Replies

1. 
   gulfstar | Feb 13, 2025 08:25pm | #1

   To maintain the White ash color, I would use a water borne sanding sealer followed by a clear top coat. For the walnut, an oil based finish will darken it the most.

1. 
   fwpeck | Feb 14, 2025 09:51am | #4

   thanks for your response, i will test it out, have a good weekend

2. 
   Rob_Sp | Feb 13, 2025 08:39pm | #2

   Yes, a water white finish for the Ash. Cab Acrylic lacquer would work well, you can even get it in a rattle can if you don't have a gun.
   For the Walnut, an orange Shellac would warm it up nicely.

1. 
   fwpeck | Feb 14, 2025 09:52am | #5

   thanks much, i will test it, have a great weekend

3. 
   Bentusi | Feb 14, 2025 05:27am | #3

   Blacktails Nano Ceramic top coat will add significant contrast as well as great protection.
   I put it on everything now.

1. 
   fwpeck | Feb 14, 2025 09:53am | #6

   Good suggestion, i will test these out , enjoy your weekend

4. 
   joeleonetti | Feb 14, 2025 12:27pm | #7

   Shellac is a wonderful finish. Can get anywhere from matt to high gloss with it.

1. 
   fwpeck | Feb 14, 2025 05:47pm | #9

   thanks Joe, Shellac is on my list, have a good WE

5. 
   dstevick | Feb 14, 2025 12:50pm | #8

   I've recently completed a few "live edge" walnut projects and used Osmo Polyx. They came out beautiful and it's dirt simple to apply. I did use three coats to get the sheen I wanted.

1. 
   fwpeck | Feb 14, 2025 05:50pm | #10

   Thanks, i have many options at this point, enjoy your WE

6. 
   davidweaver | Feb 18, 2025 12:15pm | #11

   contrasting opinion here - I would pore fill the walnut and use a legitimate varnish on it (no suggestions, I cook mine) and then use a tung/rosin varnish on the ash to give it something other than the dead looking water white look - especially with walnut, which looks terrible with WB finishes and no tone.

   I don't have any pictures of ash finished with a tung/rosin varnish, but here is a boxwood substitute about the same color. I hope the water white thing dies soon! it comes off to me as hand made stuff trying to imitate cheap furniture once cheap waterbase spray finishes and cheap sealers below them became the norm. Like we're supposed to imitate bent beech on ikea furniture or something.

   Picture is without varnish at the top and with it at the bottom. Unlike the commercial stuff like waterlox, this stuff will get hard and tough - figure similar to polyurethane but far tougher so scratching and wear is much slower to show wear.

   
1. 
   davidweaver | Feb 18, 2025 12:21pm | #12

   here is a picture of the same stuff on walnut - no colorant. You have to plan for walnut, unless you stain it, to get the inverse suntan over the years and become much lighter than it starts.

   the second stone box in the back is padauk. Just a little color from a sovlent top coat makes the wood look much better and deeper and warmer, and it gets rid of the garish blue hue or dead hue of water white. Varnish also gives visual depth looking across wood and not just straight at it so it doesn't look like frosted glass when you view across it from a distance.

   ash and figured maple are good candidates for this.

   
2. 
   Deleted | Feb 18, 2025 06:45pm | #13

   “[Deleted]”

3. 
   fwpeck | Mar 05, 2025 04:10pm | #14

   thanks for your reply, it was close to what i decided. I used tung oil on both ash and walnut and it provided enough contrast. The top has (although photo doesn't show) small white streaks in the arch about 4 inches long on the left hand side visible on certain angles. i did 7 coats with progressive sanding up to 1000 grit

   I am thinking to wait a week or so and try to buff it out either with dry cloth or scotch brite white pad with or without a dab of mineral spirits or
   more oil. What do you think? Thanks again.

   
1. 
   davidweaver | Mar 08, 2025 02:58pm | #16

   I think it looks great so far. I don't usually finish just with oil, so I don't know what the endpoint is with it, but I think the contrast looks great. I'd be inclined if wanting to buff it to maybe using kraft paper or something like that under hand as it will only work over the tips of the finish and if you don't like it, it won't dig in and do much.

   I like to top oil finishes with carnuaba, but that's probably out of style. Carnauba is a wonderful thing to have on hand - can be refreshed forever, and despite the market rotating offerings trying to cheapen the contents, you can mix your own. as long as it's applied in a low effort way - applied thinly and buffed then vs. "worked". a light touch but the right buffing medium in hand (like kraft paper folded) and it comes to a bright finish with very little work.

   I like that your piece has warmth now and doesn't look like someone was attempting to duplicate a water based finish applied by ikea.

7. 
   evierosie | Mar 08, 2025 03:04am | #15

   For me this looks like a wonderful project! To enhance the contrast, consider using a light-colored finish like a whitewash or natural oil on the ash to keep it bright while using a darker oil or a satin polyurethane on the black walnut to deepen its tones. You could also try a dye or stain to make the walnut pop even more. Mixing finishes for different wood types is definitely a great approach!