building mahagony bar and need finish ideas

[Anthony Smaldone]

Hi All...
Im in the beginning stages of building a bar in my house. Its mainly made of sapele but also has corbals and onlays that are maple and rubberwood (what ever that is lol) I have been experimenting with the maple to stain it the color of the sapele with no luck (im using all different minwax stain colors in different mixes) I have never used dye and could use some direction. I didnt want to stain the sapele but it looks like I may have to stain it to bring it to a color that I can match the maple to....any thoughts?
Now for the main issue...I bought an earlex spray system to apply the finish. I would like to use a finish that will deepen the color of the sapele. I know that water finish doesnt really change the color of the wood. I have also read in these forums that oil finish is not a good choice to spray. I dont know much about laquer so ill take any advise I can get.
I also need a durable finish for the bar top (i assume ill have to brush that on?)
Thanks for any help
Anthony

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> rubberwood (what ever that is lol)

"Google" it. Basically it's trees that produce latex used to make rubber. The trees only produce latex for a limited number of years. Once they no longer produce the latex, they are used for furniture lumber.

It looks from your posting that you may not be familier with spraying. If so, the best advice I can give you is not let your project be your learning curve. There is a lot to learn about setting up and adjusting your equipment. There are spraying techniques to learn and practice. I recommend you go to Amazon and buy Charron's Spray Finishing book. It will give you most of the info you need. But, the most important thing is to practice on scrap or cardboard boxes until you have mastered the techniques for spraying. Just filling up the gun and pulling the trigger is not a recipe for success.

As for a durable finish for the top, it's hard to beat Waterlox Original varnish or Behlen Rockhard. Both are durable protective finishes but are not recommended for spraying.

[Anthony Smaldone]

Thanks for the advise I ordered the book
Anthony