multi-step finishes? No problem. We’ll run your mouldings through the line as many times as needed.
Ask your Rex Lumber sales rep about our priming and finishing services and see the difference that quality, convenience, and consistency can make.