Juniper Fireplace Mantel

Rocky Mountain Red Juniper. This mantel was cut and initially cleaned by myself with first sanding done by the client (their house burned to the ground – young couple with two kids – everyone got out safely, but they lost everything. When they rebuilt, I told them I’d do a mantel for a housewarming gift, and this is the one they chose) and initial finish application was done by a friend of theirs (I think he may have used an old shellac he had sitting around his cabinet making shop). When they mounted the mantel, within a short time, the finish started to char, and they asked me to “fix” it. I rough sanded everything down to bare wood first, then finish sanded everything to 320 grit. Then I posted on LJs for advice on best finish for something like this, and hobomonk responded with a suggestion to use linseed oil and solvent mix. I took his advice a small step further and added a bit of Minwax wipe on satin poly, too, and this was the result after four coats. I’m really happy with the way it turned out (thank you hobomonk) – just hope it keeps its sheen with time as it’s mounted over a fireplace insert which generates a lot of heat. Guess I’ll find out if the client is happy sometime today as I think they were hoping for a less “glossy” finish.

Thanks for looking.
TZH

-- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dead-Wood-Renaissance/361417090585685