Finishing QS white oak

[Dave Rosner]

Hi all - I’ve got some 16’ quarter saw oak beams to install in a new bedroom and looking for finishing advice. The finish would be decorative only since the beams will be practically never touched. I’ve got very old antique pine floors that I finished with 7 coats of waterlox. So I think I need some color on the oak but not too dark or deep.

Was thinking of watco danish oil/varnish with a built in stain for color and some long term moisture protection and a bit of the finished look. Not sure if that will show off the grain enough or mute it. I’ve read/seen different approaches using fillers or stain or some kind of combo to make the grain pop - but it’s left me confused and wondering if I’m overthinking it.

Any suggestions?

[Jim Becker]

Dave, it's usually best to avoid any finish that has color added...the results can be very unpredictable. Use stain/dye to establish the general color and then top coat to seal and enhance with the product of your choice.

[Ted Phillips]

Personally, I wouldn't want to fill the grain on ceiling beams. The pore structure will give it some character and keep them from looking "glassy" or "plasticy" after you install them. I love the look of untinted finishes on QS white oak. The Danish Oil will give it a nice oiled natural look, which I prefer, while offering some protection for the wood surface.

TedP

[mark mcfarlane]

Dave, it's usually best to avoid any finish that has color added...the results can be very unpredictable. Use stain/dye to establish the general color and then top coat to seal and enhance with the product of your choice.

Jim, do you think this is always true. I just did some tests using Watco Danish Oil with a medium walnut stain in the oil and it looks pretty good to me. I was thinking 2 coats of this followed by 2 coats of Arm-R-Seal for my final, simple finishing schedule.

I did get similar final color from a pigment stain, so I could go that route as well,...

[Prashun Patel]

1) If you want it to sort of match the pine, then I would use the Danish oil. It will impart some color, add a little bit of protection, will be super easy to apply, and won't give you problems on oak.

2) I suspect the color tone of Waterlox on pine will be closer to a shade of amber shellac on oak. Shellac is another good choice for this application.

[Jim Becker]

Mark, IMHO, stain/dye in a finish can have some creative applicability for things like toning (generally sprayed), but I'm not comfortable with color in a film finish, for sure. Since you can "work" Danish Oil a bit, it's going to be more like many oil based stains and more consistent. If you like the result, by all means use it!

[Art Mann]

Minwax used to make a polyurethane varnish that had stain already in it. I experimented with it and it looked terrible. It was a total waste of money. At least I didn't ruin a good project with it. I would never use a new finish schedule without trying it out first. It is just too risky.

[mark mcfarlane]

Thanks Jim and Art.

FWIW, I've also had a bad experience with stain in poly the one time I tried it. I found it impossible to get a uniform color. Probably OK for spraying but not brushing. Maybe thinned it would brush or wipe more consistently.

...but the stain-in-danish oil seems safer.

[Robert Engel]

I'm doing a QSWO dining table project so this is of interest to me.

Done a bit of research & here's a couple sources of interest:

1

2

I think one common technique is sanding after dyeing/staining to remove dye/stain from flecks (which are harder).

Bottom line: have plenty of extra material to experiment on. What I did was resaw some boards into 1/8" thick for test pieces.

BTW I have also used Watco Danish Med Walnut and it really doesn't look bad. I think if I had sanded it afterward the flecks would pop a little more. Gonna give it a try sure is a foolproof way to go...

[Jim Becker]

Thanks Jim and Art.

FWIW, I've also had a bad experience with stain in poly the one time I tried it. I found it impossible to get a uniform color. Probably OK for spraying but not brushing. Maybe thinned it would brush or wipe more consistently.

...but the stain-in-danish oil seems safer.

Minwax used to make a polyurethane varnish that had stain already in it. I experimented with it and it looked terrible. It was a total waste of money. At least I didn't ruin a good project with it. I would never use a new finish schedule without trying it out first. It is just too risky.

Someone once said that. "{the Minwax product with stain in the varnish} was the worst thing to ever happen to a can" ...

[Wayne Lomman]

Colour is best applied as close to the timber as possible which means apply stain to get the majority of your colour. After a couple of clear coats, the job can be colour matched selectively using a weak brew of appropriate coloured dyes, your clear coat and a lot of solvent. Turn down the air pressure and fluid on the spray gun and use this to essentially airbrush areas that are too light. This is the about the only routine time a coloured/tinted lacquer needs to be used. Other uses are for special effects and are more like painting than polishing. Coloured clear finishes do muddy up the look so if you don't want to mute the grain, avoid a tinted finish. Cheers

[Rob Luter]

I'm doing a QSWO dining table project so this is of interest to me.

Done a bit of research & here's a couple sources of interest:

1

2

I think one common technique is sanding after dyeing/staining to remove dye/stain from flecks (which are harder).

Bottom line: have plenty of extra material to experiment on. What I did was resaw some boards into 1/8" thick for test pieces.

BTW I have also used Watco Danish Med Walnut and it really doesn't look bad. I think if I had sanded it afterward the flecks would pop a little more. Gonna give it a try sure is a foolproof way to go...

I’ve used approach 2 a number of times. When the first coat of dye goes down it’s easy to think you’ve ruined your project. Have faith. It turns out great.