Phil Thien
01-06-2011, 12:27 PM
Is this where the milk paint support group meets?
I built some cabinets for the basement a few months ago and I used real cheap exterior plywood for the carcase. Due to the nature of the plywood (ugly), I decided to paint them. I used milk paint (as opposed to latex or or oil based) because it allowed me to use poly over the top and get a very durable finish quickly. Oh and I had some milk paint I had never used.
Fast forward a few months and I'm building more cabinets and had some oak plywood I stumbled into. Enough for one cabinet. I built this new cabinet and now I'm totally hating all finishes (various water and oil based stains and top coats) I try.
This morning I finally had an epiphany: I can't stand oak plywood with radial-cut veneer. Everything I've been trying has been an attempt to hide that grain pattern (which looks like cheap vinyl). I like the stains I've tried on the scraps of solid oak I've tried them on. For that matter, I like a clear finish just fine on the scraps.
But this plywood, ugh! I can stain it very, very dark and that makes it more agreeable (hides that wild grain). But not great.
So I guess in the future I'll either use milk paint, or better quality materials. But trying to stain crappy oak plywood so it looks decent is like trying to make a silk purse from a sow's ear.
There. I feel better now.
If anyone has a finish recipe for crappy oak plywood, I'm all ears. Sow's ears.
I built some cabinets for the basement a few months ago and I used real cheap exterior plywood for the carcase. Due to the nature of the plywood (ugly), I decided to paint them. I used milk paint (as opposed to latex or or oil based) because it allowed me to use poly over the top and get a very durable finish quickly. Oh and I had some milk paint I had never used.
Fast forward a few months and I'm building more cabinets and had some oak plywood I stumbled into. Enough for one cabinet. I built this new cabinet and now I'm totally hating all finishes (various water and oil based stains and top coats) I try.
This morning I finally had an epiphany: I can't stand oak plywood with radial-cut veneer. Everything I've been trying has been an attempt to hide that grain pattern (which looks like cheap vinyl). I like the stains I've tried on the scraps of solid oak I've tried them on. For that matter, I like a clear finish just fine on the scraps.
But this plywood, ugh! I can stain it very, very dark and that makes it more agreeable (hides that wild grain). But not great.
So I guess in the future I'll either use milk paint, or better quality materials. But trying to stain crappy oak plywood so it looks decent is like trying to make a silk purse from a sow's ear.
There. I feel better now.
If anyone has a finish recipe for crappy oak plywood, I'm all ears. Sow's ears.