Hi All!
I’m a complete novice and have gotten myself in over my head. I have a beautiful cherry coffee table and the top had become water damaged and looked awful. So, I stripped the existing finish and sanded down to bare wood. When I put mineral spirits on it, the wood looks fabulous — exactly the color I want, the grain shows through beautifully; it’s wonderful. But, when I put the (Varathane brand) polyurethane on it and let it dry, the wood looks pale, the way it does when it’s dry. I stripped off the polyurethane and stained it with Minwax (oil-based) stain (Natural), and the wood picked up the stain very unevenly, making the wood look very uneven, wavy….awful. So… I sanded it off again. Now I’m looking for suggestions. How do I get that “wet wood” look? Thanks in advance for your help.
Replies
Was the poly oil or water based? I'm guessing water. It adds no color at all.
I use a ton of cherry. My favorite is two coats of Sealcoat shellac, which really brings out the cherry, and then two coats of water based poly for protection.
Cherry gets dark with the sun. However it looks when your done, it will darken a bunch over time.
I don't like stain, and don't use it.
John_C2 provides spot-on advice... regarding the Sealcoat... this will achieve several things... first, it does provide the 'wet' look, but this is the least important of the benefits. Cherry has wide variations in wood density, and will absorb finish in a blotchy manner - this is the nature of the wood, regardless of what finish you use. The Sealcoat serves to stop the grain from absorbing finish, and protects the wood from moisture.
Any oil-based finish will yellow with age, and progressively dull the beauty of the Cherry - which darkens naturally when exposed to direct or ambient sunlight. Oil-based products are not good solutions.
With the Sealcoat, or other good sealer (I'm not a fan of Minwax products, for fine furniture), a water-borne poly or acrylic is an excellent choice - these products will dry crystal-clear, and stay that way.
A final thought on the 'wet' look. This is a matter of personal choice. Beautiful wood finished properly does not require the wet, near-plastic look that many woodworkers seem to want. I know that it can have a 'wow' factor; but it's the Cherry wood you're using that should provide it.
I use 4 to 8 coats of 1.5 to 2 pound cut of garnet shellac. Paul Sellers has excellent YouTube videos on its application. After about the first three coats I sand with 400 grit sand paper lightly by hand to remove the dust nibs. I get pretty grain and an awesome color. It's easy to make and if you "screw up", all you do is put a rag with denatured alcohol on it, let it soak for a few minutes and wipe off the shellac.
You could try sealing the wood's pores before finishing. You'd be surprised at the results. The 2 best articles on pore filling are on Wood Magazine.com
If it matters I prefer using Watco Danish oil & 100 grit sandpaper to create a slurry which is packed into the grain, cross-grained to fill. Let it dry overnight then do it again the next day using more oil if necessary. This time wipe off all the slurry. Let it dry a couple days then cover with a clear topcoat. The finish will pop & be smooth as clean glass. And despite mdorsam's animus toward high shines, this method will reflect under light.
I think cherry does great with an oil finish. Probably the most bomb proof finish there is, but you have to do it properly. Either Danish oil or tung oil. Only sand to 180. Apply evenly, wait 30 minutes and wipe off. Allow to dry completely before applying another coat. Sand between coats or you can wet sand the oil, too.
Personally I like to have a tempered glass top made for a coffee table.
Another option to consider is a gel stain. It can be applied after a seal coat of dewaxed shellac (Zinsser Seal Coat).
And remember the bottom of a table top is where you can experiment.
Thank you all so much! I am going to start with John_C2's suggestion (seconded by mdorsam) as given my level of skill, it seems like the easiest way to attempt to get the look I'm going for. And based on that, I'll see which of Robert EJr.'s finishing approaches I try. And most importantly, I like the idea of the tempered glass....if only I had thought of that 20 years ago when I bought the table! Better late than never, right? I'll let you know how it goes.
Thank you all so much! I just moved the table back to its place in the living room and it looks pretty good. I never could have done it without your expert advice. And by the way, I just measured it for a piece of tempered glass to go on top (22 x 48). I've attached a couple of photos so you can see the results of your advice. And one more question: should I put a coat of wax on the table, or just let it be?
Very nice. I think wax looks nice if you like it a little shinier. It really won't add anything in the way of protection. My wax of preference is Rennaissance Wax. A little goes a long way.
Wax is more about the feel of the piece than long-term protection. You can buff a wax to a nice shine. You can even put wax over poly or oil or shellac. The piece will feel warmer to the touch with wax. Poly is cold. Shellac is in-between.
If you are going to use a glass top, don't forget the lifting dots that keep the glass from abrading the top by contact.
The table looks very nice.
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