I’m just about done with a cabinet / drawer unit which is walnut on the top and outsides, but with maple shelves and inside/back. Stands about 40 inches height, 34 inches wide, with two drawers under the top, and book shelves under that, standing on stubby round turned legs. It will be at the entrance to the house, under a track light, with a mirror or art over it. You get the picture. Next I’ll be making the frame for the mirror/art, to match the colors and finish. The walnut and maple contrast “pops” but could be toned down a little. I’ve worked wood most of my 37 years, but due to budget constraints this is really my first hardwood showcase type (hopefully) project. Frankly I spend most of my time making jigs and shop cabinets, but I furnished my daughter’s room … most of which was painted. I’ve used shellac and varnishes, and tried Watco oil for a drafting case once, but I’m having difficulty with the choice of finish for this cabinet.
I varnished a pine bookcase once, and I did not like the thick surface film that resulted … it was too plasticy. Back then I did not know to rub it out though. I’m considering orange shellac for the color of it, because it would tone down the maple a little and warm it up, … but I’m not happy with that choice because I’m concerned it will be to thick a film. I’ve read of mixing oil and varnish and have a few FWW articles on that subject, but am reluctant to try it on this project given the amount of investment. Maybe a pre-mixed product. Maybe a rubbed on varnish product that produces less film? Do any of these mixes add umber/warmth to the color? I can rub out the final finish with compound and wax …
Any suggestions? My weeks of hard labor are in your hands!
Replies
Waterlox. Adds warmth. Easy to apply. Makes the maple figure pop. The trick is to sand it really well. 800 grit or better is not unreasonable. If you stop at 200 you get the usual muck. If the surface is basically polished first, awesome. Don't shellac first. Put the waterlox on bare wood. Thin coating with the glow of varnish. Not plastic looking.
No comparison at all with Watco. Might just as well wipe it with used motor oil.
Alright - I'll pick up a can and try it on a sample board. I've heard of the product, but don't recal seeing it on shelves ... is that a catelog order item, or do either of the big chains have it? I'm close to a Woodcraft and a Constantines.
I don't know about Constantines, but Woodcraft didn't carry it last I saw. It's supposed to be a stock item at larger Tru Value hardware stores. One of them in my area actually stocks it. About 5 others don't. You can also mail order it. Waterlox has a web site and will sell it and mail it direct. Comes in 3 flavors. Satin, original, and gloss. Always build the body coats with "original", which is the only flavor Tru Value stocks. Last 2 coats can be original or satin or gloss. I usually do at least 5 coats. Since its a wiping varnish, that still isn't thick. It penetrates and bonds. No scuffing needed between coats. The original is almost as glossy as most gloss varnishes, but you can rub it down. The gloss is really glossy, like a bar top. I never use satin so don't know about that. They've been making the stuff for 75 or 100 years. Still hard to beat. New products come and go about a hundred a year. "New and improved". If it was any good in the first place, they wouldn't have to improve it. Like refried beans. If they fried them right the first time, they wouldn't have to fry them over again.
Also comes in Marine flavor for outdoor use. Hard to find, but can be really useful.
Thanks again. On the enthusiasm of your recommendation, you either have some financial stake in the company, or you really believe in their product. I will try it and report back.
I've been doing this a long time. I want products that have been around a while. Somebody says "new and improved", I'm immediately turned off. Prove it. Usually they can't. Its better than their last monstrosity, but not by much. You can't beat a really good varnish for looks. Plastic is not the same. Can be more durable, but not the same look to it.
Jimbo,
In the last four months I've built and finished a couple of pieces that have some relevance to your project. I made a case and board for chess pieces that was black walnut and maple. I wanted the contrast because the maple was/are the white squares on the board. I sanded to 800 grit, 2 wash coat of orange shellac and 3-4 coats of brush on lacquer(gloss). The top with the maple got only the lacquer to keep them white. Rubbing out, I could take the finish wherever I wanted to go. The nice thing about this finish is its flexibility...you can add color at any step....and I'm not sure giving up the whteness of the maple that oil does is the way to go...that's your call...but, here is a way..
I just finished a two draw vertical file made from a mixture of oaks (white, red and brown)(sanded 220 grit). I washed them with a light water/dye stain to blend the woods, BLO with dye to further blend and enrich, applied a shellac wash coat to seal and then applied Waterlox to the top and draw fronts and clear gloss lacquer to the sides. Not so hot, I needed to fiddle. The Waterlox gave a beautiful finish that has a deeper luster than the lacquer could generate. My choices at that point were to strip the lacquer and apply waterlox or tint the lacquer to help...I took the tint lacquer option and all is well.
I then rubbed out after two weeks with wool and watco satin wax...
BTW, I apply the Waterlox by hand as thin as possible....it may not help at all but it seems to give me a smoother finish with a little less gloss...
Thanks for the ideas. I understand keeping the contrast strong for the chess top, but my call is to tone it down a little for this piece ... attractive but not garrish. Judgment call. I presume you used the Waterlox on the front / top of the cabinet because it would be more durable than the lacquer used on the sides ... but it sounds like you got a different color effect as well as different sheen. Glad you got the sides to match later, but am I right to conclude then that you found the Waterlox added some warmth / color, which is why you had to tint the lacquer? I'm looking for that warmth, as opposed to crystal clear finishes in this case. Thanks for the input re applying by hand to keep it thin ... I believe that is how I will go. Another poster recommended Waterlox as well, and I found it at a local Woodcraft, so that's the plan.
Jimbo,
"I presume you used the Waterlox on the front / top of the cabinet because it would be more durable than the lacquer used on the sides ... but it sounds like you got a different color effect as well as different sheen."
Yes, I mixed the finishes for durability issues...and because I had finished a mahogany desk two weeks earlier with Waterlox and had about 1/4 can left...stuff is too expensive to waste.
The Waterlox did not change the color as much as it deepened and enriched the color and grain...so in that way the color was changed such that the lacquer part looked less rich and cheaper. I almost always use shellac now for a touch of warmth in the color....but I need to change that. You can add Trans Tint to the Waterlox..or to BLO and get the color you want either before or with the final finnish. That would give me more control...and fewer supplies to go bad...
Forgot to mention. Once you open the can it starts to set up quick. You need to use bloxygen or do something to keep the air out or it turns to jello in a couple months.
Since you're unsure of what you want to use for a finish, why not set the piece aside and experiment with the leftover scraps until you find the answer.
I know you said you want to minimize the contrast but you might want to play with making it part of the 'look'. I made this piece a few months ago using material left over from other projects. Just for fun, I decided to go for contrast and everyone who's seen it loves the look. In fact, SWMBO didn't want me to sell it so now it resides in the family room. This piece is red oak with Minwax Golden Oak and Jacobean stains. I made up at least a dozen samples of various colors before I settled on this combination.
I definitely will experiment on the scraps first. Looks like I'll be trying Waterlox, possibly with a tint added, or possibly not. Experiments will tell. I'm not wanting to eliminate the contrast - that was why I used walnut and maple in the first place. The contrast looks great. I just need to soften the contrast a little, not even a lot.
One combination that may look really sharp would be a "natural" stain (to pop the grain) followed by a clear finish. If that's too "contrasty", a light coat of "Early American" on the maple might soften the contrast.
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