I'm not sure where to start with finishes


erikreagan

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Hello there!

I only have a small number of projects under my belt thus far. I haven’t really stepped into the world of finishing yet so I have much to learn.

Recently I built a simple desk surface for my home office. I used baltic birch ply and added some walnut to the edges. I’m not sure what to do about the finish though. There are two things on my mind. First is how to finish it so the natural qualities of each wood are brought out. The second is how to “protect” the material as it gets daily use in my home office.

I’m not sure how to research these things, so I made my way here hoping to find either suggested learning resources that can get me going OR specific finishing suggestions anyone may have.

Thanks so much!
Erik

 

 

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There are many ways to finish.  Th simplest is natural Danish oil. Apply once with a rag do not flood the wood, just let it get the oil in the wood and wipe it off.  Then let it dry for 3 or 4 days, do a very light sanding with a high grit sandpaper, very lightly!  Brush or blow it clean, apply Polyurethane, let it dry for a few hours.  Do not put on a heavy application.  When dry, lightly sand and brush or blow the surface clean then apply poly again. 2 or 3 coats of poly should do for a surface like that.

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Baltic Birch isn't always the best choice if you are going to use it as a finished face. Most grades of BB have football shaped patches. However regular hardwood plywood might have better veneer faces but can have more voids in the core. It's a balancing act....

I am a fan of waterbourne finishes. But it's not as easy to apply if you aren't set up to spray.   Less smells and clean up is much easier.

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If you’ve joined the WW guild (or if you haven’t) have a look at the simple varnish video. For $25ish, It’s a nice overview and demonstration on wipe on poly. 

I used to think think Sam Maloof’s oil finish was the best finish in the world. Since then I’ve realised that finishes have their place. Wipe on Poly has been a favourite for the last few years and I’ve recently used Osmo PolyX for a dining table. I’d be going with Wipeon poly for a desk though. A bit more protection. 

Richard’s suggestion is a good one as well. Nice and simple with good results. 

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5 hours ago, wdwerker said:

I am a fan of waterbourne finishes. But it's not as easy to apply if you aren't set up to spray.   Less smells and clean up is much easier.

Disclaimer - I haven't tried it myself, but my brother who is a more experienced woodworker than I am swears by Varathane brush on water based poly. He says it looks awful when first applied, but flows out to a beautiful coat.

 

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Thanks for all the thoughts! This might be a silly question but would any of you be able to mention any specific products around your suggestions? I start searching the web for things like danish oil and polyurethane and see so many various options out there. Thanks for any additional insights!

On 7/7/2018 at 3:08 PM, wdwerker said:

Baltic Birch isn't always the best choice if you are going to use it as a finished face. Most grades of BB have football shaped patches. However regular hardwood plywood might have better veneer faces but can have more voids in the core. It's a balancing act....

Ah, duly noted. Thank you!

 

On 7/7/2018 at 7:00 PM, lewisc said:

If you’ve joined the WW guild (or if you haven’t) have a look at the simple varnish video. For $25ish, It’s a nice overview and demonstration on wipe on poly. 

I actually am not familiar with this guild. Where can I find this? Thanks!

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You're on the Wood Whisperer forum.  Lot's of great info here. I think most of the guild members chat through the Facebook Guild page though.  The guild has a bunch of high quality instructional videos. There's an initial cost but the instruction is worth it. Especially considering the price of some wood working classes.

https://thewoodwhispererguild.com/

Here's the link to the varnish video. There's lots of good info on Youtube as well if you trawl through the right stuff.

https://thewoodwhispererguild.com/product/simple-varnish-finish/

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My go to oil based finish for my furniture is a wipe on poly. I have used Arm R Seal seal and Minwax wipe on poly and they both are the same to me.

For things where i want faster application and a bit more film build up, i do a quick coat of Seal Coat (it's a dewaxed shellac) and then cover that in water borne poly. There are a lot of WB polys I recently did a comparison between 3 and will be updating the thread in a bit.

 

On 7/7/2018 at 7:46 PM, Mick S said:

Disclaimer - I haven't tried it myself, but my brother who is a more experienced woodworker than I am swears by Varathane brush on water based poly. He says it looks awful when first applied, but flows out to a beautiful coat.

 

I spray this from my HVLP and quite like it.

 

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