Especially when working with vintage or antique furniture, people often tell me that they love the look of a piece just after it has been stripped of the old finish So why not leave it that way? The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". It has to take a lot of abuse with wiping up, etc. A lot of people of ask for matte so I use the high performance made by arm r seal. You said, There are also water-white lacquers that work very well. I noticed this post was from 2009 and wondered if the product there would be any update to the product you recommended. You might look into a water-based exterior finish like General Finishes Exterior 450. Using an oil based product leaves the floor a yellow Amber color which I do not want HELP!!!! I wish the MM dead flat exterior would be sufficient, but if you look at ww websites, oil-based products with high sheen offer the best protection. Personally I would put the lowest sheen spar urethane (not spar varnish) I can find on a barn wood table and just live with the ambering and high build look. We are attempting to be as green as possible, so no more spraying for us. Any suggestions on something easy to put on there but durable. If your old floor is truly finished with tung oil, Im surprised it feels smooth and slippery. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The Wood Whisperer is proudly sponsored by brands that Marc trusts. Have no idea if that would salvage the powdered coating. I forgot what product I used at the time. Can you provide the name of the lacquer you used? Im currently building 62 small table tops for a restaurant in my 1200 sqft barn. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. In other words, you want to maintain the wood color and find the flattest, most matte sealerpossible. Be sure to test on an inconspicuous area before committing to the entire project. About 30 years ago, I had the misfortune of hiring a person who left many wet objects on my not-yet-finished red oak floors. My vote is to send the piece to them raw and let their floor finishers coat it. Each one has some natural wood showing along with partial paint and vinyl images. This representative recommended either MM CLEAR SUPREME (water based )MCS901 or VARATHANE ULTIMATE POLYURATHANE WATER BASE 262074. This weeks question comes from Eric who asks: Ive got a finishing question.I bet you get tired of hearing that! These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. But how do you get that natural wood finish? After about a year, the top gets sticky/gummy, as though the poly is softening. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. I think the better question to ask first, though, is what kind of traffic will the piece receive? I am also searching for a product that will allow the original color show without amber or too much darkening. At least any finish that truly protects the surface. Protection is not a concerna as these are ornamental not used in any way but display. The wind and rain do come that side of the house, straight past up the street, though it is set back in a small porch. How do you stop this from happening? You may be wondering what floor finishes have to do with shop projects. For small furniture pieces, I put a green pad on my orbital sander and it worked great! Most water-based finishes bring no color to the wood, so it remains the natural color even after several coats are applied. Today I purchased a varathane water based polyurethane to experiment with as well. We tried the Minwax pickled oak and it was way too dark and just natural Minwax poly which was also too dark. Seemed to preserve the raw wood color. I am totally new to this I bought a slab of live edge Spruce to make into a table top, like others here want to keep to as natural looking as possible. A co-worker told me a decent paint store should have Oxalic Acid. 2022 Rachel Paxton (Maison de Pax). The Wood Whisperer, The Wood Whisperer Guild, TWW, and TWW Guild are trademarks of The Wood Whisperer Inc. All rights reserved. This post contains affiliate links. They liked the original look. Have you used any of the WOCA Denmark products? How do you sealand protect wood from stain? To keep it as light and natural as possible I useda product by Fabulon called Pryme. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Disclaimer: Please use all appropriate and proper safety precautions when attempting projects. I personally do not mind using an oil based option, nor does minimal tinting bother me on the antique wood. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. I love the color and have tried both minwax and other clear water based seals. I hope this helps! Any oil-based product is going to give the wood some kind of an amber color. The reality is that each individual piece of furniturewill react a little differently to these products. Will these techniques work on all wood types?No! Outdoor furniture should be considered sacrificial and will require quite a bit of maintenance to make sure it lasts, especially if you have harsh summers or winters. I am building some walnut furniture and am seriously considering using 2 coats of the Dead Flat Varnish. Since its a flat wall piece I dont need protection per say. This is exactly the look and idea behind my home design. I am also looking to maintain the look of raw wood , matte finish . I have tried General Finishes & Varathane brands of water based flat top coats but have not achieved the look I want. There is, however, the method of sanding and polishing the wood which will still be natural, and then (for protection) do a wax finish. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I am very interested in the solution that Dee, came up with for her clients kitchen island. In my case sanding isnt an option because I want the wood to look exactly as it is, rustic and recycled. Oak tends to have a more modern look with a water base finish and oil finishes will make it feel a little more classic. The trouble is no matter what I use it darkens the wood , I have tried the lot and then have to sand it off . This is obviously only an option on low-traffic furniture, but I think it is an excellent one. The thing is built but we are going back and forth because as the manufacturers, and more importantly, warrantors of this piece, we want to protect it, but the client wants it to look unfinished. My question stems from the need for protection on wood furniture, especially on the table I am building, but I really prefer the way wood looks raw, right before putting on finish. It was developed originally in Britain for museum preservation specialists. Cures to walk on within hours, and you can move furniture in the next morning. Your email address will not be published. Hi, I just looked on the Sherwin Williams website and I cant find anything called CAB-acrylic lacquer, did they change the name? Its cedar and pine wood with oils based stain on it. Im curious if I pour resin on top of it and let it dry will it still keep the look of the wood and cracks but make it easy to clean and no splinters? We tried SW precat lacquer in a special-ordered 5-sheen and even that is too finished looking. Unfortunately, many common materials used for sealingraw wood, such as wax, shellac, varnish, polyurethane, lacquer, pure tong oil, and other sealers, tend to change the appearance of the wood. This means that when it dries on the surface of the wood, it wont bring any color to the party. Thanks! It can complement rustic, modern, and traditional styles, making it a versatile and beautiful option. We just put up reclaimed barn wood in our kitchen as a back splash this weekend. I cant say for sure that CAB Acrylic is an appropriate finish for a floor but it sure works well on furniture. But there are surely other brands and product types you can investigate. Ourdining room tableat the ranch was the guinea pig for this process, and years later it still looks beautiful. I dont really want to alter the colour too much. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Solution: cerusing wax. I will post once I know which one worked. help help , the wood is aging me, Hi , I recently bought A solid wood table which I believe an acacia wood. Im sure when I have completed this project Ill have questions about the next! etc TALK ABOUT CLICK BATE!! Hi Monica! However, I often keep a drink beside my bed, so I knew I wanted a little something to protect the wood, plus the wood looked a little dry. After I think your best bet to both protect the wood and maintain an old, utilitarian-workpiece look versus a more plastic high-build finish is going to be some kind of wax, however the degree of roughness of your wood may preclude any wiped-on finish options. Ive built a number of walnut pieces, and Ive settled on a decent method to get the beauty of an oil finish with the matte finish of a water-based poly. This is the first time I am seeing woodworkers liking the color of raw, unfinished natural wood. I am having the carpet made in India which is a very bold floral pattern so want to keep the warmth of the matte red oak. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". I have heard a lot of good things about Target Coatings but never had the chance to try them. TIA. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely our own. I still use it all the time in my work. This is meant to be put on top of a finish. Hi there Eric. I thought of leaving the background raw and the figure finished , to give it a slight emphasis. I like the look of the cerusean wax, however, would you use wax on daily dining chairs? post Ive been thinking about doing this in my den. Being that we like the rough look of the cedar pickets, Im not wanting sand them. Is there any other comparable brand you could recommend for as natural as possible and non-darkening as best, finish for a weathered greyish oak wood? Very easy to wipe clean! I am making 9 wooden signs for a friend. If you want a true natural look with no amber or yellow coloring, try water-based materials. I used Mimwax Pickled Oak stain, which is a white color, and brush on semi gloss lacquer. It is great finish, Fabulon was used years ago as a finish for Gym floors. Once finished, there wasnt the slightest suggestion that there was ever any discoloration. It has A natural look with A greyish brown finish very Soft And matte. I had a nice variation of light and dark prior to sealing it and now Ive lost most of the lighter colors (sad face). Spekva, which is a European company that builds butcher-blocks, has a proprietary oil that contains carnauba wax among others. (I think its the wrong vanish) There is no way its going to protect it. Here is a link that speaks directly to using Oxalic Acid Cleaner: https://corecheminc.com/cleani..d-to-know/. Hi Karen, just read your recommendation on the modern masters exterior dead flat varnish. Is there a finish that will not darken the wood. I am going to try the Sherwin-Willimas CAB-acrylic laquer for a more natural look (water not oil based). Thanks for any input. Good luck with your project. Shellac has a short shelf life but the Pryme l have left has been used over a ten year period an still dries but not as quickly as it did when new. We have put fresh pine on some walls and ceiling in our summer camp. Falling in love with the raw matte finish so I am going to looking into three finishes mentioned in these posts. I am building a barnwood kitchen table and want to make it like a bar top but with that material it makes the wood the wet look and takes away the look of barnwood how can I seal it so I keep the worn out look but have a film to protect from food and liquid spills. But it certainly never hurts to have at least some kind of protective coating over furniture pieces. Yeah that could do the trick. We love the natural look of the sandblasted wood. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Its always a compromise. I have a knotty pine room that is the real old knotty pine and it has turned very dark over the years. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. I always give honest opinions, findings, and experiences on products. It can get splintery and hard to clean. For todays post, Im going to categorize furniture in three main categories: Dont write me off when I say this, but not all furniture has to be sealed. Its a female nude and to retain the super light color I need a finish that will A) have NO change in color and b) no shine. Hello and thanks for the awesome tips. Ive used Renaissance Wax before, it changes the color of whatever surface you put it on and its SUPER expensive. I actually want my wood to yellow in order to match some older wood. I just found this comment buried Im not sure if you even still need help, but I agree with you that wax for daily-use dining chairs may not be ideal. Its mounted in a piece of wood measuring 8 3/4(L) x 1 1/2 (W) x 3 1/4(H) that was crafted in a small Sine Wave form and left a natural finish. They generally dont yellow over time and keep the wood looking more natural. Dee, its been a while but would you be able to share how this turned out? It will not change the colour of the wood they say as it sits on the surface & doesnt soak in, it also has a different finish from normal wax & wont show fingerprints etc when dry I figured it was worth a try on some raw aged furniture I bought that I want to retain that weatherworn look on. I was going to attempt waxing but worried it would clump in the saw marks. It developed 2 hairline cracks. They are using the Bona natural floor finish in their home. All projects are attempted at the readers own risk. I *think* Im going to put the MM dead flat exterior on first so the color doesnt change. Is there a way to seal the wood without effecting its appearance so that when you apply the poly it doesnt soak into the wood changing its appearance? Also, you will most definitely want a finish with flatteners in it, so a satin or matte finish would be appropriate. However, there is no denying that even this clear finish really changes the look of the raw wood (makes it darker like when you wet the wood). A water-based whitewash looked better, but really hate to go down that path as the area is so large and it will be difficult to keep a uniform spread with the white wash potential problem with it drying unevenly before it can be wiped off. it didnt change the color or even look like i put anything on it according to the customer and myself. Is there a finish that wont sink in and darken the wood? What one did you go with? You can apply it by brush or by spray. I cant seem to find any other evidence of people doing this, online at least, but seemed like a no-brainer to me if there isnt some technical nuance that makes that product only suitable for floors. And if not, what kind of wax? Should I use shellac to eat the yellow tone? Should I have the floors hand planed and then stained? while looking at general comment of working with Spruce I have learned it is very porous, and people that wanted to stain their soft wood talked about wood conditioning with 50% Mineral Spirit and clear Polyurethane to be absorbed into the wood. Thanks for all the great info. All content on The Wood Whisperer is copyrighted, and may not be reprinted in full form without my written consent. Note: you cannot mix wax andpoly, so while this technique is similar in itsmixture of white/gray with a sealer, you must follow one tutorial or the other; you cant combine. As long as it looks the way you want it to look, its the right finish. Perhaps this is what is truly the NATURAL look. Thanks for any help. Oil-based polycan yellow over time, so I would not use it over white paint but the yellowing is so subtle that it probably wont show over the natural tones of wood. Thanks for the tips guys! I have been using Bona Naturale for interior casework and doors. How do you like it? You could thin the stain if it feels too strong. What product do you recommend or could we just leave them alone. I think it is either a lacquer of a shellac base. We rolled/brushed on and let sit for abt 10 min and then buffed them and wiped clean. The customer wanted to leave it. Thoughts? In fact, the instructions specifically say not to use on floors because large areas are too hard to keep even. To give it more protection, Ill follow up with a matte polycrylic. Thanks for the kind words. If its an interior piece and you dont anticipate it making contact with anything that might stain it, you can leave it raw. Or would it be possible to brush on this product..but very quickly, thinly without much reworking (since its a lacquer)? And also apply a good quality outdoor finish like Epifanes. The organic,raw wood lookis both classic and popular. Im sorry for the slow reply! There are also water-white lacquers that work very well. Its pricey, but you wont be thinking of the extra $50 in a year when youre enjoying your floor. I like your suggestion about Sherwin Williams CAB-acrylic lacquer. Who knows. :) White oak is a durable wood species and unless you have it right over the stove where it might get some grease splatter on it, its unlikely youll have a problem leaving them unfinished. Also wondering if Teak would darkens more than other wood when sealed and maybe thats the problem. You may want to try a small spray can on your desired wood. But remember, if you put enough coats on, even a water-white finish can look unnatural. You can probably make it less dangerous while still maintaining most of the rough appearance. However, I cant get my local Sherwin Williams dealer to bring in the CAB acrylic lacquer, (also wondering, is a quart size available, as I dont need a full gallon for my project). Honestly sounds like any water-based finish will do the trick. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. I really dont like the look of freshly stained and sanded brand new furniture so would like to get the chair to a place where its protected without looking wet/darker. I did use oil based stain for the top and prefer a matte finish to preserve the beauty of the wood, however it will obviously need to be protected from water spills. Experiment, and do sample tests. The last was a MARINE sealer awful. Hi , I ordered the MM dead flat water based after researching and speaking to the company . Just like it came from the cabinet shop. Or a shellac? With that in mind, I wanted to add a couple of other products that that get rave reviews; I simply dont have tutorials written about them (yet ). Evennatural oil finishes often darken the color. We are having a millworker make rift cut oak cabinets and woudl like to keep the natural wood color. I have always used arm r seal, but recently have been frequently getting asked to use water based products, shellac, or lacquer. Any input would be appreciated . They are water-based and low VOC, they come in a range of sheens down to something super-flat that they call natural. I sanded it and I love the look of the unfinished wall. thanks! I am putting very very light coats, and not trying not to build up at all. Of course sanding it did as well. Honestly if pine is involved, Id plan on replacing the planter at some point in the near future. Great information! Is there anything I can use in order to keep the rough look but also be able to prevent him from getting splinters? The most common one is water-based poly. As for Epifanes, its a marine varnish and its used on boats. Reading this article/comments it sounds like Sherwin Willams CAB-acrylic is the best product. Sue we just sandblasted our woodbeam ceiling. Im grateful to have found something that will not take away from the beautiful wood and all my hard work! The bottom line is that Marcs idea is probably the best compromise of the least change of color and offers a good protection. The ceiling is like it too but I am going to paint it because I CANNOT sand that ceiling. All I read was how to get a raw look on high traffics area, mid traffic area and yeah etc. It is a huge tred white/natural/raw looking wood. The water base finishes produce really light, bright colors in the wood and oil base finishes produce a darker color with a pronounced amber tone. Sealing wood always affects the color a bit, but Flat out Flat definitely doesnt go as yellow or orange as traditional poly. Help? However, wanted to see if there were any recent recommendations or new products on the market. Copyright 2006-2022 The Wood Whisperer Inc. What you want to go for is a finish that is known as water-white. Spraying on water protectant spray sounds like petrochemicals involved. am working on a Hackberry table top and dont want to have the color and graining changed at all..any suggestions for that particular kind of wood. Hello, I have a small solid oak chair from the 50s that was once (decades ago) stained darker and then for the most of its life had potted plants sat on it. R. I used it on my antique oak buffet (all but the very top, as this needs to take the abuse of everyday use) and had no issues. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. :). Thank you for the educational comment. I am getting ready to apply finish to an oak burl inlay table. I have been looking for this natural finish, but cannot find any stores tat sell it in the UK, can anyone help please ? Its the closest Ive found to a sealer that doesnt change the color of the wood underneath. Hey guys I build solely with semi truck flooring oak laminate. So if you want it to stay pristine, keep it inside. I am working with some log slabs that will have images burned into them, some of the burning light and some heavy lettering. lucky girl by the way! I am about to seal my raw wood table in MM Dead Flat and wondering if it has flaked started to peel at all? Aside from the finish recommended in the article, you can try just about any water-based finish out there. Have some old rail cart farm table projects that I would like to start, and to me, the finish is most important. We recently purchased a salvaged wood farm table and want to seal it but dont want the color to change and want a flat finish. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Pretty good stuff. Depending on the make of course, they will protect the wood and not change the colour. Hello- Any suggestions on how to fix it and help it return to the more natural/white look? Its a pain in the butt, multi-day process to apply, but the last stage is to buff it with a white 3M pad (the zero-cut kind), and it polishes the wax for a silky but matte, protected finish. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can provide some good protection for the wood without really making it much different than the light, soft look of the raw wood?. Is there a place on your site to post pictures? Im looking for a way to seal it but not turn it red. Just need the best product to NOT darken wood! Thank you. Thank you for all of your great information in your comment. The problem is the poly is wet and when it soaks into the wood it darkens it taking away the natural appeal of the wood and making it looked stained and more formal. So we have two issue to discuss here: film thickness and color. No yellow at all.Satin doesnt leave much shine.m. Theres practically no finish left on it, almost like raw grey wood, from years of water damage. Good luck! Want the Bathroom waterproofed without changing the color of the wood if at all possible.