Hi,
I'm building my first project, a cherry bookcase. I'm thinking ahead to the finish, but I know very little about the realities of the different types. I've done a few searches here but haven't been able to find exactly what I'm looking for.
I really like natural-feeling finishes, which I'm guessing are typically oil. And I like golden to reddish colours. What kind of finish would leave me with a natural wood look and feel (I don't really want the slick kind of surface that shellac gives, for example)? If I used an oil finish, is there any danger it would bleed out and into the books on the shelves? how would an oil finish hold up over time and how would it need to be maintained?
Also, is it possible to over-oil wood? I've got a small piece, which I think might be walnut, which had been bleached from sitting on a windowsill for a few years. I've applied a few coats of Colron Teak Oil and it's given the wood a really gorgeous golden colour while brining the grain back beautifully. And I must have about 8 coats on it so far and the wood just keeps taking it. I guess I'm waiting for it to say "enough!" and not absorb any more.
Cheers
I'm building my first project, a cherry bookcase. I'm thinking ahead to the finish, but I know very little about the realities of the different types. I've done a few searches here but haven't been able to find exactly what I'm looking for.
I really like natural-feeling finishes, which I'm guessing are typically oil. And I like golden to reddish colours. What kind of finish would leave me with a natural wood look and feel (I don't really want the slick kind of surface that shellac gives, for example)? If I used an oil finish, is there any danger it would bleed out and into the books on the shelves? how would an oil finish hold up over time and how would it need to be maintained?
Also, is it possible to over-oil wood? I've got a small piece, which I think might be walnut, which had been bleached from sitting on a windowsill for a few years. I've applied a few coats of Colron Teak Oil and it's given the wood a really gorgeous golden colour while brining the grain back beautifully. And I must have about 8 coats on it so far and the wood just keeps taking it. I guess I'm waiting for it to say "enough!" and not absorb any more.
Cheers
