Maple Finishing

[Jerry Bittner]

I've got a project made of soft Maple for which I need advice about finishing.

My Daughter-in-law wanted it painted white but I talked her out of it after sending her a picture of the crib unfinished -- it has a white look to it. She was happy with that. Now my problem is protecting the wood with varnish or whatever, preferably with a finish that will withstand milk, food stains and what not. I tried a Mimwax natural stain on scrap wood but that leaves an amber tone. Tried Minwax polyurethane but that too leaves a similar natural tone. Tried Pickled Oak stain but the same results. Ditto for laquier

So how can I get a durable finish and yet retain the natural look?

[Tom Pritchard]

Jerry, there are two products that I have used on maple that don't change the color, one is Watco Danish Oil in the "natural" color (available at Woodcraft), and the other is Polymerized Tung Oil (available fro Lee Valley. Both are designed to give you a satiny finish, but I apply Johnson's Paste Wax over it (3-4 coats) if I really want it to shine. It is easily renewed/repaired, and although it is not waterproof, I believe it would protect the wood from incidental exposures.

I'm in no way an expert on finishing, but these items have worked well for me on maple. I like the light, natural appearance of maple and don't use anything to darken it down. Good luck in your pursuit!

[Steve Schoene]

Oil finishes will color the maple some. Probably your best bet would come from one of the water clear water borne acrylic finishes. Durability would be on a par with a good lacquer, though not as durable as a oil based varnish.

However, what ever you do, maple will change color over time, becoming darker. May not notice for the period of use for the first child, but would likely be noticable by the second kid, and quite different when it is passed to the grandchilden. So trying to keep wood as if it were unfinished is ultimately a fruitless task.

[Jim Benante]

I went through a similar dilemma. Here was my solution.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=22150

Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) rubbed on, shellac sprayed on then a water based laquer sprayed on.

I really liked the light color of the maple, but after completing this finishing scheme believe it looks much better with a little bit of help from this combination of finishes. I am very pleased with the results.

Here is another link to a discussion on finishing maple

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=21186