Howdy all,
My wife wants a new vanity in the bathroom and she wants it to be almost-black brown. She wants a fairly uniform color, not black grain over dark brown. It must also be good in the relatively wet bathroom, and hopefully be able to take a bit of a beating as we have small children. I have my plans drawn up but haven’t started building yet, so I have some flexibility so far as materials go. I plan to use plywood flat panels in solid wood frames. My natural inclination is to use maple. I’m not a huge fan of oak, but if it will work better with what she wants, I’d use it. Any suggestions first on wood type, and second on the finish.
On the back cover of the new Feb 06 FWW, the bottom left piece of furniture is in the ballpark of what she likes. My thought (By the way, I’ve never used anything other than varnish) was to layer up a walnut gel stain until it was dark enough, then shellac or polyurathane. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.
Brett
Remember: It’s not procrastination if you put it off right now.
Replies
Gel stain is going to be very difficult to build to the required darkness. On the other hand, water mixed analine dye is a piece of cake to get very dark. Just mix it very strong. Determine the concentration that works on samples. With dye you can't tell how it will come out until you put a top coat on it.
I wouldn't recommend shellac for a bathroom since it doesn't react very well with liquid water. I would recommend a traditional resin varnish, either brush on, or thinned enough to wipe on. Behlen's Rockhard would be a good choice. Poly might hold up a little better, but the difference isn't large enough in my mind to compensate for the lack of clarity that looks particularly bad over a very dark substrate.
Oak has very large pores. In my opinion, it looks good either with a "in-the-wood" oil/varnish finish, though that isn't protective, or with a fully filled finished that is a LOT of work to get right. I would chose something with finer pores. I don't use much plywood, so I can't say what other choises would be readily available.
Steve,
In the most recent showing of TOH (cambridge house)they are staining cabinets for the bathroom...almost black. After the stain they applied a toner before the varnish. Looks quite nice. Can you clarify what a toner is?
Toner is merely a finish material with added dye or pigment. It can be applied in multiple layers to "sneak up" to the desired darkness and color. Unless one is a miracle worker with a brush, toner must be applied by spraying. Behlen does make some spray-can lacquer toner, try that if you want to experiment. Even if you use a toner, you would want to start by coloring the wood with a dye, and use the toner to add some additional darkening or to shift the color a bit. You could add a more protective varnish over the toner. It can add some depth to the finish but must be done right, with an even application. Toner makes rubbing out a bit more difficult, since should you rub through the top coat repairing the toned finish is a PITA. Dye is a lot easier to repair inconspicuously.
Aniline dyes build color quickly and allow for maximum clarity, but he'll never get the finish he's looking for without a dense toner topcoat. That commercial brown-black look so popular at Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn and elsewhere is almost entirely toner. And you don't have to be a "miracle worker" to pour toner into a quart of finish. Pour it into catalyzed lacquer or pour it into inexpensive one part urethane. As long as the toner stays in suspension (stir the pot occasionally) it flows just fine. Ideally, this person would be spraying their finish, but hey....
I agree that a toner isn't a bad idea, but from the questions he has given no indication of having spray capabilities. I think that getting a brushed out toner on evenly is a difficult task, one that requires a lot of practice. Besides why would anyone want to imitate Pottery Barn.
Steve,
I don't have spray equipment. A couple of years ago I put some dye (transtint)in some shellac to give birch a dark cherry color. Wow, what a mess. As long as the piece (lateral file) is kept in a dark space it's okay...let the afternoon sun shine in and the finish really stinks.
Build a finish as dark as you, and/or your wife, like by adding toner(s) to either PRE or POST catalyzed lacquer. Both forms of lacquer are suitable for use in a bathroom but POST catalyzed (two part) lacquer - sometimes called conversion varnish - is the most durable. If you're limited to brushing the finish, then use PRE catalyzed.
If you haven't worked with lacquers before, then ask the dealer about necessary precaution (proper venting, flamability, etc). Lacquers ARE volatile, but apply them with common sense and the results can be seriously pleasing and highly durable.
I use ML Campbell finishes with Mohawk toners (stains):
http://www.mlcampbell.com
http://www.mohawk-finishing.com
I'd go with the dye (TransTint from Jewett's Homestead Finishes). Repeated applications of a 'strong' mix should do the job. As for the wearing finish, I'd go with General water based poly (Woodcraft). Flows very well, so no brush marks. Remember, a bathroom is a small space so solvent odors will be very concentrated.
A Toner is a spray-can applied color addition or shading, applied after all other colors and finishes are in place. Then a final wearing surface is applied.
Jerry
"Remember, a bathroom is a small space so solvent odors will be very concentrated."Why would anyone build a vanity (or anything else) in their shop then finish it in their bathroom?
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled