Update on my sheesham wood table


BarbaraTX

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I sanded off almost all the gray stain and I'm loving this wood!  Although the gray stain seems to be gone, there are some areas that look a little dull with a very slight grayish tint.  Would it be wise to use mineral spirits to clean the dust and hopefully remove those grayish areas?

I'm having trouble finding a definitive answer to the type of finish that would be best for a dining table made of this wood where high level of protection is needed.  I've read that poly may not fully dry due to the oil in the wood and two or three coats of varnish should be applied before the final coat.  Is that correct?

One other question:  i would like to bring out the richness of the wood, but don't want a glossy finish.  What are my options?

Thanks.

 

 

Sheesham 1.jpg

Sheeham 1.jpg

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One coat of dewaxed shellac would resolve any potential adhesion issues due to oiliness.  Shellac is a universal sealer and will stick to anything.  Then I would topcoat with 3-5 coats of Arm-R-Seal satin made by General Finishes.  It strikes a good balance between protection and natural appearance, and doesn't get much easier to apply.

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19 minutes ago, BarbaraTX said:

Great.  Thanks Eric and Chestnut.  There's so much to learn for this one project!  Are all shellac products pretty much the same or is there a particular kind or brand to look for?

You want a dewaxed shellac the easy way to get it is to buy some Zinsser Seal Coat  I can get it at a box store for $10 a quart. There is a find a store button on that link.

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7 hours ago, Brendon_t said:

I'm curious,  are you keeping the base dark painted like that? 

It's a gray stain.  Yes, I just don't the energy to remove it, at least not any time soon. I guess I could sand some of it off to give it a shabby chic look, but I've never really been into that style.  It looks better in person....kind of a cool contrast.

 

Table leg.jpg

8 hours ago, Ronn W said:

+1 for an Arm-R-Seal finish.  I use gloss except for the final coat which is usually semigloss or satin.

If I only use satin, will there be a problem?

13 hours ago, wdwerker said:

I would try wiping the top with some acetone or laquer thinner. It may remove more of the gray and reduce the surface oil.

Would this be standard drugstore acetone?  So it would work better than mineral spirits at removing the grayish tint?

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You may need more acetone than is commonly sold in drug stores, maybe not. It ptimarily removes some of the natural wood oils from the surface, so your finish adheres better.

As for the satin Arm-R-Seal, there is some debate about the best application. Some say it looks "muddy" to use several coats of just satin, so they use gloss first, and finish with satin. Others say all satin is no problem. Your mileage may vary.

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Drug store acetone might have other things in it and not be strong enough. A hardware store, paint  or building supply should have the full strength stuff. Laquer thinner might be better at removing the gray stain residue. Acetone will remove the surface oils in the wood that can interfere with the shellac or varnish adhering to the wood.

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6 hours ago, BarbaraTX said:

If I only use satin, will there be a problem?

No, there won't be a problem.  I've been using Arm-R-Seal satin from first coat to last for years and I've concluded that it's nothing more than woodworking folklore that you have to build a finish with gloss and end with satin.  I guarantee to your naked eye you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  Unless you build like ten coats, in which case you may as well just paint on straight poly.

You're fine using straight satin.  I'd do three or four coats and call it good.  If you're worried about adhesion issues, do a sealer coat of shellac first.  Bullseye Sealcoat would work fine.  Don't complicate it too much...if you listen to some guys they'll have your head spinning.  Ignore them.

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