Finishing Black Walnut

[Jeff Iammarino]

Any suggestions on finishing a Black Walnut desk for a child? I would like something that doesn't hide the wood but offers adequate protection.
Thanks for the help.

[Jim Becker]

Welcome to SMC, Jeff.

Many folks like to put an application of shellac on walnut before other finishing steps to warm it up if it was kiln dried and steamed which tends to take away a lot of the wonderful natural color variations. From there, a wiping varnish would make for easiest application if you cannot spray. Pratt and Lambert #38 varnish thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits or Waterlox Original are good examples. If you can spray, then one of the nice water borne finishes would make for a nice finish. Target Coatings USL is a good example of that kind of product. If you do the shellac step, it's generally a good idea to use de-waxed shellac. That will insure good adhesion with any top coat you choose to use.

Personally, I also like to put a coat of BLO on walnut before the shellac step, but that's personal preference.

No matter how you choose to proceed, please be sure to test the whole finishing regimen on scraps of the same material the project was build from BEFORE you start finishing your real project.

[Prashun Patel]

I second Jim's suggestion. Wiping varnish over amber/orange shellac.

Walnut's open grained, so you can fill with shellac by putting on a few coats and then sanding aggressively back. Else, you can use a pore filler. Since it's a desk, I'd probably want a glass smooth surface...

[Thomas Pender]

I know many folks love shellac and while I do respect it (mostly for cherry), I prefer to use a natural color danish oil or similar product - failing that BLO, for walnut. (I do not use shellac once I do use BLO, although folks do.) The oil makes the walnut pop and to me, provies better undercoat protection - with a longer drying time (72 hours plus). Then, you can put several coats of poly or acrylic on it and it will look glorious. I do recommend you get the most "chocolate" colored walnut you can or alternativley, use curly walnut - the grain kind of pullsates or shimmers and with an occasional bit of sapwood, it comes alive.

I note that after sanding the walnut (which dulls the color) I use a cabinet scraper, which improves the shine and color consistency, plus removes the dust and then I use the oil - it kind both cleans it and makes it much darker. I really believe the less you do to blcak walnut, the better.

[Jeff Iammarino]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys - I will attach a few pics in a week or so when it is finished.