Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Mar 22, 2006 06:40am | #1

   Birch is a very hard wood.  Unfortunately most domestic birch plywood has birch only on the outer plys with something likely to be much softer for the inner plies.  This means that no matter what finish is applied, a plywood top is likely to get dented from ball point pens and the like. 

   Birch often takes oil based stain badly, so test the stain on scrap before you use it to color the desk.  An aniline dye, mixed with distilled water, with give a more even color and would allow achieving a darker color.  A gel stain would be another way to avoid "blotching" with birch, although at the expense of some lack of clarity of the grain. 

   If you are aiming for a fairly dark color, I would use three coats or so of Behlen's Rockhard varnish over the dye or stain.  

1. 
   tommyt | Mar 24, 2006 03:39am | #2

   Thanks for the info. I am new to this and I appreciate your help. Would you recommend applying shellac or anything after the stain?

    

   Thanks

   Tommy T

    

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Mar 24, 2006 02:21pm | #3

   As long as you let the stain or dye get fully dried, you won't need a shellac sealer coat between it and the varnish top coat.