Finishing sequence for oak desk top

[Mark Katz]

Looking for some advice here from the experienced finishers.

I'm using a reclaimed "butcher block" table top for the top of a desk for my teen granddaughter. The original table had some damage so I cut it lengthwise into sections, discarding the badly damaged areas. Then I jointed and planed the remainder and glued it back up. The result, so far, is pictured here:

IMG_1161.jpg

For finishing, I'd like to stain it, fill the grain, and top coat it. I like using gel stains, I have some Aqua Coat, and Arm-R-Seal. Need some assistance with the finishing sequence. Here's my preliminary plan:

1. Sand through the grits to 180.
2. Wash coat with 50% SealCoat shellac
3. Sand with320 or 400 to knock off the nibs
4. Stain with gel stain
5. Seal again with 50% SealCoat
6. Sand again with320 or 400 to knock off the nibs
7. Grain fill with Aqua Coat - 2 or 3 coats as needed
8. Very lightly sand after each coat of Aqua Coat
9. Top coat with 2 or 3 coats of Arm-R-Seal

Does this sound reasonable?

Do I need the first shellac coat (before the stain)? If it won't hurt, I'll do it, but I'm guessing it's not needed with gel stain. But, I think I should do it on the ends of the top which is all end grain to keep them from getting too dark.

Do I need the second shellac coat and should it be full strength rather than 50% cut?

I plan to finish both sides of the top the same way except omitting the grain filling on the bottom (since it's not a writing surface).

Appreciate any help you folks can give - finshing has never been a strong point of mine.

[Scott Holmes]

White oak stains well. The wash "coat of shellac" is sometimes used for woods that blotch, aka don't take stain evenly. Depending on what color you want when finished; the shellac will seal and fill the pores of the wood a bit, so staining will be much lighter in color.

As for the writing surface... grain fillers are relatively soft. Better to fill with a HARD, FAST DRYING, finish SHELLAC!

Here's my recommended schedule:

1. Sand through the grits to 180.
2. Stain with gel stain
3. Seal with de-waxed Shellac (~ 2 pound cut) (Seal Coat is a de-waxed 2 # cut)
4. Re-coat with de-waxed Shellac.
5. Sand with 320 to knock off the nibs.
6. Re-coat with de-waxed Shellac. You are using the shellac to fill the grain.
7. Sand with 320 to make the surface flat. Flat and smooth are not the same thing!!! Use a sanding block.
8. Repeat until surface sands flat with no shiny spots.
9. Top coat with 2 or 3 coats of a hard varnish. Waterlox is a hard phenolic resin varnish.
10. Rub out the surface 2 weeks after final coat.