Cygnus A Posted October 21, 2017 Report Share Posted October 21, 2017 I am making a work top for my wife's craft room and we settled on going with a hardwood top stained a dark grey. She wants a glossy finish so I will probably go with kaquer unless there is something more durable. What woods will be good for this both taking an even stain yet showing the the wood patterns well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted October 21, 2017 Report Share Posted October 21, 2017 Seems like you wnat to start with a lighter colored wood. White oak takes stain well but it's not great for glossy finishes because of the coarse grain. Let's see what other's come up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 21, 2017 Report Share Posted October 21, 2017 Ash would be my first choice for that. Talk her out of gloss. Full stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted October 21, 2017 Report Share Posted October 21, 2017 Gloss will show every flaw in the new top and every scratch in a top used in a craft room. You want a satin finish. You want to make test finish boards before you even make the top. General has dyes and stains that work well. Minwax will not be your best choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 21, 2017 Report Share Posted October 21, 2017 Did you ever notice that if you change one letter in the word gloss you get...gross? Befitting. Aside from the obvious problems that Steve mentioned that you can see every flaw and scratch in the finish...it just doesn't look good. You mentioned that you wanted a species that will show grain through the stain, but the grainier a wood is, the worse it looks under a gloss finish. If you absolutely positively have to have gloss (for some reason I simply cannot fathom), you'll be better off using a closed-grain species like maple. But then you'll have to deal with blotching problems when staining. So if I were tasked with this project, I would choose a species that has an aesthetically pleasing open grain which will take stain well without blotching, then use a satin top coat. Ash is ideal. White or red oak would work too but red has an even more pronounced grain and even larger pores...you would not want any level of gloss on any of those species. They look best satin to matte IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted October 21, 2017 Report Share Posted October 21, 2017 The only time I use gloss finish is under satin finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted October 21, 2017 Report Share Posted October 21, 2017 For a craft room gray woodgrain Formica isn't a bad choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus A Posted October 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 I'm hearing ya. I'm trying to talk her out of gloss. She may want a glass top instead which drive the price up further but will give her she shine she wants. Any other ideas for top materials? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 22, 2017 Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 What typeof work will the surface be used for? Might make a difference in material recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus A Posted October 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 1 hour ago, wtnhighlander said: What typeof work will the surface be used for? Might make a difference in material recommendations. Mostly fabric work (sewing and embroidery). She has cutting and ironing mats she puts down, so never would actual "work" directly on the surface. But it needs to be durable and scratch resistant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted October 22, 2017 Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 Blue stained pine might work .its the trees that were beetle killed . It's a bit soft but it would stain dark gray real well . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 23, 2017 Report Share Posted October 23, 2017 Poplar, with a watered-down gray latex paint, followed by a water bourne poly, might work quite well. I've seen a painter mix Polycrylic into latex paint to make it smoother and more durable. No reason that wouldn't work with a thinned paint to let the wood grain peek through. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted October 23, 2017 Report Share Posted October 23, 2017 My wife is a quilter and has all the cutting matts and scissors and cutting wheels but she still would not have a really hard surface - not glass for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted October 23, 2017 Report Share Posted October 23, 2017 Make a frame, use mdf for the work surface and poplar hardwood for the edging, coat with a white pigmented water-based topcoat. She will love you for it. I have made several for quilters & sewing ladies. Make any size and shape you want. Then go buy 2 of these RTA shelves with the fabric boxes to mount the top on. They love the storage. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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