Replies

1. 
   CStanford_ | Jun 12, 2000 04:32pm | #1

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   Susan, a natural oil finish will be labor intensive. A linseed oil finish probably would give you the ambering and color effect that you want. That said, I might go for a stain/poly combo which runs contrary to my finishing philosophy for fine furniture but I think it would be fine for a ceiling.

1. 
   Bob_Berner | Jun 14, 2000 02:04pm | #2

   *Hi Susan, Have you considered shellac? There are various grades which will allow you to add just the right amount of color to your pine. You can buy it pre-mixed or in flakes that you disolve in ethanol. I have used Bull's Eye white on oak and found it to give a nice warm tone without being too orange loking. Bull's Eye has the white and either amber or orange readily available in most retail locations. You can put numerous coats on (as many as you need) in a day so you shouldn't invest a lot of labor in the project. The nice thing about ceilings is that they get very little wear so you don't need a durable finish, just something that looks good. FWIW, IMHO, I have used Polyshades on two projects (I had to use the rest of the can) and did not care for it. I would stain and topcoat in two seperate procedures if you decide to go that route. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.Bob

1. 
   Susan_Demmitt | Jun 15, 2000 11:19pm | #3

   *Bob,Thanks for the input. I have experimented with an acrylic polyurethane finish on our pine and am not overwhelmed by the results. I am currently experimenting with Watco danish oil and Bartley clear satin gel varnish to see if we like the looks of either of these finishes any better.I have not, to this point, considered shellac. I associate this, maybe incorrectly, with a glossy - orange tinted finish. We have a lot of pine woodwork in our house that is 60 years old and has a finish on it that is glossy and has gotten much too amber looking for my taste. I'm not sure what type of finish would have been in fashion in the early 40's, but I just assumed it was a shellac. The Bull's Eye white sounds like it might be a good option as long as the finish is not too glossy. I press forward with my experimenting. Thanks for the input thus far. Susan.

1. 
   Bob_Berner | Jun 16, 2000 05:17am | #4

   *Hi Susan, Shellac will give a glossy finish, in fact it is used for French Polishing which can give close to a mirror finish! However, you can apply your two coats of shellac and then after it has cured for a few days or so you can give it a light coat of wax using extra fine steel wool as the applicator. This will level out the finish and also reduce the gloss level at the same time. One way to tell if your existing finish is shellac is to test an inconspicuous area with Alcohol. If the finish dissolves, you'll see it on your cloth, it is most likely shellac. I don't have any of my reference books handy, but alcohol will attack other finishes, I am just not sure which ones. Good luck!!Bob

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   Gretchen_ | Jun 16, 2000 10:52pm | #5

   *"You can put numerous coats on (as many as you need) in a day"I would just comment on this particular quote. I was just reading an answer on another board by Michael Dresdener (I don't think he posts here)about shellac drying. He recommended that no more than one coat of shellac be put on in a day in order to allow proper drying of the finish. It dries from the inside out and once the top has "skinned" it is more difficult for the interior coats to dry if multiple coats have been built up.

2. 
   Bob_Berner | Jun 17, 2000 12:44am | #6

   *Hey Gretchen, Was that on wood central? I saw it after I made my original comments to Susan. I remember him saying two coats in the same day was ok, but the more coats one puts on the longer you should let it dry between applications. I still think my suggestion to Susan is valid because once the ceiling is installed it will not see any wear, at least it shouldn't and I can't see needing more than two coats anyway. This finish is only for appearances, not for any significant protection. The evaporation of the alcohol in shellac is what causes the film to form and the alcohol on the top surface will vap off first. This causes a flim to form over the bulk of the shellac and any trapped alcohol must now transport through the surface film before it can evaporate. As you add more coats you dissolve the previous coat slightly and this is where the problem starts. Now you have more shellac to dry than just the stuff you just put on. IF you put too many coats on in too short a time the finish will take forever to fully dry. Bob

3. 
   Gretchen_ | Jun 17, 2000 05:09pm | #7

   *I think you've got it Bob!! I did think that was an interesting piece of knowledge though, because it surely seems to be dry.

4. 
   rjames | Sep 27, 2000 11:42am | #8

   *How did your ceiling turn out? I am considering sanding down and finishing a T &G floor with Minwax products. Their web page recommends for pine a conditioner, then stain, then Polycrylic. I am considering Minwax Pastels for pickled look. Any ideas?