I’ve messed around building a few small boats but haven’t made an attempt at furniture. At my wife’s request , I need some help in finding out how to get a certain “look” to a piece she would like me to attempt for our home. I have tried to find suggestions in the Skills and Techniques section but have had no luck. The style and finish she would like is shown in a sideboard at the website – www.sundancecatalog.com . Get to the picture by clicking “furniture” then “kitchen and dining” and open the “Porter Creek Sideboard”. I think I can handle the distressing but am unsure of how to best achieve the finish. It may be that I should just stick to garboards and gains but any advice as to what souce I could find to help me in this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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The first step of finishing is to choose the wood for the project. The "prototype" appears to be made with a closed pore wood. This rules out oak or ash and probably walnut or mahogany. (Though this style might be stunning with walnut and an oil finish.) Maple, soft or hard, would make a sturdy sideboard, but tends to be "blotchy" with standard oil based stains. You would have to use a dye to achieve the desired overall color, and perhaps apply a tinted oil/varnish mix like Watco Walnut or Dark Walnut. This would still leave an in-the-wood finish.
If this will be heavily used, you might want a more protective top coat of a varnish such as Behlen Rock Hard, rubbed out to a satin finish. A dark glaze applied and wiped off leaving some darkness in the "corners" and distress marks could be used before the last coat is applied.
Another choice would be to use poplar as a somewhat softer hardwood. This would take a pigmented stain more evenly than the maple, though beginning with dye to set the basic color would still be a good idea.
Nice looking lady on that website - lol
Their description of the sideboard only says "hardwood" which raises my suspicion level that it may be some of that hardwood imported from SE Asia. It's even possible that the sideboards are manufactured overseas.
If I were making one, I would probably want to use birch, maple, or alder, but I wouldn't make the final decision until I had experimented with some stains/dyes and finishes on several sample pieces.
If you have a cabinet shop near you, you might try asking their finisher how he/she would do it.
here's a link to the page for ref - link
Stain your wood to a light tan color and then use transparently tinted clears in russets and black/very dark browns to get the variegated shadings. Here's an example that is done on thermafoil doors in a similar look. The graining was faux on these.
I would second the use of a coat or two of varnish or a vinyl sanding sealer, followed by a dark glaze, or gel stain. I think it's easier to control and attain a uniform color than staining the wood directly. Just be sure that the wood is well sealed, and sanded or polished before applying the glaze. The color and tone will darken depending on how long the glaze sits before being wiped off.
In our shop we use alder almost exclusively for distressed pieces. The finish described above (usually 2 coats of vinyl sanding sealer, dark brown glaze and a topcoat of satin lacquer) has proved very popular.
Whichever method, be sure and experiment extensively on test pieces before you commit, as this kind of finish can be very unforgiving.
Max
I think from the question we can rule out capabilities to spray solvent based vinyl sealer and NC lacquer. Without spraying, analine dye can achieve more uniform color than the pigmented wiping stains, oil based or water based. That's where I would start, and then follow with a shellac sealer before using pigmented stain or gell stain as glaze to make the finish have more depth. This puts the wipe on stain out of the way of blotching woods like birch or maple, so it can add detail in "the corners". Pigmented stain over sealed woods has to be almost painted on to achieve a dark tone--with the result tending toward the Bombay look. I'd rather get dark with a dye, and then get interesting with the pigment over sealer.
Steve, I also would go with the alder, you could put some worm holes with an ice pick . some scratches ect. ease the edges a little. Wire wheel to pop some grain through. Sand it a little to get the feathers out. Then, against conventional wisdom of course, go ahead and wash it down with a solution of lye and bleach. When dry , give it a couple of coats of a water base urethane 'satin'; wet sand to 400. Last coat of three wet sand with armorall and 600. Please wear gloves and safety glasses and have a gallon of vinegar and plenty of water nearby for any accidents. I don't know why but this techniqe works for me. Have fun.
Without spraying, analine dye can achieve more uniform color than the pigmented wiping stains, oil based or water based.
But Steve; the example he wants to work toward is a very UNuniform colored piece. Uniform color is only useful for a base color and not critical even there. Wiped on application of pigmented clear coats over a lightly stained base is the easiest and most reliable way to get this look that madermax is going for. I would personally use water base clear but oil base would work almost as well. The aniline dyes could be used to get a base color but would NOT be appropriate for the darker variegated tinting... you need a medium for that that is non-reversible and will create it's own stable layer. Clear acrylic or polyurethane finishes with the appropriate tinting would be excellent.
I understand that I'm not proposing to do this finishing the same way as a professional would do. However, it's still my feeling that it will be difficult to get to the level of darkness of the original without starting with a dye as the base. Just using tinted toners or glazes asks too much of those useful, but more challenging tools. Starting with dye which is then sealed gets rid of two problems right off the bat. It minimizes "blotching" effects which aren't wanted, and gets the base color dark enough. After this is basic color is sealed-and shellac is much better for sealing water mixed aniline dyes than a brushed or wiped on waterborne acyrlic--the artistic work of creating the variations of rustic construction and age and be much more easily done. Pigmented stain to used as a glaze is readily available, though special purpose glazing mediums do allow more working time to adjust the glazes. For inexperienced finishers, using a toned top coat to do these effects can too easily become an experience similar to using Polyshades. (Probably never really that bad--Polyshades is about the very worst case.)
I wouldn't use polyurethane clear top coats--traditional resin varnish thinned to be a wiping varnish will both be easier to apply, plenty durable and more repairable over time.
Well take a look at the example that I posted above Steve. I created that finish in just the way that you say would be "asking too much". I do similar finishes every day so my advice is definitely NOT theoretical. Level of darkness is pretty unlimited... I could easily take it down to near black or black ( I do so whenever I choose to).
BTW polyshades can be a part of a fine finish... though I rarely use it because I have a full range of tinters at hand and prefer the durability of pigmented tinting (the minwax polyshades have more dyes than pigments). I also mostly work with water base acrylic products for speed and durability that the polyurethanes can only match in catalyzed formulations. I do agree that most un, or semi, skilled finishers do rather poor work with polyshades... this has little reflection on the products potential.
Edited 12/4/2006 10:02 am ET by bigfootnampa
I'm not saying it doesn't work, and work well, just that what is easy for someone who does it every day is much more difficult for someone who isn't very experienced with finishing in general. Using lots of toners is a skill best worked up to, not attempted on one of the first projects to be completed.
Nice cabinets by the way.
Edited 12/4/2006 10:03 am ET by SteveSchoene
Would like to thank all who have taken time to help. I believe I'm going to try two woods as samples - Poplar is everywhere down here and I have found a reasonable source for Alder. I'm going to do 3-4 experimental pieces in each of the two main techniques that were suggested. I still have the luxury if a "day job" and can do this for the pure enjoyment of learning. Now all I have to do is find out about aniline dyes, water based pigmented clear coats, gel stains, etc. Ya'll should be envious. Learning even part of what you have alluded to and then trying it for the first time is going to an absolute hoot !! Thanks to all again.
Ron
Ron; Don't look for water based tinted clear coats in your paint stores... you just buy clear coats and then tint them with glycol type tinters. Same process for the oil based tinted clear coats though there you have the option of using two types of tinters... sometimes it takes a little lacquer thinner to get the glycol type tinters to disperse in oil bases, using a brush to stir is also helpful.
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