Advice on finishing this shaker shelf

[J. Z. Guest]

Hi All,

I'm working a small Shaker wall shelf for my parents-in-law. It is only about 5" wide, and will probably be used to store keys, wallets, etc.

I started finishing it with Minwax 'Tung Oil Finish'. I just searched and read up on this and found that it is not actually tung oil but a wiping varnish.

My thought when I started finishing this was that this would be a perfect finish, since it will sink into the wood grain. (Red Oak) This way, when keys ding it up, they don't mess up the finish so much, since it is IN the wood, rather than ON it.

I thought Poly would be tougher, but it will eventually get chipped up and will not be as easy to touch up as tung oil finish.

By now, the first coat is dry. I had originally intended on applying two more coats over the next couple days. But now I'm wondering whether I should do that and finish with wax or do that and put poly on top of the tung oil finish.

What are your opinions? (knowing that this will get beaten up by keys)

[Jim Becker]

There is no point in putting any "poly" over the wiping varnish...it's not going to be any more "protective". Marketing is not your friend here. (As you found out relative to the label of the product you bought...same applies to the myth that poly is "da bomb" when it comes to finishes)

While the product you used is, in fact, a varnish, the coats are thin when wiped on and you'll still have a very nice soft look to the piece. It should be fine for your intended use, IMHO.

Wax is not really necessary, but you can certainly apply it to alter the luster of the piece to your liking.

[Steve Schoene]

The Minwax Tung Oil FINISH isn't a wiping varnish either, it's an oil/varnish mix. And, given what you say you are looking for that the best alternative, much better than if it were actually pure tung oil. You apply by brushing or wiping on a liberal coat, waiting 5 -10 minutes for it to penetrate and then thoroughly wiping all the excess off.

[Dewey Torres]

Any of the above will work fine... Once it gets dinged up by the keys... use it as an excuse to visit the parents for a day to touch it up. Even the best of finishes will require ANYWAY this at some point.

Your parents will love you for coming to the rescue; you will feel great that you helped and that your project is being maintained; you will know that for the day you can check your "good Samaritan block".

At any of our ages, how much longer will our parents live??? Cherish it while woodworking!

Dewey