Saliya Ekanayake Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Hi, I am new to woodworking, so would appreciate some advice for the following. I made a wall shelf like the one in Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Welland-Lexington-Espresso-Unfinished-Color/dp/B00A6D82HE/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&qid=1362029605&sr=8-36&keywords=espresso+wall+shelf. I used pine wood from http://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/lumber/construction-lumber/spruce-pine-fir-spf/1-x-4-x-6-select-pine-board/p-1934079-c-5689.htm Now, I need to get it finished in espresso cherry color similar to the color in the attached (it's just espresso) image. I am bit confused over what kind of finishing product to use. I see some as wood stains, lacquer, etc., which I have very little idea about. Thanks in advance, Saliya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcustoms Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 There are a lot of ways to finish a piece like that. It all depends what you have available to you in your shop. If I was doing it at my shop I would stain the pine, then tone it to the shade I wanted, seal and then lacquer. I am assuming you do not have a means of spraying. Pine is tricky because it will stain very blotchy and inconsistently. If I was in your situation I would use a 3 step finishing process. First sand and prep the piece for finish. Then put a coat of wax free shellac. After that dries use a gel stain in the espresso color to stain the entire piece. It may take a few coats to get it to the color you want. Following manufacturer directions let dry and then top coat it with a wipe on poly or a gel poly for that matter. Everyone has their methods for finishing, and I'm sure you will get other opinions. Try different methods and use the one that works for you. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saliya Ekanayake Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Thank you for the info. Yes, I don't have a sprayer with me and as you said, the wood blotched inconsistently when I tried with just stain earlier. By the way, other than stains is there particular kinds of paint I could use to get a similar color? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 I am sure you can find a paint to match. I made shelves out of maple (which might be just as hard to color) and had good luck with dye. I used a coat of orange, then two coats of dark brown dye. Worked pretty good for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornballbub Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 This is just my 2c, Whenever I want the color black (which to me is interchangable with espresso) I use india ink. There wont be any brownish or redish overtones but it does give you the black if thats what your looking for. India ink goes on easy, drys quick and can cover large areas, all still allowing the grain to show depending on how many coats. Its also inexpensive and can be picked up at any art supply. After the ink, lightly sand cause it will raise the grain then I would use 2/3 coats of a clear water based poly in your choice of finish, like minwax polycrylic. Always try the finish on scrap first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 I have used India Ink on a table I just finished. When cornball says black, he means black! lol Here is a picture of the completed table using india ink. But I have a feeling that you want the redish hue http://s1150.beta.photobucket.com/user/pwalter5110/media/CoffeeTable1_zps0a522d22.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 One of easiest ways to get an even color on pine and avoid blotching is with a gel stain. Getting a black (or near black) is a bit tougher… Start with something like General Finishes Java Gel Stain and mix-in India ink prior to application. A decorative shelf doesn’t get much abuse, so you don’t need a highly protective top coat – that simplifies things. Any topcoat will be more for show… Most important step is to test on scrap – not the little 1x1 squares you see in the stores, but to use decent-sized cut-offs from your project and prep them identically to the piece (sand/scrape/seal/etc). Test the finish on the scrap to get the results you want. You can add more India ink to darken the stain and test again… You get a pretty deep black with 2oz ink/pt of stain. Write down the results… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 One of easiest ways to get an even color on pine and avoid blotching is with a gel stain. Getting a black (or near black) is a bit tougher… Start with something like General Finishes Java Gel Stain and mix-in India ink prior to application. A decorative shelf doesn’t get much abuse, so you don’t need a highly protective top coat – that simplifies things. Any topcoat will be more for show… Most important step is to test on scrap – not the little 1x1 squares you see in the stores, but to use decent-sized cut-offs from your project and prep them identically to the piece (sand/scrape/seal/etc). Test the finish on the scrap to get the results you want. You can add more India ink to darken the stain and test again… You get a pretty deep black with 2oz ink/pt of stain. Write down the results… Maybe you have found a different type of india ink? I get mine from the craft stores, it's pen india ink and it wont mix in oilbased stains. What brand do you use. Or is there something you do to get it to mix in? I like to use oil-based at times and your correct about the gel stains on pine. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 That’s a good point, if you use natural ink (Speedball, Higgins, etc) then Aqua Coat’s Gel Stain would be the way to go... Which is probably the best bet for the OP. If a processed ink, then you can widen your net. http://aquacoat.com/?wpsc-product=gel-stains Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Great... though you may of come across a magic bullet ... General Finishes brand of gel stains are still oil-based. Maybe someday will introduce a water-base gel??? -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 ==> Maybe someday will introduce a water-base gel??? That's why I included a link for Aqua Coat -- it's a water-base gel ==> though you may of come across a magic bullet .. Yea, I'm always doing that -- posting things and forgetting the background info... I should have defined 'India ink' in my original post... Is't like buying maple, there are many types of maple and there are many India Inks -- 'natural', 'pen', 'artist' etc. Some have alcohols, shellac, etc in them for drying, durability, etc -- it's those that you can use with GF's Gel Stain directly (the additives facilitate the mix). I've got a Speedball artist ink that mixes (I think it's got both a dryer and shellac in it). But back to the OP: For the simplest wipe-on with minimal blotching: Get some Aqua Gel (about $15) and a couple oz of Speedball/Higgins/etc India Ink from amazon (like $3)... It's a wipe-on/wipe-off solution -- quick and simple. Experiment on scrap with different concentrations of ink until you get what you want. If you need to topcoat, i'd also go a simple wipe-on solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 HHH, this stuff here? http://www.dickblick.com/products/speedball-super-black-waterproof-india-ink/#photos. I really want to give this a try. Sure would make things easier and more open time than working with those water-based one's -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 I'm working an electrics problem at the moment... I've got to get some milling done today and then I'll nip into the finish closet and take a look at some natural, slightly adulterated and processed inks... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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