Building 2 Tone Furniture - Which Finish?

[Bob Jones]

Please bear with me-this is my first big project. So I'm looking for something that is not technically challenging.

I'm building some bedroom furniture (starting with an entertainment center) and I would like some opinons on how to finish. It is made with 2x4 spruce frames and domestic birch plywood panels.

I want to use a light brown stain on the panels (cherry) and to keep the 2x4 frame the light color (whiteish-yellow) that they are now. I don't want them to turn orange. I would like to be able to use the same clear coat on the stained panels and the framework.

So, what kind of stain and what kind of clear finish? I have read alot, and I am thinking that pure tung oil is the way to go for clear... I'm lost on the stain. Help please.

Thanks for your advice.

[Steve Schoene]

The spruce will change color over time no matter what you do, its in the nature of things.

You can certainly stain the panels before assembly and then clear coat. Mask the stain to keep it off of any areas that will be glued. I would use a gel stain, since otherwise birch tends to "blotch" significantly.

Tung oil will amber the wood, not quite as much as boiled linseed oil but nearly. Neither pure oils would provide any real protection.

The two lightest most non-yellowing finishes over time are super blonde shellac and waterborne finishes. Both will give you a film finish while it sounds like you are looking for an "in the wood" oil finish. Personally I think shellac looks very nice, is easy to apply, and should meet the needs of an entertainment center. You can apply just enough to let the finish even out, instead of being shiny some places and dull in others. Then to lessen the "film" look, you can easily rub it to a satin finish with synthetic steel wool (grey pads). Waterborne finishes are "whiter" sometimes so "white" that they give an unpleasant bluish tone. The final coat should be a satin finish from the manufacturer, since waterborne finishes don't rub out as nicely as shellac.

Be sure to do tests on scrap of the same woods.

[Bob Jones]

Thanks Steve,
I am looking for a finish that looks and feels like wood. I have used Polyurathane before, but it looks and feels kinda plastic. So, I am trying to identify a more natural look. I will look more into shelac.
Thanks,
Bob