Hello –
I hope that this finds you well.
I am writing you with a question about white cedar. I haven’t really had any luck asking around and I am hoping that your expertise may help me out. Many years ago my dad got a hold of some old white cedar wood from a sauna. He built two tables and two benches with this wood and finished them with some sort of varnish. They have always, and will always be used indoors, which is somewhat rare for Cedar, hence the lack of information on this topic. The finish on them was not a colour that I loved, so I stripped the tables to get down towards the original white cedar colour. It’s now looking great after stripping and sanding.
How can I best finish these pieces to be used indoors as a dinner table and benches? I would rather something mat, not glossy, and not a coat of something that seems like armour, I would rather feel the grain of the wood. Protection is important, but it’s OK if it gets worn.
I have heard that wax might be the way to go? I have also heard that Tung or Teak oil might be best.
Any thoughts?
Many thanks for your time,
Nicholas
Replies
I'm thinking the biggest issue is how soft the wood is and whatever you go with will have to allow easy touchups. I'd probably go with a base of linseed oil to bring out the color, followed by shelac and topped off with wax. It looks great, wax is easy to reapply and when things get too scratched up shelac is easy to refinish since it redisolves with alcohol. This combination is often used as a go-to finish for items not requiring a hard durable finish.
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