White Oak Vanity

[Zachary Caldwell]

We are wanting to build a white oak vanity for our new bathroom remodel. I have finished white oak before and it tends to go a little yellow. Is there a certain finish recommendation to keep it as light toned as they are on Houszz. My wife likes the lighter look not so much the yellow.

Thanks,
Zach

[Jim Becker]

Most waterborne finishes do not create the amber cast that oil based products do. But you should do a test piece for all finishes you consider. Some folks feel that the waterborne directly on the wood is 'too cold' so you'll want to verify that you (and the boss) like the water clear finish on that white oak. The white oak already has a slight, natural yellow/green color cast, depending on the tree, although it's not nearly as much as red oak.

[Frank Pratt]

Water borne poly won't give it any color cast. There are others, but I haven't used them.

[John TenEyck]

The current trendy look with white oak comes from using a waterborne acrylic with a matte or flat sheen. General Finishes' Enduro Clear Poly (I know it says poly but it's mostly acrylic and dead clear) or Target Coatings' EM-6000 would be good choices. In a matte or flat sheen it looks almost like no finish on the wood.

John