I just made a Stickley style small table out of very old redwood that I have salvaged. After being milled, it’s very red and light in color. I want to darken it but still maintain the look of the wood. Any ideas for a stain and/or finish? This is for INDOOR use.
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Replies
Bob,
All oil-based finishes will darken the wood, some much more than others. Blonde shellac will darken it slightly, amber shellacs much more.
You'll need to experiment a bit first. I would use shellac or an oil-based varnish, but I would finish it trying to retain as much of the newly-worked wood color as possible. That means blonde shellac or a water-borne varnish.
Rich
Redwood will darken naturally with time. You might just set it somewhere where it will get a lot of sun on it for a few weeks and see if it darkens to the shade you want.
John W.
What ever you do try it first on scrap. Most of the oil finishes will darken redwood a lot, try watco then after it dries put on a wipe on poly or a shellac. I am sure you noticed how soft redwood can be, it can really soak up finish. I have seen a lot of old redwood trim and it does darken over time. Good luck and post a picture.
Troy
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