Chris Lukowski
08-31-2016, 5:57 AM
Hi Everybody,
I need some advise on a project I’m working my way up to, a nursery dresser that I will probably build with walnut boards & walnut ply for the carcass. One thing I’m having a hard time with is deciding how to finish it. Here are the properties I’m after:
1) Smooth, non-sticky surface without wood grain texture, like you would find at a furniture store
2) Enough film for protection and smoothness but not so much that it looks like the wood itself is “behind” the finish
3) Satin or semigloss finish. I don’t want it to have a high gloss plastic look that you see on restaurant tables, but not so matte that it looks like a weathered antique. Again, a “new from the store” kind of look.
4) I want a uniform dark finish that doesn’t vary much from dark to light spots, but still shows the grain and color of the walnut. A little warmth perhaps, but nothing that looks “yellow”. More of a deep brown but not as dark as the espresso stained wood that’s popular now.
5) Durable enough to withstand the variety of liquids that a nursery/changing table is likely to come in contact with.
Limitations: This will be assembled in a smallish town house basement with little to no ventilation and subsequently placed in a nursery. I want to avoid finishing products with high VOCs, high odor, and flammable vapor (especially given the close proximity of the gas water heater near my work area), so I’d like to stick to non-oil based products if at all possible (though I’m not sure how products like shellac fit into the mix). I’m also a very green newbie so finicky products requiring an experienced hand aren’t preferable.
Attached below is an example of the kind of finish I’m after, with the color being a touch lighter than what I’m going for:
343274
The site the image came from says the piece was finished with lacquer and I’m pretty sure that’s not going to work for me due to the reasons I mentioned above. Is something like this possible with a water based poly, like General Finish’s clear High Performance (colored with a stain or dye) or just using their amber tinted Enduro-Var? One last thing, I asked this on another forum and the majority of responses said I should forget about waterborne poly altogether and just use shellac, although I'm not sure how well that will hold up with the wear and tear a piece like this is likely to be put through. What do you think?
I need some advise on a project I’m working my way up to, a nursery dresser that I will probably build with walnut boards & walnut ply for the carcass. One thing I’m having a hard time with is deciding how to finish it. Here are the properties I’m after:
1) Smooth, non-sticky surface without wood grain texture, like you would find at a furniture store
2) Enough film for protection and smoothness but not so much that it looks like the wood itself is “behind” the finish
3) Satin or semigloss finish. I don’t want it to have a high gloss plastic look that you see on restaurant tables, but not so matte that it looks like a weathered antique. Again, a “new from the store” kind of look.
4) I want a uniform dark finish that doesn’t vary much from dark to light spots, but still shows the grain and color of the walnut. A little warmth perhaps, but nothing that looks “yellow”. More of a deep brown but not as dark as the espresso stained wood that’s popular now.
5) Durable enough to withstand the variety of liquids that a nursery/changing table is likely to come in contact with.
Limitations: This will be assembled in a smallish town house basement with little to no ventilation and subsequently placed in a nursery. I want to avoid finishing products with high VOCs, high odor, and flammable vapor (especially given the close proximity of the gas water heater near my work area), so I’d like to stick to non-oil based products if at all possible (though I’m not sure how products like shellac fit into the mix). I’m also a very green newbie so finicky products requiring an experienced hand aren’t preferable.
Attached below is an example of the kind of finish I’m after, with the color being a touch lighter than what I’m going for:
343274
The site the image came from says the piece was finished with lacquer and I’m pretty sure that’s not going to work for me due to the reasons I mentioned above. Is something like this possible with a water based poly, like General Finish’s clear High Performance (colored with a stain or dye) or just using their amber tinted Enduro-Var? One last thing, I asked this on another forum and the majority of responses said I should forget about waterborne poly altogether and just use shellac, although I'm not sure how well that will hold up with the wear and tear a piece like this is likely to be put through. What do you think?