Method of finishing the surface of a porous body

Abstract

A porous article with a special finish treatment is provided, the article typically being an article of furniture, such as a cabinet door, by way of illustration. The article can be made of a molding compound comprising discrete glass fibers which can be produced by milling cured phenolic-bonded glass fibers. A coupling agent or binder is added to the milled fibers and the combination formed and cured under heat and pressure into the shape of the article. The surface of the formed article is porous and, in fact, the article is porous throughout its thickness. This presents a substantial problem in applying a satisfactory finish. To overcome this, with the article at an elevated temperature, it is immersed in a liquid containing particles in suspension, i.e. polyester liquid containing talc. Because the article is at an elevated temperature, there is less air within the interstices or pores thereof and when the article is in the sealing liquid at a substantially lower temperature, penetration effectively occurs to provide a smooth, substantially non-porous surface which is ready to receive a finish coating. The talc particles fill pores in the surface of the article and limit the extent of penetration of the liquid.