General Finishes was started in 1928 by a Milwaukee
lumber company to make stains and finishes for
their cabinet shop customers.For decades, the company plodded along
slowly, narrowly averting a disaster in 1971
when GF’s product supplier, the sole owner
of the formulas,
closed down. Rescuing the formulas, General
Finishes managed to survive until 1984, at which
time George bought the company.
