Tiger maple

[Tony Zaffuto]

Last week I posted a request for suggestions to finish tiger maple drawer fronts. I ended up using pure tung oil and got the effect I wanted--a matte finish that popped the grain without darkening the maple. My wife wants a bit more shine however! Question: can you wax or buff a tung oil finish? If not that, can you use a gloss coat of Waterlox over the tung oil?

Thanks!

T.Z.

[Jim Becker]

You can top coat the Tung Oil with an oil based finish once it it fully cured, but with Tung Oil, don't do it early...you can get white spots as a result. And it takes a long time to fully cure. ("cure" is not the same as "dry to the touch") Unfortunately, top coating with an oil based finish will further alter the color. You can use a water borne, but you'll want to seal with the blondest of blond de-waxed shellac you can find first to minimize color changes.

You absolutely could just wax and buff if you like that look. Are you doing samples on scraps of that maple to be sure you know what things are going to look like before you commit to the real project?

[Tony Zaffuto]

Damn right I'm doing samples Jim!

To tell the truth, I'm leaning more towards wax and buffing. I'm satisifed with the looks as is, but a higher power is not. She wants shiny! Anyhow, at least was is reversible.

T.Z.

[Jim Becker]

Wax is reversible, but not a pleasant amount of labor to get rid off, especially after you buff it into the pores. Mineral spirits will help get most of it, using many clean rags (never reuse an area that has already wiped off dissolved wax), but it's likely you'll want to use a barrier coat of de-waxed shellac if you plan on using a water borne finish or anything containing polyurethane to meet the "higher power's" demands for "shiny"...

[Casey Gooding]

After the oil cures fully (two weeks, at least) you can topcoat with lacquer. It won't change the color as much as oil based finishes. Make sure the oil is fully cured!!