From the workshop
Why every coat of lacquer must dry on its own time
Natural lacquer does not dry by evaporation but by reacting with moisture in the air. That is why the workshop has a curing room, and why a single piece takes weeks to finish.
Newcomers to the workshop are often surprised to see freshly coated pieces carried into a closed, damp, dark room. For almost any other finish that would be the quickest way to ruin the work. For natural lacquer it is the opposite.
Cured by humidity
The sap contains a natural enzyme. In the presence of oxygen and high humidity it sets off a reaction that links the molecules into a hard film. Air that is too dry slows the reaction right down; air that is too hot cures the surface before the body and leaves it wrinkled.
The curing room
The workshop's curing room is a small chamber with limewashed walls, an earth floor that holds moisture, and tiers of wooden shelving. Pieces go in by date, chalked onto the shelf edge. Every morning someone checks the hygrometer and wets the floor if it needs it.
- Base coats: one to two days
- Colour coats: two to three days
- Top coats and after polishing: up to a week before the piece ships
Why not a drying cabinet
There are ways to shorten the wait, and we have tried them. The result was lacquer that hardened fast but stayed brittle, and cracked at the corners after a few seasons. A proper piece of lacquerware should last for decades, so we keep to the slow way.
If you want fast, use a different finish. Natural lacquer means waiting.
Head of the Red Door workshop
