Finishing pippy oak to make it look spectacular

[Steve Maskery]

I'm knowledgeable about a few things but Finishing isn't one of my fortés.

Last year I made a wardrobe out of oak-flavoured MDF and finished it with hard-wax oil. I'm generaly pleased with it. It's OK. OK.

I'm currently making a dining table. The top is pippy oak. It is quite coarse, needs quite a lot of fissure-filling, but I think it will be worth it.

I want it to look its best. I do have a spray gun, but not a booth. I like the ease of a hardwax oil. But the colour is, well, meh.

I am inclined to use Boiled Linseed Oil at first, then finish with Treetex HWO or similar. I like the colour that BLO imparts. Is this a good avenue to follow? If you have any advice from experience, I'd be all-ears-eagre. I want a finish that doesn't look Elizabethan. Or even Victorian, for that matter. Just mellow, not raw oak shined up a bit.

Any advice gratefully received.

 

[marcros]

I personally like the Rubio Monocoat system, but I like a matt, natural looking finish so it may not be to your taste. There is loads of stuff on YouTube though so you should be able to appraise it fairly well.

it couldn't be quicker or easier to apply though, another plus in my pov.

 

[Ollie78]

I love osmo satin on pippy oak, its mellow and doesn`t darken it much. With Osmo I find that applying it with a webrax pad really helps.
What about blonde shellac, its labour intensive but a good shellac finish is an unbeatable sheen.
Or sanding sealer and paste wax, easy and smells nice.

Ollie

 

[Droogs]

steve try this stuff, wipe on and buff with a car polisher to the shine level you want

https://www.amazon.co.uk/General-Finishes-SBQT-Salad-Finish/dp/B001DSXD7A

 

[johnnyb]

hi Steve if you could describe more closely what you would like the finish to look like we may be able to pin it down a bit more for you. blo is a lovely finish but not durable enough for a table top tbh. mouseman furniture simply uses ronseal varnish and wax on the legs...simpleez.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Droogs - Sorry, I didn't reply to you. Well, I did, actually, but I obviously forgot to press the Submit button. Apologies and thank you. I do like General, but I think the product you link to is out of stock.S

 

[Steve Maskery]

Johnny
I don't know, really. I just want to look at it and think WOW!. And hopefully others will, too.
I like the colour of BLO and have so far given it one coat. I've discovered that I haven't filled the pippy voids as well as I thought I had, so there is a bit of rememdial epoxy work to do, but it is looking good. I've even been able to even out the colour levels of the lighter patches with a bit of tint. I'm pleased so far. But it is flat matt and I want a bit of a sheen. Not high gloss, of course, but a mellow shine. Spraying isn't really an option, unfortunately.
I've bought some Osmo Satin and I hope that another coat of BLO followed by 2 or 3 coats of Osmo, buffed up will do the job.
What would you do?

 

[Droogs]

If you can put up with the faff of using it then you could consider this stuff


you can get it from easy composites.

 

[Droogs]

you could try this stuff if you can put up with the faff



you get it at easy composites they call it water clear

 

[Steve Maskery]

Does it need two coats?
Thank you.

 

[Droogs]

Generally when I've done this kind of finish on games console boxes, no 1 has been enough. The trick is not mixing and putting too much on when you do a pour. The other secret is being scrupulous about dust and breezes when you do it. I usually make a little poly tent to keep any dust off while it cures.
I wait 48hrs min before giving it a buff with autosol or polish

hth

 

[recipio]

I've made a few dining tables . mainly out of American Cherry. Every finish looks good initially but the question is how long will it last ? Horror of horrors I've gone back to using polyurethane.
It is a tough finish and pretty well resistant to everything. The trick is however to buy a good varnish brush - they are about £10 from good paint shops and the difference in the finish compared to a cheap Chinese brush is amazing. Poly will stink the house out and should be applied in a dust free environment but its still an option for us DIYers.