End grain sanding/finishing

[Woody Volland]

I’m nearing completion of a white oak headboard which, because of the curves, has plenty of exposed end grain. Besides sanding to 600+ 🤨, is there anything that can be done so that it takes any stain/finish evenly? Some kind of “pre-finish end grain sealer”??

[Rob Young]

I’m nearing completion of a white oak headboard which, because of the curves, has plenty of exposed end grain. Besides sanding to 600+ 廊, is there anything that can be done so that it takes any stain/finish evenly? Some kind of “pre-finish end grain sealer”??

I've only ever gone one grit higher than the "flat" surfaces. Then I use some blonde shellac, cut down to 1# or lower, to seal end grain before adding colorants. Test on scrap.

[Woody Volland]

Okay, my special gift is total ignorance. What is “1# or lower”?

[Phil Mueller]

Shellac is mixed by the term of “pounds”. It essentially means one pound of shellac flakes to one gallon of denatured alcohol is a “one pound cut”. The shellac you find at the big box stores is typically made by Zinsser. Their clear and amber shellac is around a 3 pound cut. The Zinsser Seal Coat shellac is around a 2lb cut if I recall correctly. The difference between the two is that the Seal Coat is de-waxed. You will want to use this so that your finish will work (you don’t want wax in your wood when trying to finish, unless you plan to finish with shellac).

So, bottom line, buy a can of Zinsser Seal Coat shellac, and thin it down...one part shellac to one part denatured alcohol and you’ll be around a 1lb cut.

I’ll add that Zinsser Seal Coat is a great product to seal projects prior to final finish...so a quart can be used for lots of things. Just pour it into a glass mason jar for storage...over time the cans can leak and you really don’t want that mess.

[Frank Drackman]

If you are going to color the wood I would investigate dyes instead of stains. I find the dyes give me much more control of the color especially in end grain.

[Tom Bender]

Sealing can be tricky since you want it on end grain but not on face. With curves you have a mix. Practice plenty on scraps. A bed is a big project that just got a little bigger. Don't rush at the end. In fact you should slow down and fuss at this point.