9
votes
What is a good finish for shot glasses?
My advice would be not to make glasses out of wood so I'll put that out there right at the start.
The only sure-fire ways of waterproofing wood are to completely encase it in a film finish, or ...
- 67.3k
9
votes
Accepted
What is the best finish for wood in a bathroom
As always "what's the best xxxx" is not a good Question. In almost all cases there isn't a best but instead multiple good options to pick from, and that is very much the case here.
I am concerned ...
- 67.3k
7
votes
Used motor oil on treated pine
but rather whether this is inferior treatment to another treatment option that is still affordable and won't require more maintenance over the coming years.
It's certainly something that people do -- ...
- 9,588
6
votes
Accepted
Finishing an indoors pine table
Should be completely transparent
All standard finishes are transparent, but some are not without a little colour, or "water white" as it's usually referred to.
If you don't mind that it imparts a ...
- 67.3k
6
votes
Accepted
What wood/finish would hold up to use in a video game controller?
I've worked with redwood in the past, and it seems like it would hold up well for the grips both from past experience and from some articles I've found.
In woodworking circles you'll generally be ...
- 67.3k
6
votes
What finish is suitable for a childrens toy?
Although there continues to be disagreement on this point online (which I expect won't ever stop) any common finish should actually be acceptable for this. The finish needs to be fully cured, see the ...
- 67.3k
6
votes
Accepted
finish for a very large pine dining table --- is beeswax crazy?
I'll preface my comments by saying that finish choice is a very personal thing, what one person is comfortable using and living with (in terms of upkeep and periodic maintenance) another would not. ...
- 67.3k
6
votes
Cost-effective wood selection for outdoor craft project
Exterior grade MDF is available here in Europe, but in US I don't know about cost or availability. It is very durable with finish applied, but cost is high.
Exterior grades of plywood should be ...
- 2,119
5
votes
Accepted
How can I harden soft woods?
Putting a glass top over it would be simplest.
There are epoxies made for bar tops which might work, but I have no idea what they would do over a soft wood.
There are compounds used to harden ...
- 9,211
5
votes
Accepted
Using raw beeswax for cutting board finish
There are various ways of introducing wax to wood, including dissolving the wax into the mineral oil (this makes what some call "board butter" or "spoon butter"), making up a conventional paste wax, ...
- 67.3k
4
votes
Is sealing wood with urethane or the like enough to avoid wood movement?
A finish is not a hermetic seal. It may slow wood movement; it will not prevent wood movement.
Humidity matters much more than temperature.
- 9,211
4
votes
What to finish my pine loft bed with?
I don't know whether I want to stain the bed at all. I like the color of natural pine, and staining it would be additional work.
I'd certainly be in favour of not staining myself. It's not only that ...
- 67.3k
4
votes
Accepted
Wood Finishing - Beginner
This is a massive topic, and I'm personally not well equipped to completely answer it, just approaching the novice → intermediate transition myself (nor would I attempt to -- volumes of books by ...
- 5,613
4
votes
What wood/finish would hold up to use in a video game controller?
Both redwood and basswood are on the softer end of the Janka hardness scale, which measures the hardness of woods. But I am having a hard time imagining they'd fail to "hold up" to the kind of (ab)use ...
- 2,772
4
votes
Choices of contrasting wood for laminated table mat
Nearly any hardwood you desire should work since the exposure to heat and water is moderate. Go for what looks good to you. Although some woods are more porous than others, the applied finish will ...
- 8,484
4
votes
What is the best finish for wood in a bathroom
This is a tough problem to solve, and similar to what finish should be applied to wooden kitchen countertops. Overall, the difference between finish types is less significant than the difference ...
- 2,426
4
votes
What is the best finish for a laser etching on birch veneer plywood?
Why not make some smaller test pieces on some scrap pieces of the birch veneer plywood. Etch small but similar patterns. Then finish these test pieces to see which type of finish you like better and ...
- 853
4
votes
Most durable foodsafe finish to highlight chatoyancy
I have been using carnauba wax to finish my turning projects recently. It's pretty durable and is food-safe right away. I've been turning bowls from maple butcher block, it shows off the chatoyancy ...
- 223
4
votes
Accepted
What glaze or surface treatment to repair this bar?
how do I identify what the finish is that was used here, so that I can identify the proper repair?
There are some test you can perform to narrow down or identify the finish used on something. ...
- 67.3k
4
votes
Accepted
Help IDing what the type of wood finish this is
Can anybody help determining it from the photos please?
Sorry but it's impossible to identify finishes from appearance only. It can be hard to ID them in the flesh!
One can make guesses1 based on ...
- 67.3k
3
votes
Accepted
Easy but tough shelving finish
But as I'm getting nearer that step, I'm dreading the extended painting effort.... I'll end up going through more than 20 clean-up cycles with my brushes.
Two big tips can help here: don't clean your ...
- 67.3k
3
votes
Choices of contrasting wood for laminated table mat
Most importantly, what would be good woods for a table mat?
This doesn't necessarily have to be about the choice of wood because your finish alone could cover you on this front.
Heat and moisture-...
- 67.3k
3
votes
Accepted
Is sealing wood with urethane or the like enough to avoid wood movement?
Will a solid wood table top still move if it is finished from all sides with polyurethane or some other water resistant finish?
Yes.
You can, in theory at least, completely seal off wood from the ...
- 67.3k
3
votes
How can I sanitize wood?
What can I do wood before and after finishing a project to ensure that it is very clean and as safe as possible?
Plane or mill or sand through until you're in the fresh wood underneath the surface. ...
- 67.3k
3
votes
What do I need to know before I lacquer a custom painted guitar body?
In this case the safest bet (you should still check with the artist about the kind of paint used) would be to utilize a waterborne sealer.
The technology has come a long way and is as durable if ...
- 1,101
3
votes
Accepted
What is the oldest type of wood finish that we know of which can still be used today?
Well this is easy: no finish.
Go back far enough and there's no doubt wood would have been left unfinished and the no-finish option is still widely used today, sometimes by necessity1 and sometimes ...
- 67.3k
3
votes
Accepted
Working with Wenge or Purpleheart
I have heard that Wenge can cause an allergic reaction akin to poison ivy
Not sure what you read or where, but you wouldn't expect this upon first exposure. This kind of reaction would be for people ...
- 67.3k
3
votes
Accepted
Filling Lines After Pyrography
You can certainly do this with epoxy but you could use shellac or varnish to achieve the same end, just a little more slowly*. You could probably do this quite well with a spray lacquer too, depending ...
- 67.3k
3
votes
Using raw beeswax for cutting board finish
Great tips here ! I'll add one more, that's worked great for years on large blocks on my BBQ trailer and at home. I simply put the bees wax on the boards, after melting or even grating, then "...
- 31
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