In Maine I'm the finish guy.Have a dedicated finishing shop
overhead air cleaner and clean heat

many painters have a finishing area
check with your local lumber supply house or professional paint store

Ed
wrote in message
...

N Hurst wrote:
Has anyone out there contracted with someone else to put the finish on
one of their projects?

Nathan, you would be surprised how many do. Since I am a remodeling
contractor, I run into folks that are scared to death of finishing all
the time.
They talk to me after I refinish cabinets, stain, dye, or strip and
refinish.

While many homeowners and weekend warriors will happily brag about the
quality of their woodwork, they are almost without exception quite
humble about their wood finishing.

I hear, "well, this got away from me", "this was my first time with
that finish", "evidently I did something wrong", or the famous "they
guy at the store told me to do it this way - it's his fault". While
at a house, I have helped dozens get their projects back on track, and
hopefully, scared off some of their trepidation of finishing.

I would have to say that with almost 35 years of professional
woodworking behind me, finishing is the skill most woodworkers lack,
and the one they are most reluctant to learn.

Since most of the time I do the woodwork as well on my projects, I
tend to think of woodwork and finishing as two different skills, which
they are. Good finishing requires an entirely different skill set
than woodwork, but requires just as much discipline and practice to
get really good at it.

The good news is that you can practice all day long on the cheap to
learn technique and to use materials. A little finish goes a long way
when practicing, and a most of the time, there is some scrap around to
practice on.

At any rate, to answer your original question, I would think that any
competent upper end paint contractor would have that "one guy" to
apply your finishes. They will be able to brush or spray anything you
want. And in this economy, the might be pretty happy for the work.

If you want some kind of custom finish though, you should look at a
refinisher, or as PDQ said, a restorer. They will be adept at
applying oils, stains and topcoats than your garden variety finisher.

Good luck on your project!

Robert