Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jul 26, 2011 05:53pm | #1

   I recommend you apply a finish to the bare pine of the bedframe.  It will enhance it's durability.  Even as a first project you have the ability to make it look quite professionally finished. 

   BUT, trying to finish solid pine to look like printed paper/foil films over particle board is an almost impossible task.  To even get close would require sophisticated spray equipment and lots of experience.  Still no one would be fooled.  Worse, you would be attempting to reproduce a mediocre finish instead of taking advantage of the natural wood characteristics to make a lovely finish on the pine.  These are not items that even in the same room have any style benefit from trying to look like they were part of a set.  Set's are so passe' anyway. 

   So, how to finish the pine?  This is a question of tastes, but I will suggest that it is much easier to finish pine in light natural tones, than trying to darken it, short of using paint.  This is because pinThie doesn't accept the standard stains evenly, but can turn "blotchy" because some parts of the wood accept stain more readily than others.  I'd first sand the pine by hand using a sanding block and 180 or 220 grit sand paper.  It will come from IKEA ready for sandpaper of that fineness.  Sand with the grain of the wood.  Make sure any sharp edges have been slightly blunted by sanding.  Then wipe down the surface with Naphtha to make sure no glue stains or other defects reveal themselves before applying finish.  This also removes sanding dust. 

   I would start by applying a couple of thin coats of Zinnser Seal Coat shellac.  It is about the right viscosity out of the can to give a good base for finish that won't let the pine get blotchy.  Probably the easiest method to apply this is to make a pad of cotton sheet over some absorbant material.  Move quickly and apply the shellac lightly.  If you miss a spot on the first coat just be sure to get in on the next, don't try to go back and rework an area.  Wait until it dries before doing anything.  I'd just apply two coats, about a half hour apart, and then I would let these dry for an hour before using 320 grit sandpaper on a padded sanding block to sand out any defects in the shellac. 

   Then to add a little darker amber color I would use Waterlox Original/Sealer as a wipe on varnish.  I'd use non-embossed paper shop towels as the applicator (the Scott blue shop towels are OK)  Just wipe the varnish on very thinly, just damp like when a waitress wipes off a table, not wet like you were using the towel as a brush.  You can apply about three coats in a day,   If you like the light shade given by the Seal Coat shellac, you don't really need the varnish.  You could just apply  couple extra thin coats of shellac instead of the varnish and be done very quickly. 

1. 
   GretchenTHE FIRST | Jul 27, 2011 08:16am | #3

   I don't do any staining on finishes so this may be worth nothing, but could he not tint the shellac with some black to get the black color he wants?  My monitor does not show pictures correctly (it almost "posterizes" things with color!) but I don't understand the characterization of the finish like foil, etc.  Does it have that characteristic?  In which case, I agree.

   To discover if there is going to be blotching (I think Ikea might use pretty clear wood) he could wipe it with mineral spirits after sanding to see what the finish will be with a clear finish.

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jul 28, 2011 04:59pm | #4

   Even clear pine will blotch, and the IKEA isn't quite clear, I see small pin knots for example.  Therefore I'd be confident that just about any stain will blotch.  And, if you seal and use a toner like a gel stain, you might begin to get a dark color, but it won't be anything like the printed finish on the other times.  Frankly, in my opinion, since you can't match exactly, then it's not good to try to get "close".  It will just look like you missed.  A wide contrast is much more harmonious. Besides the near natural finish he can achieve on the pine will be dramatically more professional looking than anything he can get trying to match, what after all is a low end plastic coating, that does, according to the IKEA product description, include foil. After all the other items are basically particle board and paper. 

   Don't get me wrong.  For the dollars, IKEA offers good value, and solid basic design,  I'd bet that one couldn't buy the pine to make the bed frame for less than IKEA's price.   

   If he had spray facilities then tinting finish, shellac or other, can be used to achieve a dark shade, with a minimum of blotching,though still not looking much like the other items .Without spray capabilities it just isn't possible to apply a significantly toned finish without streaks. 

2. 
   roc | Jul 27, 2011 12:26am | #2

   Oh Boy

   There goes the ball game.