Replies

1. 
   Rich14 | Jan 20, 2007 11:36pm | #1

   z3, It all comes down to personal preference. You really need to try several finishes and only you can decide what you like. Personally I love the look of maple in its whitest-blonde state. Maple will yellow over time especially under certain finishes (nitrocellulose lacquer, oil based finishes) and I think that maple-yellow tone is the ugliest it gets. I never stain maple and I finish it with either ultra blonde shellac, CAB-Acryllic lacquer or water-borne polyurethane varnish. None of these impart any color to the maple and they don't yellow or promote maple's own ability to yellow. Rich

   
   

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   Edited 1/20/2007 3:37 pm ET by Rich14

2. 
   stantheman | Jan 21, 2007 02:27am | #2

   based on my preference for old-fashioned look, no stain - just amber or orange shellac. 

   if you wanted to highlight fugure in the wood, dye stain, then shellac

3. 
   frenchy | Jan 21, 2007 02:54am | #3

   z3peru,

     Shellac!

     use Zinzzler's clear or ultra clear.. it just makes it pop!

            Blammmmmm!

       Depth richness and all the good stuff you want! the easiest finish that A complete fool like me can master in moments!

     ask if you have questions..

    

1. 
   xmike | Jan 21, 2007 05:27am | #4

   O.K., here's the deal.

   I'm gonna (someday, honest!) build a set of kitchen cabinets using a clear white "white!" " white!" (per SWMBO) finish. (Did I say clear finish, no yellowing?  Well I should have.)

   Everything that I hear on this site about shelac - I like - so why not in on my someday kitchen cabinets. 

   So someone says to someone else who's had this idea  "No, no, non! niet! don' do it in the kitchen!"  cause cleaning stuff and amonia will ruin it."

   What?  Makes it icky?  Dulls it?  Turns it milk white?  What?

   And, given the aledged ease wit which shelac can be fixed with just a rag wet with DENATURED alcohol (see, I pay attention), who's gonna care?

   Wipe it wit denatured alcohol, put a little more 1# cut shelac on it and maybe kiss it and it's all better  --  yes??  no??  What?  Not so fast and not that easy?  What?

   Mike D  :)

   Edited 1/20/2007 9:30 pm ET by Mike_D

1. 
   Rich14 | Jan 21, 2007 06:38pm | #5

   No!

1. 
   xmike | Jan 21, 2007 08:35pm | #6

   Why?!

   Edited 1/21/2007 12:36 pm ET by Mike_D

1. 
   Rich14 | Jan 21, 2007 09:10pm | #7

   Mike, You acknowledged the problem yourself in the recent thread about kitchen caninets: "I'm really sorry to hear that shelac just won't work for kitchen cabinets. The discussions had pretty well convinced me that that would be a good way to go as well - i.e., applies easily with beautiful results, much more hardy than "advertised", etc, etc. Oh, well." Why don't you read that thread again? If you want, you can convince yourself that a tool or a process or a finish can be used under conditions where it shouldn't. You just have to be willing to put up with the unsatisfactory consequences. And arguing that you can make up for the deficiences with subsequent "repairs" doesn't change reality. Use shellac if you'ld like. Let us know how it works out. Rich

2. 
   xmike | Jan 21, 2007 09:44pm | #8

   Humm, evidently I had a bad case of "I don't like that answer".

   Oh, well.  :)