This finish is designed specifically for quartersawn white oak. It’s the same pie safe that we kept our cereal in when I was a kid and I’m a bit sentimentally attached to it, but the heavy grained oak isn’t very current. For best results, spray equipment is required Note: All samples are from the same red oak board and use the same color stain (Minwax Dark Walnut). Remove any excess before it runs or puddles. © 2021 Meredith Corporation. What’s more, you’ll have no problem finding or applying both of these inexpensive finishes. Leave it on a few seconds too long, even under ideal conditions, and it quickly dries. natural good looks. Wait for the stain to dry completely, then brush on a light coat of polyurethane varnish. ■  Stain application method: Wipe stain on with a soft paper towel; then remove it immediately with a clean towel, as shown below. Choosing the best finish for your wooden kitchen table is an important decision. The basic options available for oak interior doors are lacquer or oil/hardwax oil and the right finish for your door is a combination of personal taste regarding the look and ensuring the finish is suited to the expected use of the door. Common brands include Interlux, Epifanes, Pettit and Z-Spar. We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. The secret? Usually, a 2-1/2 inch brush will suffice. If you're not sure just ring us. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality. ■  Stain/dye: Although none was applied here, any shade can be used. Although at least 10 varieties and more than a dozen brands of finish are available, all can be divided into two categories: penetrating finishes (those that dry inside the wood) and surface finishes (those that dry on the surface of the wood). Speaking from experience. Woodcraft, woodcraft.com, 800-535-4486, Zinnser Bulls Eye Seal Coat; TransTint Dyes: honey amber, #128481, bright red, #128488, medium brown, #128484, dark Mission brown #128486. Clean spray equipment between coats to prevent finish from clogging the sprayer. It's best to apply polyurethane to flat (as in level) surfaces so the finish can self-level and is less likely to drip. Avoid the fine grained woods like maple. Seal with wax-free shellac and scuff-sand when dry. 2. Stains: Early American water-based stain, call General Finishes at 800/783-6050, or visit generalfinishes.com. Ebony dye lays the groundwork for a dark finish, but it doesn’t fill oak’s deep pores. This will protect the timber and give it a nice sheen without giving it that horrible cheap shiny appearance. Posted on September 30th, 2016 in table finish. Minimize this problem by applying thinner coats or by switching from standard brush-on poly to a wipe-on or spray finish, both of which can be applied in very thin coats. 4. ■  Cover up minor scratches by lightly scuff-sanding the damaged area and wiping a coat of poly over it. Ingredients and application. Be sure to seal the glaze layer before a topcoat is applied. Then, re-stain for an even color. This is a top pick of an all white, modern kitchen. You can choose whichever look you prefer for your project. Others remain crystal clear. 3. cut. You can always add a second or even third application of dye for a darker look, but it’s a lot harder to go from dark to light. The red dye is incredibly strong. This finish looks best on red oak. Reapply oil anywhere it’s absorbed by the wood, then wipe the surfaces dry. After 4 hours or more, apply additional coats to attain the degree of luster you'd like. Golden oak stain plays up the metallic sheen, as shown below, while red oak stain mutes it. You’ve worked hard to get your project to the point where it’s looking good, really good, and you don’t want to mess it up with a finish that’s anything less than terrific. A glaze is simply oil based stain and filler. When working with the right finish, applying finishing products is fairly easy. Seal the dye with a barrier coat of wax-free shellac. The glaze is removed with a pair of rags. These woods are ring porous so have a texture which disguises the scratches well. Fortunately, there's more than one way to do it! The sanding process, particularly with finer grits will also create sawdust that will linger in the open-grain of the Oak. We have some new pine king trusses throughout our renovation and need some advice on getting the best finish on them. I don’t want it to look any darker but want it protected. Whether flat-sawn or quarter-sawn, you need to apply grain filler if you’re interested in having a pore-filled finish. Sand and finish the samples to the same level as your project and apply a topcoat. That is a can of worms, but today I’ll give you a few ideas you can test for yourself. One increasingly popular method for finishing oak is to apply an oil stain followed by a coat of shellac to seal the stain. Seal with wax-free shellac and scuff-sand when dry. ■  Project parts, such as the vertical panels in the table, can be finished before assembly for consistent color. ■  This film finish builds slowly, partly because you’ll scuff-sand (and wipe clean) the already-thin coats between applications. At first I wasn't planning on doing much more than throwing on General Finishes Exterior 450 but have decided to use this as a learning experience since I haven't done much staining/finishing. Two to four coats are all it takes to create a beautiful, yet durable finish. Ie will they go milkie with standing water as I've heard? Olympic Pearlessence: PPG Architectural Finishes, call 866/321-9090 or visit olympic.com. At the same time, it creates a barrier that prevents dyes or stains from bleeding into the next layer of finish. To finish it, should I use a sanding sealer first and a shellac sealer, or oil, or what? Ingredients and application. Always, always, always make samples before you begin to apply finish. Start with an application of water-soluble ebony dye followed by a dark oil-based stain. Since the stain may fade over time, you can opt to use a poly top coat to protect the finish. This lower-sheen finish will add a smooth and professional touch to your hardwood flooring project. Rockler, rockler.com, 800-279-4441, Mission oak wipe-on gel stain, #34921. When brushing the stain on to the oak, you want to follow the grain of the wood. This wood makes some nice traditional modeled cabinets, but today some woodworkers are using it to create more contemporary designs. I’ve got an oak beam to fit as a mantel above my new woodburner. You may still feel a little lost and have questions about how to refinish a wood table or if you can manage to apply the product yourself. Sam Taylor-Casey December 22, 2016 at 2:58 pm. ■  Take care when staining projects that mix veneer plywood and solid oak. Speaking from experience. WalzCraft Sealers and Topcoats are applied on a flat line finishing system which distributes a perfectly even amount of material throughout each product. Light penetrates and reflects back through the layers, giving these finishes stunning depth and beauty. 128490 from Woodcraft. Thanks Warren. Sanding the dye coat ever so lightly really enhances the ray flecks. Check out the recipes that make use of these techniques in “4 Proven Oak Finishes” below. The fact that oak is more readily available and cheaper than rift oak makes it a popular choice. I'm not going to stain it. White oak’s tan color under a clear finish may seem too “cold” for many woodworkers, but all clear film finishes will do if applied in thin coats. All Rights Reserved. Every piece of furniture, whether new or antique, needs a finish, but no single finish is right for all situations. Learn finishing techniques for mission oak, golden oak, deep, dark, red oak, and simple but nice oak. A good finish should highlight the best characteristics of the wood it goes on. ■ Dye: Mix ebony dye (see Sources, below) at 2 tablespoons of black dye to 6 oz. He picked up some beautiful tongue-and-groove white oak, somewhat roughsawn, for the double sink vanity top. Going just one step beyond a basic stain and topcoat produces an elegant ebony finish. Generously apply dye using a cloth or sponge brush. ■  Take your time. Even when described as solid wood, most modern oak doors are engineered (made in a factory with oak veneers on the surface) so it's a good idea to check the manufacturers fitting instructions before you start. I’ve been there myself. Ingredients and application. of water. Many great oak finishes begin with a “ground color” dye, typically a yellow or reddish brown. It’s 50% Minwax Sedonna red mixed with 50% English Chestnut penetrating stain. Because the rays are so dense, the dye tends to sit on the surface where a light sanding can easily remove it. But if you’re looking for the best finish for a workbench, here are my recommendations. Finishing is probably one of the most important elements of an attractive piece of wood furniture. Just solid lipings then veneer on top. We would either like to keep them in there current state and bring the grain out as much as possible without the pine going yellow over time or achieve a oak style finish. Making samples gives you the opportunity to tweak a recipe until you get the look you want. Most finishing disasters can be avoided with this basic step. As oil dries, it may bleed from the wood pores and harden on the surface. Then fill any blemishes with a grain filler paste, followed by a gel stain. Best Finishes for Outdoors. If you have a question regarding a Knowledge Base article, your best chance at uncovering an answer is to search the entire Knowledge Base for related articles or to post your question at the appropriate WOODWEB Forum. Glaze with Varathane dark walnut gel stain. Follow this buying guide to know everything about refinishing tables tops. ... meant we could offer different colour finished for the first time and we decided on a clear natural finish and a dark oak finish, to really bring out the character of the oak. If you rush the first coat of poly before the boiled linseed oil dries, the added mineral spirits will reactivate the oil and cloud the finish. Wipe away excess stain with the grain. Now, let’s start with the easiest finish: Have we got a no-flaw finish for you: boiled linseed oil followed by wipe-on polyurethane. However, water-based stains come in a larger variety of colors. They protect the finish you’ve labored so diligently to create, as well as the wood beneath it. Wipe the surface with mineral spirits to check for flaws that will be exposed by stains or reflected on a Pearlessence surface. Finish Cons . At the same time, the sealed latewood takes up very little stain. Bright Painting & Decorating Services. Table plans: The tables used to demonstrate our finishes are modified versions of the smallest of a set of three mission nesting tables from the plans found here. Finish. Typical of this group is Watco®, both the oldest and best-selling. 1. We discovered how to refinish oak furniture without sanding or stripping and the end result is fantastic. It can be quite daunting to make sense of all the various finishes and their comparative benefits and downfalls. When applying polyurethane on vertical surfaces, you may experience drips or runs. An indoor workshop gives you a welcome retreat from winter—that is until it’s time to apply a finish. Question I have managed to avoid red oak since I taught myself to finish a few years back, but now I am faced with finishing a large set of cabinets in red oak that I am currently building. The result is a warm brownish-red that is perfect for our house. I would like to have either a high polish oil look or glossy surface. But the film finish will bring it to life and give it depth. I have an oldish oak table (10 bucks at a garage sale! I like water-based dyes because they don’t bleed back out of oak’s pores like alcohol-based dyes do. Was told by the guy that Osmo door oil is the only product XL Joinery would accept as an after finish, otherwise it door would need to be sent back to them to have finished. However, if your project is a light color—whether stained or unfinished wood—it is best to protect it with a finish that remains crystal clear. Call 800/225-1153 or visit woodcraft.com. But if a perfectly smooth surface is the look you want, use a grain filler. Unlike a movie star, however, oak is easy to work with—even during finishing. So far, the stuff I liked the best is fruitwood watco danish oil. Finish Cons . APPEARANCE: Soft, velvety sheen after 2 to 3 coats. Well, now I’m questioning my thoughts, which are starting to run all over. If you are looking for the best finishes for popular wood types such as red oak, hard maple, cherry, walnut, pine, cedar, Brazilian cherry, Brazilian walnut and more, you might want to consult a wood stain color chart. What is the best wood finish for tool handles? Use the dry rag to clean up stain in corners or molding profiles. There’s nothing worse than hitting on the perfect look only to realize you don’t know how you got there. White oak, red cedar, Spanish cedar, cypress, redwood, long leaf pine, teak and true mahoganies are among the best species selections for withstanding rot and insect damage.. 2. Allow the project to sit four to seven days while the oil dries. Crystal clear or amber tone: Many clear finishes add a rich, warm, amber tone to the wood. For final protection and luster, apply a varnish or other wood finish product. Forget finicky finishes. ■ Number of topcoats: One coat to seal, followed by two topcoats. Speaking from experience. Apply a 50-50 mix of Trans Tint Dark Mission brown and medium brown dye to the bare wood and let it dry. If protected correctly with a suitable preservative and finished in the correct way, they will perform very well in external environments and could last a … If the glaze ends up too dark or dries too quickly, don’t panic; just wipe the surface with a rag soaked with mineral spirits and start over. Finish it yourself with a finish … The best way to apply the stain is with a new, soft-bristled paint brush. Very lightly scuff-sand the dyed wood with 320-grit paper. Moreover, what's the best finish for oak doors? 5. When shaping spindles or other projects on my lathe, I use small pieces of sand-paper of various... read more. Read the label carefully. The plywood may require additional stain applications because it absorbs less stain, producing a lighter color. Reply. PS: You didn't mention how dark you plan on finishing it. Red Oak Finishing Basics Advice on sanding, formulas, and schedules for good results with Red Oak. ■  Stir the coating well before and during application for a consistent sheen. I am getting ready to finish some quarter sawn white oak plate racks for my dining room. Finally, accurately measure and record every step, including dye concentrations, mixture ratios, when to scuff-sand, number of topcoats, etc. Although a Natural / Clear Coat (no stain) is technically not a stain color, the application of just this clear finish will change the color and appearance of most solid wood and veneer. ■ Topcoat application method: Brush or spray on both the Pearlessence and any optional clear topcoats. Thanks. General Finishes Driftwood Milk Paint Buy from Amazon.com. Staining white oak to change its color isn’t a problem, and all stains should work well. A protective topcoat adds depth and durability. If you want to encase the oak in a finish that won’t allow it to get wet (for a while at least) and so it looks more like interior furniture, an exterior spar/marine varnish would be an option. The dye and stain should be roughly the same degree of darkness for best results. Those two … 2. Except where noted, we followed these basic finishing rules: ✔  We sanded all parts to 120 grit prior to finishing, then vacuumed and wiped them free of dust. (Available at Lowe’s stores nationwide.) Compared with brushing on straight or lightly thinned poly, this technique avoids a host of problems with dust nibs and brush strokes. Two is plenty. It will also bring out the grain to provide a really nice finish. Dewaxed shellac is the perfect sealer because it’s compatible with any topcoat you choose. ■  To slightly darken light spots, remoisten the towel used to apply the stain, and gently wipe the light section until it matches the surrounding area.