finishing white oak

[chris fox]

I like the durablity and the grain of plain/qtr sawn white oak. But havent acheived the right finish yet. I am on a japanese/modern influence in my designs and like simple clean lines using this wood. I have experiemented with Danish oil and on another project BLO topcoated with Bri wax(clear). Not bad but wanting more lighter effect.
Any ideas? satin poly, shellac? Others have pointed me to looking Roomandboard and DWR furniture for finishes on their white oak pieces.

thanks
Chris

[Ken Consaul]

Reading Jeff Jewitt's Great Wood Finishes there is a chapter featuring a pickled ash nightstand. it is similar in concept (only)to the 'whitewash' look that was popular on cabinets but so much richer looking. He used a white, then a blue, then a pink glaze. The result was a very light, almost pearl like finish. The glazing stayed only in the pores of the wood. If you have a chance to browse the book, give it a look. It may be something that will fit into your style.
I've been intrigued by the look and wanted to do something with it, especially since ash is cheap.
Its also called 'liming' Perhaps a search is in order.

[Don Baer]

Chris,
I am getting ready to finish a white OAK desk for LOML and have been playing with finsihes. She wanted something fairly light. I settled on a "Llight Oak" dye from Transfast, It's water soluable and easy to adjust the effects. If it to dark, add more water, if to light ad more granuals. The top coat I have settle on is also water based also. It is a semi gloss "Polycrylic" from general finishes. It easy to apply with just a foam brush and you can re-coat in 1 hour. Here is a test piece.

47887 47888

The pictures don't show it very well but one end is slightly darker then the other. I was playing with the dye. I didn't sand and prep the piece as much as I normaly would but I did sand between coats. There are 4 coats on this piece.

[chris fox]

thanks guys I will look into the book and Transfast light oak.

[Al Willits]

Haven't had a chance to try it, after checking with a few people I'm thinking on using slightly thined Danish Natural and a water based poly to try and keep the white oak kitchen cabinets as light as possible, while still keeping the natural look.

Al

[Bill Neely]

I used Watco natural danish oil on a table I made with Oregon White Oak and it darkened the wood very little. If I was intending to put a water based finish over danish oil I'd check very carefully beforehand that they are compatible,

[Steve Schoene]

If your goal is to keep the oak as light as possible skip all oil based finishes. They have the inherent property of "wetting out" the surface which is the largest source of initial darkening--(check this out with a little distilled water) You have to go directly to an waterborne finish, such as those from Target or Fuhr. Personally, I prefer the richness of the oil-based finishes, but that is a matter of personal preference.

Also be aware that the oak will darken naturally over time, even if the finish does not.

[Matt P]

I've used Zinnser amber shellac on white oak and it really gave it a robust grain glow and shimmer.. very nice.

[Mark Singer]

Check out my finish on the coffee table...

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=34542&highlight=coffee+table

it was General Finishes Seal A Cell and Arm R Seal over a white wash of yellow cream stain