Finishing Schedule Advice for Honduras Mahogany Cabinet Tops

[Trish Greenaway]

Hello, I'm a hobbyist cabinet builder and need some advice from the pros. I just brought home 50 board feet of wide plank, patterned Honduras mahogany that I plan to use as the cabinet tops for some bedroom cabinetry I just finished. I spent a small fortune for the lumber (didn't dare tell my husband), and don't want to make any bad decisions in my finishing schedule. The boards are planed, and are currently waiting to be glued up.

I'm planning on using Target Coatings--I've purchased the following Target products to date: Umber Grain Filler, Walnut Stain, USL Satin (Clear) Lacquer. I've also purchased some Flamowood Solvent based wood filler to repair any worm holes/voids in the boards.

I have a Fuji 4 Stage HVLP turbine for spray equipment.

I am staining the wood a walnut color.

Would appreciate any / all advice as to whether I need a wash coat prior to staining this species, and if so, what to use. Would also appreciate recommendations on an overall schedule, including sanding.

Thank you,
Trish

[Jim Becker]

Trish, welcome to SMC.

I guess I have to admit I'm curious as to why you want to stain that beautiful (and expensive) mahogany with the "walnut" stain? (And real walnut gets to be a golden brown as it ages...walnut gets lighter over time and rarely looks like most of the stains/dyes that take their name from it)

That said, you need to take some scrap of the material you are using, sand/scrap/plane it to the same quality as your project and then do tests of your full regimen to see if it's what you want things to look like. Do NOT attempt this on the real project. The idea is to work things out first, taking careful notes, so you can duplicate a successful result later. And do take notice that you must go all the way including at least a coat or two of your top coat, in this case the USL.

[Steve Schoene]

Mahogany has very little potential for blotching, it just shows its figure with a pigmented stain, so no wash coat is needed for that purpose. Sanding to 220 is plenty. Make your final sanding by hand, using a sanding block.

The walnut stain and umber pore filler pretty much duplicate each other in that both are pigmented, and, unless you use a seal coat between the stain and the pore filler, both will color pretty much all the wood, not just the pores. I find I can get more depth to the finish by starting with a powdered analine dye mixed with water to establish the basic color, and then sealing and using either pigmented stain or pore filler to color the pores. Dewaxed shellac makes a good sealer for this kind of thing and works fine under the USL.

Umber will give a very brown color, probably what you want if you are going for walnut. On mahogany as mahogany I like to add a bit of burnt sienna to the pigment to bring back a little of the mahogany color.

And listen to Jim. Testing a finish schedule on scrap is a fundamental part of finishing.

There are a few more dramatic ways to highlight the figure of mahogany, though that makes it look more like mahogany and less like walnut. I like an antique mahogany look with subtle golden highlights in the figure that can be reached by starting with a medium yellow dye. That is then partially sealed with shellac (about 1 lb. cut) and then dyed again with a brown mahogany dye. Wipe off any dye that doesn't sink into the wood. The gold color will be somewhat preserved under the brown in those portions of the wood with the densest wood while the rest becomes brown. I then seal this again, and use a tinted pore filler, before putting on the top coats--often shellac since I favor 18th. century reproductions.

You may want to add a few drops of amber TransTint to the USL to remove any chance of a cold "cast" in the top coats.

I also prefer to fix problems like worm holes using a burn in stick after the first coat or two of top coat has been applied . That way you can get an exact color match (they can even be mixed on the burn in knife).

And, take heart about the cost of the mahogany. It finishes quite well, and you can talk about how much you saved by not getting mahogany wide enough that you wouldn't need to glue up a cabinet top.

[Trish Greenaway]

Jim and Steve, thanks for the kind replies.

I will definitely be practicing on sample boards before I tackle the real thing. Steve, you've given me alot of good ideas. It sounds like I'll need to experiment a bit to get the desired look. I've got some dewaxed shellac flakes in various colors, plus a few tints to play around with.

Regarding the color of the wood--I'm going for a more brown, less red look--just personal preference.

Thanks again,
Trish

[ALAN BECKER]

Hi,
Steve has good advise! Over the years I have ruined more projects with stains, fillers, that muddy the translucent beauty of natural mahogany.
Try ngr solar lux if stain is a must! Seal up with clear shellac, sand and finish! I have even added dye or amber tint to the shellac/ finish to darken, or shade in the corners lightly. Just remember that a knick or scratch down the road will easily show and harder to repair the more you add and change color.
Keep it simple! Nothing worse than finding out that the filer or stain lifts/wrinkles the finish.Also having to patch up a blemish or blotch while your finish is hardening up in your expensive equipment!

good luck on your project!
Alan