what finish for oak?

[Stephen Sebed]

What is your favorite finish for oak?

I am making an oak bookcase (I'm using the designs in the current issue of Family Handyman) and I'm thinking of brushing on lacquer. Is there anything I should watch out for if I brush on lacquer?

Also, the bookcase uses two different sizes of rectangular blocks as accent pieces (I think the text called them dentils)
The magazine cover on the page in this link shows them better than I can explain (the blocks right under the plasma TV)
http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/action.do?siteId=1111&categoryId=6006
Anyway should I finish these blocks before I put them on the bookcase?
The reason I ask is that I think that whatever finish I put on will build up in the corners of all the blocks.

Thanks,
Stephen

[Dave Smith]

I assume you are using red oak. My favorite finish for most things is a witch's brew made with equal parts of boiled linseed oil(BLO), polyurethane and thinner. The fumes of mineral spirits make me sick so I avoid its use. I prefer a product called t.r.p.s. Lower case letters with periods is what is on the can. I think it stand for turpentine replacement paint solvent. If you are working in humid and/or cool weather you may want to use naphtha for your solvent. Most of the time I use half and half mixture of trps and naphtha for the solvent.

Brush it on and rub it in. The more you rub the better it drys. Make sure you get it dry. This type of finish is pretty much fool proof which is why I like it. No runs and build up the the corners. It is fairly fast drying and it doesn't bleed from the pores as bad as Watco. Most will say it is over kill but I sand to 320 before the first coat and sand with 600 between subsequent coats.

Read the caution in the BLO can. The rags must be disposed of properly. I lay them on a concrete walk outside my shop to dry. Linseed oil cures by oxidation and it is an exothermic reaction. Many a shop and house have been burned to the ground because oily rags were tossed into a waste basket.

Good luck and post a picture.

Dave Smith

Boil and bubble in Longview, WA.

[Lee Schierer]

Brush on lacquer works best on horizontal surfaces. Personally I prefer Deft Clear Wood Finish. It is pretty goof proof and is a durable finish for furniture. It can be applied in any temperature even below freezing with no problems. Make sure if you use lacquer to have a well ventilated space. The fumes can be quite toxic. That's one of the reasons I stick with Deft Clear Wood Finish as I can do my finishing in an unheated unattached garage with the door open even in winter.

[chris toomey]

Brush on lacquer works best on horizontal surfaces. Personally I prefer Deft Clear Wood Finish. It is pretty goof proof and is a durable finish for furniture. It can be applied in any temperature even below freezing with no problems. Make sure if you use lacquer to have a well ventilated space. The fumes can be quite toxic. That's one of the reasons I stick with Deft Clear Wood Finish as I can do my finishing in an unheated unattached garage with the door open even in winter.


i always thought deft was brushing lacquer. i know deft does make one. personally, i would wipe on a few thin coats on thinned poly. that looks it would be a difficult piece to brush. good luck. share some pics when you're done

[Stephen Sebed]

I like the idea of being able to finish this project in my garage. It would take forever if I could only apply it to horizontal surfaces though. How long does a coat of brushed on Deft take to dry when its about 40 degrees outside?

Dave - Can your witch's brew be applied in cold conditions?
I have fair amount of surface area to be finished, how much work is it to rub the finish dry? Do you apply stain before this finish? How many coats do you use?

Sorry about all the questions but I fairly new to both finishes.

Thanks again,
Stephen

[Dave Smith]

I would not use any finish at 40 degrees for furniture. Witch's brew is a very forgiving finish but it needs a higher temperature to cure. It only needs to be wiped dry but some buffing will make a smoother surface. I would put on 3 coats. The first coat needs to flood the surface and soak in. If it gets sticky before you can get it wiped off apply more brew if not you will have a rough surface. It is best to do small areas at a time until you get a feel for the process.

I use Scott's white shop towels for wiping off the finish. I also use a fresh towel to buff the surface after it is dry. When the rag no longer picks up finish you can take a rest until the next application. I keep my shop dehumidified and heated so I can expect to recoat in about 8 hour. If the sand paper gums up then either I didn't wait long enough or I didn't get the excess finish wiped off the previous coat. Boiled linseed oil has dryers added and the poly also helps speed up the curing process for linseed oil. If you are going to use this finish check the minimum temperature for each component.

I do not like to satin most woods. If you think you must stain it needs to be done before applying witch's brew. I suggest you consider a dye instead of stain. Witch's brew will added a warm color to oak because of the linseed oil. I really like it on white oak, walnut and cherry to name a few. Try the finish on some scrap. I think you will like it.

I have begun using a gel polyurethene finish marketed by Rockler that is about as fool proof as a poly finish can be. It is 43% solids so it builds fast and it is wiped dry after each application. It is a satin clear coat. It is my finish of choice for wood turnings. I have only used it on one large piece of furniture so far and I am pleased with the results. The can doesn't list a mininum temperature for application . Her is Michael Dresdner's web site address. http://www.michaeldresdner.com He has his picture on the can so I am sure he can answer the question about mininum temperature for application.

Dave Smith

Said more than I know in Longview, WA.

[Chris Padilla]

I've been using a product called Velvit Oil (http://www.velvitoil.com/ click on the blue square) and like it a lot. Wet-sanding with it provides, well, a velvity smooth finish. I use the "Natural" color a lot but they have colors (stains) for it, too.

I have yet to try it on an open-grained wood like Oak but I bet it excels with it during the wet-sanding. During the wet-sanding, you are mixing sawdust with the oil thus producing a slurry that can help fill in a bit of the oak.

Hand or power-rub (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?threadid=5305) and you should get outstanding results.

Chris

[Kurt Aebi]

If the wood grain is nice, clear polyurethane will work just fine. I usually seal the wood first and then apply around 5 coats of poly. I use 220 grit between the first and second coat and then 320 grit between the next, and 400 between the next and then after the final coat i sand with 600 grit and then apply butcher's bowling alley wax and buff to a nice shine.

But I move my pieces into the house for this during the winter as it can get quite cold in the uninsulated garage shop I have, even with the oil furnace running.

[Lee Schierer]

Deft usuallly dries to the touch in a couple of hours when it is cold. The colder it is the more hours it takes. You also want to leave it in the cold for a week or more after the last coat so the material in the pores dries otherwise you may get some bubbles from trapped air in those pores. DAMHIKT.

I personally have applied Deft at 5 degrees with good results. I usually coat one side per night. Yes, applying three coats on a dresser takes a few days, but I like the finish and I can't use poly in the winter without fuming up the house. The fumes from polyurethane unless it is water based are toxic. I don't care for the grain raising effect or durability of water based urethanes that I have tried.

[Kurt Aebi]

Here is a picture of a White Oak TV stand I just finished.

5 Coats of Poly

[Jim Martin]

I use the traditional three part mix of mineral spirits, boiled linseed oil, and varnish. I put it on like Dave Smith does his, brush on and wipe off. On the first coat I generally brush it on and then work it in with 400 grit wet/dry paper. This creates a slurry that acts as a filler that fills pours in the oak and imperfections. After sanding I buff with a rag and allow to dry. I then apply several more coats (brush on and wipe off) and build up the amount of sheen I want. The finish looks great and is foolproof. A klutz like me gets a pro finish everytime.