Finish for Ash/Cherry C-table

[Derek Tedford]

What's up guys?

I've recently taken up woodworking over the winter, and this is my first real project. I'm building a "C-table" or a "sofa table." Just enough to sit a cup of coffee and a remote on. I made it out of ash, with about a 1" strip of cherry in the center.

I've been lost on how to finish it. I love a more natural look, but I also want something that is going to protect it from daily use from coffee mugs and sliding around. I originally bought some Polycrylic because I heard it looks great for lighter woods like ash, but I also want it to make the cherry pop.. will polycrylic do that?

Any other suggestions?

[Rob Young]

Polycrylic will give some protection. Probably sufficient if you aren't planning to heat your coffee to mouth-melting temperatures. For what the stuff costs, it works just fine in low stress applications like this. As far as non-slip, that will come down to how you sand or buff out the final coat. Plan on 2-3 coats minimum.

It will not "pop" the color on the cherry, but it will give a very slight amber tint to everything. Not much, and probably only noticeable if you have a piece of sanded but unfinished wood from the same board right next to it.

That said, just leave the thing in a sunny spot for a few days before finishing, but after final sanding. The cherry will get a jump start on darkening and standout from the ash.

My final comment is one of personal preferences. While the colors of ash and cherry go well together, I don't like the look of big open-grain woods next to tightgrain closed pore woods. Filling the pores of the ash with something a little bit dark might look good. Seal coat -> pore fill -> scuff sand -> top coat. But probably way more work than you have in mind for a sofa table.

[Derek Tedford]

I definitely see what you are talking about with the tight grain cherry and open grain ash. I don't have enough experience to know whether I like it or not haha. Looks good so far nonetheless.

So that being said, is there a finish that will make the cherry "pop" and bring a bit more life to it? I'm not stuck on polycrylic.


Filling the pores of the ash with something a little bit dark might look good. Seal coat -> pore fill -> scuff sand -> top coat. But probably way more work than you have in mind for a sofa table.

So I don't know all the terms.. What would be a seal coat and pore fill?

[Rob Young]

I definitely see what you are talking about with the tight grain cherry and open grain ash. I don't have enough experience to know whether I like it or not haha. Looks good so far nonetheless.

So that being said, is there a finish that will make the cherry "pop" and bring a bit more life to it? I'm not stuck on polycrylic.



So I don't know all the terms.. What would be a seal coat and pore fill?

You could use an oil-based varnish to give a little bit of amber color and "pop" to the cherry. But it will also give an amber hue to the ash. Something simple like a wipe-on formulation (buy or make) is ok for minimal protection. Formby's and Minwax's wipe on formulations get good marks in most reviews. I like the Formby's because I seem to be able to buy it just about anywhere and it is relatively inexpensive. Some time back though, I make up my own using 1:1:1 of boiled linseed oil, mineral spirits and the least expensive polyurethane I could find at the hardware store. Keep it in a gallon paint can and use it for small things that can be dunked and drip-dried.

"seal coat" would be a layer of material that seals down what is below it and prevents the subsequent coat from pulling color or material out and into areas where you don't want it. Dewaxed shellac of various tints and grades is common. Lacquer can also work. And a wipe-on oil-varnish can be used as a seal coat. Just depends on the materials that are going to be above and below the barrier.

"pore fill" is a solid material that is forced down into the pores of the wood, filling the void and bringing it up level or close to level with the surface. Commercial pore fillers are available in lots of tints or clear and in both water-borne and solvent-borne formulations. However for small jobs, you can use things like Timbermate or similar wood fillers. "smoosh" on using a putty knife and scrape off before it dries. May take multiple coats. Follow with a light sanding. Many of the fillers can be tinted and come in tints too. Lately, for small projects I've just been using Plaster of Paris. But only if I'm not doing a complete pore fill as I've the feeling it could fall out in later years.

For woods with smaller pores, like walnut or mahogany for example, a neat trick is to use an oil-varnish blend as the base coat. While it is still wet and pooled on the surface, sand to make a slurry. Then work the slurry diagonal to the grain to force it down into the pores. Wipe, seal (shellac is good) and then whatever final topcoat you want. Messy, but looks good.

This is really a rabbit hole, getting into tints, pore filling, etc. For a simple project, keep it simple. Don't worry about the open vs. closed grain. Just try a little oil-varnish on the underside, let it dry and see if you like the look. If so, do the top side, if not don't do the top with the oil-varnish. Once dry, you can scuff sand with p320 and then use your Polycrylic for a little more surface protection.

[Derek Tedford]

This is really a rabbit hole, getting into tints, pore filling, etc. For a simple project, keep it simple. Don't worry about the open vs. closed grain. Just try a little oil-varnish on the underside, let it dry and see if you like the look. If so, do the top side, if not don't do the top with the oil-varnish. Once dry, you can scuff sand with p320 and then use your Polycrylic for a little more surface protection.


All good tips! I think I'll try the oil/varnish and see how I like it!!

[Andy Giddings]

If you want some pop without changing color of the Ash try a blonde Shellac followed by a clear finish.

[Stan Calow]

could you us a different finish on each? I could see using a clear brushing lacquer on the ash, Waterlox or Arm-r-seal on the cherry. Just a thought. I like the idea of keeping the ash as light as possible.

[Charlie Fox]

Osmo Polyx oil is perfect for this. extremely easy to apply as basically a wipe on/wipe off, a little goes a looooong way, and just 2 coats will take spilled red wine sitting on it for hours with no stain. far easier than anything else.