Finishing Birch

[Doug Denny]

I have read on here and other places that Birch is hard to stain so I was thinking of just putting a clear finish on it and calling it good. It is a stand for an aquarium that will be finished with Pine trim so i know if I did stain I would have a hard time matching the colors with two different species. So what I need is recommendations for a good sealer to protect from water splashes and scratches from my 4year old son playing with his toys. Any help or recommendation will be greatly appreciated. I have attached a photo of the stand for reference.

[tod evans]

a product i very seldom see mentioned on smc is laquer stain, this product has been used by professional painters for decades on residential and commercial cabintry and trim. the nature of the beast is simply pigments in a clear lacquer base, by using such a product it is possible to make dissimilar woods appear to be uniform in color and as it is a lacquer base most topcoats are compatable. food for thought.....tod

[Doug Denny]

That is a good Idea if I can find it down here in the Rio Grande Valley. We seem to be behind in times and products. Will have to call around and go to places to see if I can find it or something of the like.

[Mario Brissette]

Doug, recently I did a try in a piece of birch. I put a scellant which is a SuperBlonde Shellac. The concentration is 200g of Shellac flakes in 1 liter of denatured alcohol.

Here is a picture of the piece after the scellant was apply but before the staining. The piece is the one at the left. The scellant give a light yellow color.

http://membres.lycos.fr/diver23/image/mortaise/encollage8.jpg


And here is a picture after the staining.

http://membres.lycos.fr/diver23/image/mortaise/encollage12.jpg

You see in the lower part of the piece where I put the Shellac that the color is very constant. In the upper part, where no scellant was apply, the color varies from an area to another. Some place where the end grain come to surface take more color.

For the demonstration, I took a black walnut stained danish oil. I put 2 coats of danish oil.

Maybe staining is not a solution for you but I thought it maybe usefull for you for a futur project.

With this technique, you could have a better control on the stain. It works with birch, maple and pine. If you want to use this technique, I suggest you the make test on small pieces.

[Doug Denny]

I might have to try something like that. I was originally going to stain it an antique walnut but after reading some of the problems with birch started to rethink. I have a spray gun so I think that I might be able to still accomplish the walnut finish but I will have to play around with the scrape pieces to find out for sure of course this is all Birch Plywood 1/4" so if I make a mistake could be bad. lol Thanks for the tips will try out soon and see how ans what works.

[Steve Schoene]

Gel stains have relatively few problems with blotching because they don't penetrate.

Birch ply is also a good candidate for paint. A good satin oil based enamel would make the issue of matching the different woods disappear. If the pine trim has any knots or sap pockets, two coats of Zinsser's Seal Coat shellac will take care of the problem.

[Ralph Barhorst]

I agree with Steve. I have built some birch projects recently and have used gel stains on them and they came out fine. I used a Red Mahogany gel stain.

[Doug Denny]

That sounds good I will have to try some on some scrap pieces I have to see how it goes. What sould I use to protect the stain? Poly or is there some thing else that is recomended. As you can probably tell I am a newbie at this. The first project I did 6 years ago did not stain all that well but I was not using good finishing lumber but had a very bad experience and now a little unsure. I have used some poly on my sons dresser for a natural look and it came out great so I guess it all comes down to patience. So what is a good clear coat to protect the stain and wood from water splashing as that will happen I am sure.

[John Hemenway]

Poly is reputed to have the best resistance to water. I use it on my aquarium stands and it does the trick. No matter how carefull you are there will be spills (DAMHIKT :( ) The wipe-on polys like General Finishes Arm-R-Seal are really easy to use but take several coats to get a good build. Make sure you give it some time to cure (at least a week, 2 would be better) before filling the tank. Pay extra attention to the area under the tank!

Remember to follow the old fish keepers addage, Measure twice, cut once...

No that's not it !! :p

"Nothing good happens fast!" Ah, much better...


That sounds good I will have to try some on some scrap pieces I have to see how it goes. What sould I use to protect the stain? Poly or is there some thing else that is recomended. As you can probably tell I am a newbie at this. The first project I did 6 years ago did not stain all that well but I was not using good finishing lumber but had a very bad experience and now a little unsure. I have used some poly on my sons dresser for a natural look and it came out great so I guess it all comes down to patience. So what is a good clear coat to protect the stain and wood from water splashing as that will happen I am sure.

[Doug Denny]

That is good to know thanks John. Yeah this is for my Saltwater tank so just that more important as SW is really bad on things. I am not going to stain the ply under the tank just about 3-4 coats of poly then on the birch itself about the same amount of coats to protect the finish and of course the wood. lol "Nothing good happens fast" is right! The one I was thinking of it "Patience is a virtue"(at least when dealing with SW tanks) Thanks again for the input.

[Dennis Peacock]

Doug,

Birch will stain pretty well with oil base stain, but I prefer using the Trans Tint dyes...alcohol based works very well for me (doesn't raise the grain like the waterbased dyes). The dye needs to be sprayed for a nice "even", "consistant" color across your entire project. If you visit my personal website and go to the Current Projects link, you'll see Birch finished with dye and lacquer.

Oh...In case you ever need to know? Use Alder for a solid Birch substitute and you'll be "very" glad you did. :D

[Doug Denny]

Here is an update picture of the stand. I did go ahead and stain it. I went to Sherwin WIlliams and had them mix a oil based stain to my wifes liking. LOL Well here it is I have not put the two coats of clear varnish on yet though. Not to bad for a first timer.

[Travis Porter]

I didn't know you could apply stain after putting on shellac. Is there anything special you have to do? Could I buy some of say the premixed and do this?

[Doug Denny]

I didn't know you could apply stain after putting on shellac. Is there anything special you have to do? Could I buy some of say the premixed and do this?

I didn't it was sanded with 220 sandpaper then I used a mixed stain from Sherwin Williams. It seemed to work for me as this is the only second time I have done this and the first time was with minwax(not a good experience at all). I have applied the first coat of clear varnish and letting it dry I will add a second coat in the morning and possibly a third if needed. The first I put on too thin I think. I will see in the morning.

[Jim Becker]

I didn't know you could apply stain after putting on shellac. Is there anything special you have to do? Could I buy some of say the premixed and do this?

All that is happening here is that a very thin "cut" of shellac is used to keep the stain from actually penetrating into the grain of the wood...that's why it's often called a pre-stain sealer. It's particularly effective when using pigment stains on species that have variable grain density as in the pictures of the birch show in this thread. The downside is...you're not coloring the wood. You are putting coloration on top of the shellac.

You "can" use premixed shellac for this (dewaxed is pretty important to avoid problems with certain top coats, such as water bourne products or the over-used polyurethan varnish), but you will have to cut it with alcohol to get it thin enough. Pre-mixed is generally a 2-lb or sometimes 3-lb cut which is way too thick for this particular application. You really want about a .5-lb cut...very thin concentration, almost like a wash.


a product i very seldom see mentioned on smc is laquer stain, this product has been used by professional painters for decades on residential and commercial cabintry and trim. the nature of the beast is simply pigments in a clear lacquer base...

Sounds like lacquer toners. They are generally used as part of a multi-step finishing process, either for effect or to even color variations as you mention. One must be careful about what one sprays them on, however...lacquer thinner cuts a lot of things.

[Travis Porter]

I am going to give this a test run. I am building a bookcase and nightstand out of Mahogany at the moment, but I am scared to try something new that I am likely to screw up on it. Fortunately, I am in the final stages of it, so I can get a couple of scrap boards and try it out.

I guess I will be going to Woodcraft and buying some Shellac flakes. Read about it for a long time, so it is time I bite the bullet.

Dewaxed is a definite. Thanks for the info.

[Steve Schoene]

Never screw up a project with the finish. ALWAYS finish some scraps of the same wood first--from start to finish. That way, its not something new when you use it on the project. Perhaps the most important "rule" in finishing.

[Doug Denny]

Thanks for all the help I thought I would show a pic of the finished product.