Hello!
We are going through a big remodel and recently had new stair railings installed with white oak. I am now looking for advice on finishing them. The contractor has everything completely sanded and prepped to be finished, but does not offer that as a service himself. With that being said, I am extremely naive to finishing wood and unfortunately do not have many reputable resources or contractors in the city I live in to help me with this.
I love the look and color of the wood right now, I am ideally wanting to keep the wood finish looking as natural as possible with minimal yellowing. I’ve seen so many different answers and steps to follow to achieve this look while I’ve been researching online and am so conflicted on what I need to do. I figured I would come here for some more specific answers to my situation. What steps do you recommend I take for finishing and what products have been successful for you? Like I said, I am extremely naive and inexperienced in finishing wood so plz be nice 🙂 Any advice, recommendations, tips, etc are appreciated!
(photo of beginning of project included of the railings, the walls at the top of the stairs have now been removed and white oak railings/balusters/white cap have been added to match)
Replies
I wanted to retain the natural color of a workbench I recently finished. I used Osmo polyx oil raw finish (https://osmocolorusa.com/product/polyx-oil-raw/) and was very happy with the result. Did what it claimed to do.
It was maple not oak so maybe not a direct comparison. But this may give you one option to consider. Super early to wipe on/off. I used two applications.
I have attached a picture for your reference. Hope this helps.
Russ
I have had good experience with Varathane water based urethane available at my local Home Depot. I'm sure other brands are just as good. I advise that you buy a small can and try it on some scrap to see if you like the look. Most water based urethanes leave an almost colorless coating. Some don't like it, but if you like the look of the bare wood, it might provide the look you want; especially the semi-gloss or satin.
Sand your W oak to at least 180 grit, apply a coat of WB poly, sand lightly with 220 grit to remove raised grain and dust nibs, apply another coat, and repeat until satisfied. I have had real good results spraying, but it also brushes nicely.
Water based varnishes such as Varathane are good, my preference is General Finishes. Since you do not want to change the color much, the High Performance semi-gloss would be my choice, I have finished several pieces of oak, ash and hickory with the purpose of maintaining the wood color close to the original , being oak with a coarse texture, I use their sanding sealer first, it’s milky white and will cut back on the number of coats you need to fill the grain, that would make it one coat or two of sanding sealer and tree coats of High Performance.
If I didn't want to change the color at all, I'd go with the high performance semi gloss too.