Hi All,
Just made this for a friend. Don’t want to ruin it and I am a newbie at working with wood. What would you suggest to finish this. Mineral oil? Cutting board oil? Bees wax? Post that does it need a coat of spray lacquer? It is English Oak. Oh could I use a blow torch to give the flag stripes extra definition? Although again don’t want to ruin this.
Thanks
Josh
People usually choose their finish based on the application. If the application is to look at it, then choose the finish you like the best. You can do some tests and experiments on scrap if you have some from the stock you used.
You WILL ruin some of your projects, but hopefully you won’t ruin a future project in the same way!
Thanks. This item is just to look at so want to make the grain pop.I do have a small cutoff of the wood so will do as you say.
Thanks again.
Josh
Josh:
tack cloth
pre-stain wood conditioner minwax
make wood wet, stain yellow / honey stain, 50% more thinner than manufacturer recommended, wipe off excess
barrier coat of shellac (2lb per gallon alcohol)
glaze with gel stain (walnut color), wipe off with cloth
shellac again
little sanding
poly x2
from Tips & Techniques for Fantastic Oak Finishes | Popular Woodworking
gives a really, really fantastic oak surface:
yes, 7 layers.
have fun!
Thanks. That chair is beautiful!
Regards
Josh
The finish depends on how you want it to look. I like Zinnser Universal Sanding Sealer. That is dewaxed shellac. However that tends to slightly darken the wood and gives it a more warm appearance. The dewaxed shellac can be used below water or oil based finishes. On top of the dewaxed shellac I like to use wipe on polyurethane. I use an acid brush to get down into the stars and along the stripes on the edges.
If you want the more natural color of the wood then water based products work well. The water based sanding sealer will raise the grain and usually you have to sand it again after applying the sanding sealer that is water based. Then the Minwax Polycrylic as a top coat.
I also like to use danish oil. Danish oil soaks in and then hardens so if you want multiple coats you need to do it relatively quickly. The danish oil works well for things that will not get handled. A wall hanging will not get much handling so danish oil is great. Also boiled linseed oil works well and is simple to apply like danish oil. The danish oil comes in clear and several other shades and relatively cheap. Just dispose of your rags properly as it is oil based and is flammable so either soak the rags in water or place them in an air tight container for disposal. Same for wipe on poly.
I also use acrylic paint to color a project. The acrylic paint is water based and is easy to clean up. Any over paint can be sanded off after it dries and any of the top coats listed above can be applied after the acrylic paint dries. I just buy the tubes of acrylic paint at Walmart and Hobby Lobby. The paint is relatively cheap and lasts a long time. You could just paint the stars white and leave the rest natural wood or paint the words with black or another color to highlight them.
The only limit is your own creativity and imagination.
Thank you. That is so helpful!
Much appreciated.
Very close to my recipe of imitating Stickley. Note you do not need the last shellac coat if you are spraying on the poly. I do not use the “conditioner” and add a very light sanding after any water-based stain to knock down the raise grain. However, my projects are smaller desktop items versus an outdoor chair. Nice chair, BTW.
yes, it is possible with less layers of course, the Adirondack chairs were meant to stay outdoors, what they do now for some years, and still look unworn. Indoor furniture faces different challenges. The website posted explains why what when should be used. And thank you, I made some from paper composite, theyall do not sell, not for the price I call… So we use them just for us. They are way less convenient than one would think btw. They have their names because they were invented to be used on slopes facing downhill so that the seat is more horizontal.
