benbo Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 I'm not a big fan of pine, but unfortunately I have to make a mantle-piece out of it. My big question is how I should finish it. I don't do a lot of woodwork but a few years ago I made a piece of furniture out of oak and did the whole wire wool, briwax, wire wool, briwax, wire wool, briwax...process and it came up so nice and shiny. I want to do the same to my piece of pine, but because it is a soft wood will it have the same effect? I hate the look and feel of varnish, so I would prefer not to use varnish, but it does need something to protect it from the scratches. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 I use water based varnishes and lacquers on pine. Anyways pine is so cheap and easily available that you can test all the finishes you want on scraps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 I like how danish oil looks on pine. Being a very diluted mixture, you have good control over how much it builds up. I like to wet sand each coat with 800 grit before wiping back. However, this will provide little protection from scratches, and neither will wax. For durability, you need a finish that hardens and makes at least a little film in the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Pine... you could paint it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boelkers Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 I just finished doing some trim work around a door, window, and a window sill. I applied minwax pre-stain conditioner and then applied my stain. After that I applied water based poly, quick pass with sanding block, then second and third coat of water based poly. Nice and smooth to the touch and looks great. I know you said you were not really interested in varnish on pine, but my experience was pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d8nk Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 I am not sure why so many knocks on pine...I love it! Anywho, just wanted to chime in on my new favorite pine finish. Coat of de-waxed shellac and then water based satin poly. Picture is of a 36" x 102" x 3" fireplace matel. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denette Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Looks nice! I too like the appearance of knotty pine in its proper place. What's more rugged, manly, and rustic than a knotty pine mantle? I'd love to see pictures of it in place when all's done. Incidentally, how do you keep it from catching fire? Is this for a gas fireplace? I've had a wood fireplace before, and I'd be scared to have anything but a stone or masonry mantel... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 I may be a bit confused as words are commonly culturally different but I know of mantle being a thick wood piece above a fireplace or some sort of 3 sided wrap around piece around the fire box. What is this mantle you built used for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d8nk Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Sorry for late reply. Here are some pics of the installed pieces. This was a bit tricky with all the angles. It is 3 separate pieces including the shelf up top. Zero clearance gas fireplace. I milled it all from 8x8 fir timbers. All i can say is HEAVY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benbo Posted January 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Awesome That looks fantastic. Was that with de-waxed shellac? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d8nk Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 12 hours ago, benbo said: Awesome That looks fantastic. Was that with de-waxed shellac? Thanks guys, I was very happy with it and so were the homeowners! I used some leftover de-waxed shellac from another project. I believe it was a 1.5# cut. When doing some samples I compared it sided by side with a natural stain and the shellac looked so much richer than the stain. I would really recommend giving it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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