joshhulbert Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 Hello all - I have a bar/liquor cabinet that I've been working on. The majority of the cabinet itself is black walnut, and the top is Ipe. I'm just about ready to finish and have been doing some research to decide what exactly I want to use. On the walnut I have been leaning toward something like Watco Danish Oil - I dont want to modify the look of the walnut much. I want to keep the natural look of the Ipe as well, but I'm finding some mixed information on finishing it. Most of the results I find online deal with finishing it for outdoor usage on decks and so forth. I did find one recommendation on simply sanding it to a high grit and then using a paste wax on it. The trick it seems with something like danish oil is that Ipe isn't very inclined to absorb anything. I'm thinking I will experiment with a few different approaches on some scrap pieces, but I wanted to see if anyone had experience finishing Ipe for indoor use. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 We used Waterlox on IPE for the base of a coffee table. Wipe on and wipe off then rub it in circles to only leave a very thin coat. Let it dry overnight in hot summer shop, second coat same treatment. Buffed to a nice satin sheen a couple days later . That was 2 years ago it sits on a screened porch and looks fine today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshhulbert Posted August 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 We used Waterlox on IPE for the base of a coffee table. Wipe on and wipe off then rub it in circles to only leave a very thin coat. Let it dry overnight in hot summer shop, second coat same treatment. Buffed to a nice satin sheen a couple days later . That was 2 years ago it sits on a screened porch and looks fine today. Thanks! I'll do a little test piece with that too and see how it looks with the walnut. My biggest concern with the ipe is applying something that doesn't adhere or absorb well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 I sanded to 320 and wiped the surface with acetone to clean off any oils before I started. I also wiped w acetone before I glued up the joints w Titebond III . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew-in-austin Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 Another vote for Waterlox. I used it on my Ipe floor, and it worked great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenMasco Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 I made an IPE jewelry box about 8 years ago out of deck scraps. Rubbed in about 5 coats of Liberon Furnishing Oil, turned out fantastic. Still looks great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.