I’m almost done with a desk made mostly of walnut, with some cherry parts as well. It’s taken a long time to make, and I don’t want to mess up the finish. What’s a good, durable finish that will show the grain nicely, but that is relatively easy to apply? I need something that can be brushed or rubbed on.
I know this is a very general question, but I need to start somewhere. Thanks,
Bob Shonk
Replies
You might try Varnish Oil (pure linseed oil) as a rubbed finish. It is very time consuming to build up the coats but it is well worth the effort. I find that it really brings out the grain patterns in walnut and won't muddy up like some finishes do. You could do a combination of linseed oil and wipe on satin poly but you won't find yourself saving any time since you must let the linseed oil dry thouroughly between coats. My findings are that you want to let it dry for between 36 and 48 hours between coats and then anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks to completely dry, (no odor), before you would apply the poly.
The Varnish Oil is made by "Tried and True" and I have read some threads here that say there are problems with it drying. I only recently tried it and had no problems but it was 85 to 90 degrees outside with low humidity. If you use the Varnish Oil, I recommend that you consult with the folks at Tried and True and do a search on this forum for the problems and the resolution that was found.
Edited 6/3/2002 5:57:23 PM ET by Cuttoff
Idio, you won't go too far wrong with an oil based alkyd varnish. The Pratt & Lambert 38 range is pretty handy, but there are many others. You can wipe it on if you thin it out a bit, brush it on, or spray it. I like spraying, and if I spray it I usually apply two to three coats. The walnut might be a bit 'cold' looking varnished natural. You can warm up the walnut a bit prior to varnishing with an aniline dye, and even though you don't mention this, it's an option. I like water based dyes, and I generally mix up my own home brews. The oil based varnish tends to add a bit of an amber or yellowing hue which works very well with both walnut and cherry. It's also a very durable finish, and importantly repairable with non-specialised equipment. I'm only guessing, but I reckon a single sprayed coat is about the same as a brushed coat, which is about the same as 4-- 5 thinned out wiped on coats. The wiped on coats are thinned out quite a bit to make them manageable. Slainte, RJ.
Edited 6/3/2002 7:30:56 PM ET by Sgian Dubh
Edited 6/3/2002 7:32:22 PM ET by Sgian Dubh
I.d. -- I'll second Sgian's wiping varnish idea. It's a very user-friendly process. Whatever you do, IMHO it's very important to practice on scrap pieces from your desk before you actually tackle the desk.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Agree with Sgian and Forest Girl about a wiping varnish--50/50 varnish/mineral spirits. As a start you can wipe your piece down with mineral spirits to see the color you will obtain with a clear finish. Then you can decide about the staining that Sgian is suggesting. And do practice. I do not build but do refinishing. I prefer marine spar varnish (non Poly) as the varnish--the finish particularly for a desk top will be very durable.
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