Seeking opinions on finish for mid century dining chairs

[Torrey Cazalas]

Our neighbors gave us a set of midcentury dining chairs that were in pretty rough condition. I disassembled them, sanded to bare wood, cleaned up epoxy/glue from previous attempts at patching, and replaced/reglued the dowel joints. Now, I need to decide on a finish...


The chair bases are oak, though I think some parts are another species (pictured below). Maybe they were replaced with a different wood sometime back? The grain pattern does not flow or look very appealing on some of the base's pieces.


The chair backs are a walnut veneer in good condition, only needing small chip repairs. The plys are also exposed now but were previously not visible due to the dark stain.


I prefer to let wood grain speak for itself, and steer away from stains. I'm afraid my usual route of satin Arm R Seal or GF High Performance will not look too pleasing. There's also a tinge of orange, and some deep seated stain in a few sections of the chair that I couldn't sand out. Seat cushions will be reupholstered to match after finish is applied.


Should I go for a stain to match the walnut veneer back rests? If so, gel stain, water based, etc? Clear topcoat only w/ no stain? Take a different approach? Any recommendations would be great!!

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[Andrew Seemann]

I personally don't care for it as a finish, but I always associate Danish Oil (e.g. Watco) with mid century modern. Otherwise a satiny lacquer perhaps.

[Bennett Ostroff]

I would skip the stain and give Minwax Antique Oil a consideration. Basically Danish oil but less oil In the ratio. It dries and stops smelling a lot quicker. You could topcoat over it if you want additional protection.

[John TenEyck]

Oak is never going to look like walnut, nor the other way around. You can get the colors to match, but the grains won't. If it were me, I'd ebonize the bases with India ink and then clear coat everything with satin.

John