Poll: Favorite Finish

For typical pieces:

Dewaxed shellac for first coat
Varathane Gel Stains rubbed in
Two coats of Minwax Polyurethane
Rubbed out with #000 steel wool
Final multiple coats of Minwax Wipe on Poly – Satin or Gloss depending on the piece.

For pieces for my kids, I use amber shellac, three coats at about a 1.5# cut and leave it at that.

For turnings: Watco danish oil and leave it.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

I like to keep my finishing simple for now. I haven’t gotten into spray-on or French Polish or anything like that. I like something I can easily wipe on and call it good. I have tried a lot of different finishes but was always frustrated with the results until I found this stuff:

General Finish from Woodcraft.

It is easy to apply because you can just wipe it on, but you can also use a brush if you want a thicker coat. But the main reason I like it so much is that it is very thin. This way I never have any problem with sagging or dripping… it always lays out so smooth before it dries. Also, because it is so thin I can easily control how thick the overall finish is by the numbers of layers I apply. It dries fairly quickly so I can easily apply several layers in a day for a deep gloss. Or I can just use one coat for a shine but still leave the wood looking and feeling very natural.

Often for a very natural look I will just wipe on some Boiled Linseed Oil. I like the Boiled Linseed better than the Danish Oil because the Danish is so “yellow” or “amber,” whereas the Boiled Linseed is clear. Even when I use the General Finish I will usually use the Oil first to “pop” out the grain or figure of the wood. The two are completely compatible.

General Finishes make several other products which I have not tried yet but I have heard good things about them. But give that Green Can a try.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

First coat and box interiors: Zinsser Sealcoat dewaxed shellac
Favorite topcoat: Target Coatings Oxford Ultima spray lacquer (waterborne)
Dye: MC Campbell Microtone
Winter finish when it’s too cold to spray: Pratt & Lambert #38 Interior Alkyd Varnish (usually cut to 50% with MS)

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

For furniture or floors that are gonna get used and abused, I use Minwax polyurethane brushed on with a foam brush. I allow that to dry 24 hours then sand with 220 grit, then apply another coat of the same poly.

For the non-abused goodies, I’ve used Watkins Danish oil and Tung oil.

For stains I buy Minwax brand only because it’s most common at the hardware stores.

Minwax also makes a good wood putty that for some reason takes stain well. Most puttys won’t take stain at all.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Conversion Varnish…anything that stinks that bad must be good.
P.S. It is a finish for professionals only…best used with a spray booth and lots of experience

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

Glad to see a couple products I know so far. Honestly a little suprised to see Minwax a few times. Got a local friend that likes to bash it. I’ve used it and had results I’ve liked, but wondered if I was selling myself short based on his more informed opinion. Seems he might be off. I’ve used most of the 4 or 5 Minwax variants (gel, polyblend, oil, water, etc . . ). Been happy with most.

I’ll have to give the “green can” a shot Blake. I’ve tried some General Finishes (Red Can). I’m using the “Spicy Walnut” on a dining table project currently. Been very happy so far. I thinned it a bit, but think that might have not been needed. Worked though. Using Minwax wipeon Satin for topcoat. I used a Minwax wood conditioner as well.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

Like Blake, I usually “pop” the project w/linseed oil, then follow up w/MinWax Wipe-On poly. Although this is the second time this week I’ve heard about the General stuff. Thanks for asking the question….made me think.

TA

-- "Will preach for wood."

I mostly use a mixture 1/3 poly, 1/3 tung and 1/3 boiled linseed.Mix all together.Rub into wood then completely wipe off (very important)let dry 24 hours and repeat 5 to 6 times.Some times I will steel wool in between coats for a smoother finish.I started using Waterlox (kinda has above already mixed)receantly staring to really like that it’s very easy to apply

-- Scott NM,http://www.shangrilawoodworks.com

In my 30 years as a jr high woodshop teacher I relied heavily on Deft semi-gloss clear wood finish. Yes it’s a lacquer and it doesn’t hold up to water well. For a long time I used lacquer in a syphon feed spray gun with good results, however, not a good finish around the kitchen area. Can’t beat a good old lacquer finish for speed of results. Now I have more time on my hands I used to love the Minwax semi-gloss polyurethane oil based. It is now not very available in California. I have just tried Varathane oil based polyurethane and I have been pleased. I guess I’ll just have to try the water based stuff when all the oil based products a gone.

-- bobdurnell, Santa Ana California.

My two favourite finishes are oils (linseed, watco, etc) and shellac. I always wipe oil and now I spray the shellac. Sometimes I mix the linseed oil with polyurethane but I never use polyurethane alone (explained below).

Things I do not like about other finishes:

Polyurethane: – it takes 4 hours to dry, time in which all the dust around sets in the finish. As a comparison, if I spray it, shellac is try to the touch in 10 minutes. That is at least 12 times less “dust time”. – has a powerful smell – needs sanding between coats (if you skip this the top layers will not adhere properly). you should sand even if you apply wipe-on poly (polyurethane with a little more solvent, but still polyurethane).
- it is unfixable. If you chip/scratch the finish you cannot fix it without stripping it first. The scratch will always show.
- it yellows (and I do not particularly like the yellow colour it gets)

Lacquer:
- the smell is very powerful and you need very good ventilation (it can explode as well)
- the colour is washed out (not very clear). I only tried the Deft brushing lacquer, maybe some of the spray lacquers are better. I know that the conversion lacquer is better but you need professional equipment to apply it (as Dennis mentioned).

Stain:
- it always obscures the wood one way or another. I work mostly with cherry and they say that staining cherry is a crime (not to mention very difficult due to uneven absorption). Even pine well sanded looks gorgeous unstained. A side benefit of not staining is that the piece is very fixable (do not have to figure out how to match the colour of the stain since there is no stain).

Reasons that I like the other two finishes are:

Oil/Oil-poly mix:
- is is very easy to apply (wipe on, wipe off)
-allows me to sand the piece to 600 grit or higher, which gives a unique feeling to the piece. This is especially useful for bandsaw boxes since people cannot take heir hands off my pieces once they touch them.

Shellac:
- it dries in 10 minutes
- it has a very natural color
- it sprays without fuss or possibility of explosion (solvent is alcohol so it has a familiar smell).
- Downside: it blushes (whitens) if it is humid outside (a real problem here in Florida for 1/2 of the year.

Alin

-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida

Wealth of knowledghe so far. Looks like there are enough initials comments to tabulate the responses. I really would love more opinions. I’m growing tired of random experimentation. These “recipes” give me a jump off point. Alin, nice man! Thanks for supporting your choices. I’m not equipped to spray, so I have to buy aeresol cans of shellac if I want to avoind brushing it. Totally with you on Danish Oil. Watco specifically. Will post results soon and will update it if needs be.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

I have tried many things over the years and have settled on the following:

Water based dyes. It doesn’t obscure the figure of the wood. It does raise the grain so I bursh the piece with water first and then sand it down. You actually see more figure when you raise the grain and sand it off.

Oil or Water based Polyurathane. Nice hard finish that you can repair easily. You just sand it and put on another coat. Oil based for surfaces that will have things set on it, like a tabletop. Water based for everything else.

Both are very simple and VERY hard to mess up.

Here are three of my favorite projects using the above. You can see the dye won’t obscure the figure like stains will.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/2841
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/1849
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/1750

Gary

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

USCJeff,

For a while I did not have a spraying equipment either. I used to brush shellac and it works well if you thin it to 1-1/2 cut and if you use a good quality brush. I only had problems with large surfaces but medium size was fine.

The spraying equipment I have is the HVLP unit sold by HarborFreight, Woodcraft and Roclker that is only 100$. It works perfectly with shellac. A good brush will probably cost 20$ anyway so you might want to ask Santa to put the spraying equipment on the list. I find the sprays not too good (atomization is quite bad and “orange peal” develops).

Alin

-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida

I have settled on pre catalyzed lacquer from Sherwin Williams T77-F37 satin, and high build T77-F57 satin. The high build has more solids content for quicker build.

Solvent lacquer dries very rapidly, even in a cool winter shop I can get 3 coats in one hour at 62 degrees F.

I use a pressure pot for application. You do not have to clean this type of sprayer out after spraying. You just leave it in the pot and stir before the next use. It is also a good idea to spray out about 8 oz. into a container to clear the hose, that fluid can be poured back into the pot. Cost is about $650 and worth every penny.

Back to finishes. I get a supreme looking finish out of the pre-cat lacquer and good durability. Lacquer melts into the previous coat which cuts down on the sanding for adhesion. The “plastic” look is avoided by not over applying as with most finishes.

This type of finish is not recommended for kitchen and bath cabinetry or a dining table. It will not hold up over time. A catalyzed varnish would be recommended.

I use Zinsser Shellac Sealer which is dewaxed for use under the lacquer for anything questionable, and I use it straight out of the can in a gravity sprayer. It seems thinner than the lacquer and you have to be careful of runs. It has the advantage of burning into the previous coat like lacquer, and dries very rapidly.

The burning in also makes shellac and solvent lacquers very repairable down the road. Don’t contaminate the surface with furniture polish though, only wipe furniture off with a damp rag. That is all that is needed.

Because the finish dries rapidly, you do not have to have the project in a hermetically sealed room. Fast dry times means that the surface seals fast enough that crap does not get stuck in it.

I don’t buy shellac flakes, I buy products that I can pop open the lid and spray onto my work. I don’t need to ruminate on the mysteries of old world finishes, I need to get the job done.

I understand many enjoy the journey of mixing the finishes but modern finishes can be purchased that are durable, and high performance in their application so businesses can make money by quick application and dry times.

I use Transtint and Sherwin dyes with alcohol for fast drying and less sanding. Water raising the grain means more sand time that I can’t afford.

I like using Sherwin stains because they come in fast dry or really fast dry for production. Minwax and Behr take 24 hours to topcoat. The professional stains dry in 2 hours or 30 minutes (depending on which line you use) before topcoating. Just to let you know, anybody can buy these products.

My finishes are professional and they are like silk. It is the result of a perfect combination of tool, product, and skill.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

PRE-CAT LACQUER!!!!!! First coat is sealer coat. Spray on with HVLP, it dries to touch in 10 Minutes. Sand lightly with 400 grit non-loading sandpaper and DON’T REMOVE THE SANDING DUST. It will MELT back into the next coat!!! Repeat for three or four coats. Cures to fully handle in less than 24 Hrs!!! This is highly moisture and heat resistant, non-yellowing, and can be polished so highly that you could fix your hair in the reflection—If you want high gloss, that is. Can be flattened with flattening agent. Excellent shelf life—approx. 6 months in can, but I’ve seen it last much longer.

Try it!!!

-- Lane Custom Guitars and Basses

Alan, I had wondered about those spraying units. I’d seen them at all 3 places you mentioned. Might give it a second look. Thanks again.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

For an oil finish that is so smooth a fly can’t land on it, I use Russ Filbeck's technique. The oil is sanded into the piece, with the slurry filling the pores. Start with 220 grit wet-or-dry paper, and work up to 600 grit. Three coats of Black Bison wax, applied with 0000 Liberon steel wool, provide the final luster.

Russ teaches his technique at Palomar College, which is where I learned it. I’d put my class notes up here, but I don’t want to cheat you out of learning from the master himself, which is why I put the link to his article up. You can also go back into your stacks of Wood Magazine and dig out the September 2002 issue.

-- The days are long and the years are short...

Blake is not off the mark when he mentions the wipe-on polys.

If you can’t spray these are hard to mess up because they go on thin and that allows them to dry relatively quickly, still not as fast as pre-cat lacquer, but good for the weekender. It also is hard to screw up because it is thin.

Before I learned and started doing my own finishing professionally I relied on the wipe-on polys.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

I’m jumping back in with my recommendation for Target Coatings line of finishes, if a home workshop person is going into spraying. They have a complete line of finishes, including pre-cat, but they are one-hundred percent waterborne. HAPS compliance, no explosion risk, no need for a booth with an explosion proof fan etc. Unless you are a professional with a professional’s budget and need to eye the bottom line, it’s worth the extra money (not much mind you) to stay waterborne and leave the solvent based spraying to people who can afford to do it safely. These finishes are hard, beautiful and easy to manage even with HVLP conversion units. I have sprayed solvent based finishes, straying into areas that I probably should not have gone from a legal and safety standpoint, and these are the way to go, IMHO.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Actually Sherwin has a line of waterborne too but I have not tried it yet. I have used Target Coatings.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Sherwin precat lacquer in medium rubbed finish. Very trouble free finish. Dries fast. Looks great.

Also buying an airless was the best investment I’ve made for my business.

-- http://www.jgcw.biz