Finishing Cherry Table Top

Streamline | Posted in Finishing on June 18, 2015 02:10am

I am ready to finish my cherry table top. In the past I merely applied polyeurathane directly on the cherry and have been satisfied with the amber result as cherry ages overtime. There have been some cases of blotching and in this table top I want to minimize this risk. As I understand it, if I put on a coat of seal coat like unwaxed shellac first, it will control the blotching. Then the coats of poly would follow. Is this an accurate description of the sequence? There won’t be any issues of bonding between the shellac and polyeurathane in the long run?

Replies

forrestb | Jun 18, 2015 12:36pm | #1
I have had good luck minimizing blotch using Charles Neil's Pre-Color Conditioner on mahogany and birch. Easy to use and pretty good instructions (if lengthy!) at his website

http://www.cn-woodworking.com/cn-pre-color-conditioner/

Obviously, try it on your test pieces first. I recommend that you finish both sides of the top.

Forrest
ashleyjohn | Nov 09, 2015 01:13am | #2
You can wet the table top surface with a mineral spirit for proper finishing.
Rob_Sp | Nov 09, 2015 07:16pm | #3
Shellac

Seal coat is a 2 lb cut of dewaxed shellac (Iusually mix my own from flakes). Most anything will adhere to it. With that said, why use poly? Dewaxed shellac is fairly durable, easy to apply and will give you a beautiful finish unmatched by any other. Padding is an easy method to apply it, particularly for a flat top. It is also easy to touch up. My dining table is finished with it and subject to 4 grand kids on occasion. About once a year I strip the paste wax with mineral spirits lightly sand with 320 and pad on a few new coats- in my dining room as the smell is not offensive.

Don't have a good pic, but attached is a Huntboard finished with it.
mikaol | May 16, 2019 08:38pm | #4
Maybe an oil-based sanding sealer applied with sponges rather than brushes. Let me know what you settle on.