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Stains

856 views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  BillWhite 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hello, I am an armature reclaimed wood furniture maker. I am having a hard time figuring out what to use to finish a table I'm working on. The material is a river willow I cut down on our ranch a couple yard ago. I want to finish it with some kind of organic finish. I've researched different methods of wood finishes. I'm kind of liking a mineral oil. And I like minwax poly acrylic. My question is can I apply poly acrylic over mineral oil? I also thinking of using red wine for a stain? And could I apply poly acrylic over a red wine stain?

Also, i forgot to mention this is gonna be a kitchen table. Is the poly acrylic safe to use for a kitchen table?
 
#2 ·
I'd stay away from the mineral oil. It is a non-drying oil which would give the poly a hard time holding on to. Red wine should be fine with Poly acrylic, just let it dry well. As with any finishing scheme, test it on scrap wood first.
Poly acrylic is food safe when fully cured. I'd be reluctant to use it on a kitchen table as it seems kind of brittle. I'm guessing that the willow is pretty soft and would be prone to dings and dents which will crack almost any film finish.
Perhaps someone else can provide more insight, but I'd be leaning toward an oil based finish.
 
#3 ·
Definitely no mineral oil for reasons stated.
Some of the heat treated or polymerized oils produce both a dry finish and slightly hardened the wood. I like processed walnut oil but Danish oil or linseed oil would work….several coats. Finished off with a carnauba paste wax should give you the "organic" finish you are looking for. Both the oil and the wax can be recoated as needed over time.

For a harder finish I would first use one of the oils mentioned to bring out the grain and color then 3 or 4 coats of water based poly urethane. Those rated for floor finishing are the toughest. I think your "soft" willow wood will need this to stand up to any mistreatment it may get.
 
#4 ·
Thanks so much for your great advice. I was doing more research, came across Waterlox product. The Waterlox company has a really good website with so much info, I am almost convinced to use what they are offering. But I just want to be 100% sure this will work. My biggest concern is making sure whatever I decide to use is that it is safe for a kitchen table as I will sell it to someone and that who ever buts my furniture that they have confidence the finish is organic and nontoxic.
 
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