# Birch Ply



## Lonsdale73 (20 Jun 2017)

Looking for recommendations on suitable finishes to be used with birch ply? It's interior use, I don't have a specific final look in mind and I appreciate the nature of thecquestion will pose many others however I'm looking to find out what others opt for.


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## Phil Pascoe (20 Jun 2017)

Osmo or similar I'd have thought for simplicity.


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## Lonsdale73 (20 Jun 2017)

phil.p":36be6796 said:


> Osmo or similar I'd have thought for simplicity.



Sorry, I should have clarified my general woodworking inexperience is even more apparent when it comes to finishing. I cannot paint to save my life and I still remember my woodwork teacher asking if I'd applied the varnish with a brush or a ladle? So far, I've experimented with teak and mahogany stains by Ronseal and Briwak in clear and antique pine, applied with a cloth which I'm having a modicum of success with. I'm looking to extend my repertoire.

While I don't have a specific finish in mind, I'm not keen on the orange colouring I associate with varnish.


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## lurker (20 Jun 2017)

what about danish oil ?
wipe it on with a lint free rag (DAMHIKT!).
Wilkinsons is as cheap as anywhere.
Just make sure you shake it up well before using. I put a large stainless steel nut in the can to aid this.

If you look on the internet you will see many references (mainly from USA) to "wiping oil"; essentially thinned down varnish you apply with a rag and build up coats.

Like you, paint brushes and I don't get along very well.


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## Phil Pascoe (20 Jun 2017)

It tends to yellow, though, which will be noticeable on birch.


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## mikefab (20 Jun 2017)

Osmo also noticeably yellows birch ply, if that is a problem. A waterbased lacquer or varnish will keep it paler but probably needs a bit more care in application to get a decent finish.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk


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## ED65 (20 Jun 2017)

To keep it as simple as possible you could get some sanding sealer and apply one coat after careful sanding. This would be just to get something on the wood so that it's not bare, to help prevent it getting grubby over time.

If you don't mind a little more colour then polyurethane varnish would be a good choice and can give quite a durable finish after only 2-3 coats. Varnish (any kind) couldn't be simpler for the beginner, you just thin some down with extra white spirit in a clean jar, give it a quick shake and wipe it on. Very fast and nearly foolproof even if you've never touched varnished before. And no brushes to clean, how good is that?

One coat of anything that is naturally a slight yellow/amber colour won't make the birch too yellow but if you want it to stay as pale as poss your best bet is a water-bourne finish. These are mainly "water white" or as clear as water (once dry, they're milky in the tin) and they'll minimally change the look of pale woods like birch. Using these for large flat surfaces I recommend you not even try to brush, use a foam roller instead. You will probably want a brush for a few parts here and there and also for picking up drips along edges in which case buy a synthetic. Natural-bristle brushes aren't a good choice for watery finishes.


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## Lonsdale73 (20 Jun 2017)

ED65":22xwides said:


> And no brushes to clean, how good is that?



A sure fire winner!


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## Phil Pascoe (20 Jun 2017)

I'd have thought polyurethane is one of the most yellowing of all. :?


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## ED65 (20 Jun 2017)

Phil, do you mean at time of application or after a few years?


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## Phil Pascoe (20 Jun 2017)

Both, from what little I've used.


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## ED65 (20 Jun 2017)

Polyurethane isn't especially yellow as far as varnishes go. It would typically be one of the lighter ones; compare to spar varnish for example which is properly yellow because of its much higher proportion of oil. Poly would also tend to be lighter than your average Danish oil for the same reason.

It does discolour over time, all oil-based products do, but it wouldn't normally be the worst offender.


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## Copes (23 Jun 2017)

I've recently been using lemon oil from chestnut on ash, gives a nice Matt finish and doesn't seem to yellow, just makes the colours pop a bit more. Smells nice too!


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## AndyT (23 Jun 2017)

In my experience, water based acrylic varnish is as tough as polyurethane, easy to apply and very pale. Really not yellow at all. I've had good results with some cheap Rustin's from Toolstation and also with one from Polyvine which, confusingly, is labelled as 'wax finish varnish'.


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## Making Shavings (3 Aug 2017)

I use Manns a lot on birch ply a lot for interior stuff- good consistent results, doesn't seem too bad. Tip- do both sides, helps reduce warping over time.


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## YorkshireMartin (13 Aug 2017)

To preserve the original colour of the birch, Osmo Polyx Oil Raw (3044).

I've been using in gallons it for trade show stands and commercial cabinetry on baltic birch ply. It's colourless when applied. Been a year since the first build and no yellowing yet. It's expensive but it does a good job of protecting the wood and the trade show stands have to be able to take a fair bit of abuse.

It's applied with a lint free rag. I tend to do 3 coats. It's sanded to 240 before hand.


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## custard (14 Aug 2017)

YorkshireMartin":1ec20y6a said:


> To preserve the original colour of the birch, Osmo Polyx Oil Raw (3044).
> 
> I've been using in gallons it for trade show stands and commercial cabinetry on baltic birch ply. It's colourless when applied. Been a year since the first build and no yellowing yet. It's expensive but it does a good job of protecting the wood and the trade show stands have to be able to take a fair bit of abuse.
> 
> It's applied with a lint free rag. I tend to do 3 coats. It's sanded to 240 before hand.



I'm interested in this Martin, can you share more of your experiences with this product on birch ply. Are the items exposed to sunlight, what grade of ply are you using and does the white additive "fill in" around the ply patches, have you had any streaking, any other observations? 

Thanks


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## Beau (14 Aug 2017)

Acrylic varnish works well on birch ply if you want to keep it pale.


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## YorkshireMartin (14 Aug 2017)

custard":22323jmj said:


> YorkshireMartin":22323jmj said:
> 
> 
> > To preserve the original colour of the birch, Osmo Polyx Oil Raw (3044).
> ...



The 3044 has white pigment in it, or it appears to have. When you apply it, it's almost entirely transparent. I found I had to use reflected light just to see where I'd coated. Once dry, the only indication that we'd applied it was that the end grain was more defined, which I find pleasing on the eye.

I'm going to revise my original comment because before writing this, I've been to have a proper look. Where we'd applied white vinyl, once peeled back, there is a very slight yellowing, but its not much.

The units have mostly exposed to metal halide and other types of interior lighting, the type used at the NEC etc. They are being hit by sunlight due to where they are stored but it's not direct. Ply grade was B/BB baltic birch so pretty decent stuff but not the finest. I'd have to check the patches on a BB face to be able to answer about fill in, but cant say I noticed anything on application. I'm guessing you mean a ring of white pigment around the plugs?

Havent seen any streaking, not since the Sheila Nicholls did a cartwheel in the buff during the test match at Lords in 1989 (sorry...no not to my knowledge, none reported by end user either).

We applied about 5 litres of the stuff to one unit in several sessions. Had to get 5 people to help and set up a production line. None of them had any experience of finishing wood. We literally just ragged it on with lint free cloth, following the grain and paying special attention to end grain. 

I guess my only other observation is that it eats through latex and off gasses strongly, but thats not news to anyone who's used this type of finish before.

I'm sure you're aware, but Osmo do sampler packs of 5ml. Some places have the audacity to charge for them, but I'm pretty sure as a professional, an email to Osmo would result in a package of them by post.


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## custard (14 Aug 2017)

YorkshireMartin":zx699ans said:


> I'm guessing you mean a ring of white pigment around the plugs?



That's it exactly.

Thanks for your comments, that's appreciated. For the past couple of months I've been a subby on a yacht fit out, making shaped and curved laminations with a facing of bleached Oak, finished with Osmo white tint. I did try a couple of tests on birch ply as I was told that might be required, but so far none has been ordered. It wasn't a thorough test, but I was getting a slightly streaky "chalkiness" with the matt version (I think I was using 3186) but wasn't with the Satin version (3111). I never pursued it because the job defaulted to all bleached Oak finished with 3111, but I was interested in your opinion.


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## custard (21 Aug 2017)

I've found that birch ply test sample,







Reading from left to right,

Osmo 3186. Described as "Matt". A better description might be "intense". This is the one I found a bit chalky.

Untreated Birch Ply.

Osmo 3044. Described as "Raw Untreated Oil". In real life (as opposed to a carp phone photo) it does a fine job of preserving the underlying colour of fine grained, paler timbers, plus it delivers excellent stain protection while still remaining nice and matt. Where it falls down is UV protection, but frankly so do almost all other products outside of a professional spray shop with deep pockets.

Untreated Birch Ply.

Osmo 3111. Described as "Satin". It's not materially different in glossiness to "Matt" (like all Osmo products they're compressed into a fairly narrow "gloss to matt" spectrum), but it's less intense and not nearly as chalky. Looks great on bleached Oak!

A note of warning, these effects vary substantially on different timbers. Osmo descriptions may be a bit rubbish but their sample sachets are brilliant, so always always always run your own tests on your own timbers.


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## Chris152 (14 Sep 2017)

I've just applied a third and final coat of Osmo 3044 to a pine table top - very pleased with the finish, though the white particles in the medium affect a band of red I'd painted on the table turning it a little pink. Maybe that'll reduce with time or maybe not.

The finish I get when sanding with 320 paper between coats is great - once the final coat has dried, should I carefully sand again and then leave it, or do I just leave the final coat unsanded?

Also - Yorkshiremartin, what made you decide to apply with a lint free cloth? I just used a brush but I'd be interested to know. 

Thanks.


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## custard (14 Sep 2017)

Chris152":1vz9g5ke said:


> The finish I get when sanding with 320 paper between coats is great - once the final coat has dried, should I carefully sand again and then leave it, or do I just leave the final coat unsanded?



Unsanded. 

There shouldn't be any need to sand Osmo between coats if the surface preparation was done correctly before finishing. All you might need is some de-nibbing, but all that means is a couple of light strokes with a completely worn out sheet of 320 grit, or even the ungritted reverse side of a sanding sheet, or just get a scrunched up brown paper bag and wipe that across the surface. 

The white particles in 3044 (and 3186 and 3111) are pigments and won't fade.


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## Chris152 (14 Sep 2017)

Ok, thank you Custard.


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