Best finish for walnut cabinets?

[jackfish]

What is the best finish for my beautiful A4 cabinets?

[Doug G.]

If you don't mind reapplying every once in a while, just use lemon oil.

For a more permanent finish that leaves an "oiled" look, use a tung oil finish. Just don't put too many coats on or it will look varnished which, in itself, isn't bad but different from the original finish.

I, myself, love the look of the tung oil finish and it's extremely easy to apply. Just rub it in with a cloth like stain.

Doug

[Guest russwollman]

Another choice, one I've used, is WATCO danish oil finish, which is available in various wood colors or natural. I used medium walnut. It's not a surface coating like varnishes or polyurethanes, and imparts a subtle sheen to the wood. WATCO also offers a finishing wax, which can be applied with #400 or #600 sandpaper after the oil has dried, to provide additional sheen and a very smooth surface.

These oil finishes do not provide the surface protection from liquids which oil-based coatings do provide. But the look is smoother to the hand and to the eye. If you decide later on that you want to coat an oil-finished surface, it's no big deal. All you have to do is remove the wax—if wax was applied—and sand the surface a bit. But if you apply a surface coating and you don't like it, you have to remove it chemically or sand heavily again.

There is one oil-base polyurethane which I like much better than Minwax or Olympic, the typical mass market stuff. ZAR is the brand, and their satin variety gives very nice results, especially when used with a foam brush rather than a bristle brush. ZAR levels nicely and dries quickly.

Water-based finishes are all right, never as smooth or durable as oil-based polyurethanes, but the odor is low and clean-up is easy.

Another choice is a urethane product from Cabot, called Cabothane. It's several times more expensive than anything else and is primarily for exterior architectural applications. I have not used it on wood but have coated exterior brass with it using a foam brush. It gives a high gloss and is pretty tough stuff. It's white in the can and dries clear. It is NOT polyurethane, but urethane. When it's dry it's like a sheet of clear plastic.

I have heard of some finishers using lacquer but I have no experience with it at all. Lacquer, I think, can be smoothed between coats, and in skilled hands, it probably yields the best results.

Before applying any finish, sand the surface with fine paper such as #400, proceeding with the grain of the wood. Then remove all the dust with a tack cloth or a cloth moistened with turpentine.

Remember that the veneer is thin, and if you're not careful, you can sand through it if you use too coarse a grade of sandpaper, like #150. Stick with #400 or #600 especially if the surface does not require heavy sanding to remove scars and marks.

There's a plethora of advice on this subject and all kinds of opinions. If you have time and are short on experience, experiment a bit with foam vs bristle brushes and the various products available—or ask someone who works at a good lumber yard and has done the work. There are still a few people out there who have the experience and knowledge.

You'll have something very nice when you're done, so take your time. ;-) I'll be happy to help you more if you need it.

Here's a nice overview on finishing wood: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00060.asp

[dynaco_dan]

Hi Russ;

Excellent advice as always, thank you.

[johnieo]

That is a classic description of some of the well-known types of finishes, and well written.

To this we add two comments:

One, from an woodworker friend of mine: "FFF" -- Finish Firewood First! It is really handy to save scraps of the kind of wood on which you are working, but don't trash a cabinet to get them :-)

The second is the website of another well-known woodworker Sal Marino:

http://members.aol.com/woodinfo1/salpage.htm

See the second link in the listing "supersmooth finish"

Here he describes how to use Watco Walnut Danish Oil stain with 320-grit (not finer) wet-or-dry paper on walnut to achieve a really smooth finish with the same satin sheen. He gives step-by-step directions at the end; what is important is the use of 320 grit paper to generate sawdust that, when mixed with the oil stain, fills the pores of walnut (or oak). Good reading.

[dynaco_dan]

Thank you, John.

[Guest russwollman]

Thanks very much, John. I'm always ready for more knowldege, and I'll proceed right to the link you posted.

I knew there was at least one trick I didn't know ;-)

[Guest bru]

>Thanks very much, John. I'm always ready for more knowldege,

>and I'll proceed right to the link you posted.

>

>I knew there was at least one trick I didn't know ;-)

wish I seen this before I used what I used. although what I did use made the speakers look 100% better. I used a old english for light wood liquid polish. rubbed in and boy what a difference! they looked dried out, scratched and had some light water stains. cant even tell there were water stains now. didnt seem to change the color and the bottle says it should not that it only polishes and covers/attacks scratches.

[Guest russwollman]

Looks like you did all right, bru. From here, they look very nice.

And now that they're done, you can relax and enjoy the music. I am an unrelenting perfectionist, but slowly, very slowly, I'm learning to relax and do things very well instead of agonizingly well—at least sometimes, like every other Sunday at noon.

One thing to bear in mind is this: once you have made something, the process of disintegration begins, and entropy takes hold ;-)

[Guest bru]

>Looks like you did all right, bru. From here, they look very

>nice.

>

>And now that they're done, you can relax and enjoy the music.

>I am an unrelenting perfectionist, but slowly, very slowly,

>I'm learning to relax and do things very well instead of

>agonizingly well—at least sometimes, like every other Sunday

>at noon.

>

>One thing to bear in mind is this: once you have made

>something, the process of disintegration begins, and entropy

>takes hold ;-)

lol.... ya I tend to be the kind to do it beyond what needs to be done. Thanks! I wanted to sand them down but then figured it wasnt a good idea and a friend said keeping them original would be good and I did think that too. so I tried this first.

wish I didnt delete the pics but man did they look pretty ugly and bad. amazing what a little wood cleaner and old english can do. they literally looked dryied out, stained and scratched. really worn. now look at them. they look even better in person.

[dynaco_dan]

Hi there;

I've read each write-up and there is some excellent advice, as always, from all of you.

I will add one more speaker finishing option to the list.

Acoustic Research, used an oil type finish, on their assorted, wood veneered, classic speakers.

A writer wrote about contacting a source for that OEM original factory finish, but, if I remember correctly, it was difficult to buy in small quantities.

A year or so ago, I downloaded a copy of the original, Acoustic Research, single page one sided instruction sheet.

It was just for speaker re-finishing, for all of their AR classic speakers, with different veneer types, there must have been 6 or more.

There is no reason on earth, that any brand of speaker, with real wood veneer, cannot have this same finish.

The instruction are quite simple and clear, but, excessive sanding will go through the veneers.

The only CAUTION that I will mention, is, this technique uses boiled linseed oil.

Care MUST be used, when using rags, they can become a source of natural combustion and must be properly and safely disposed of, after using.

I would check the net, for safety issues, including, if there is any combustible, respiratory, skin alergy or ventilation issues, prior to buying any.

I hope this is of value to all members.

[Guest gkentsmith]

Hi,

If you still need some of that AR oil in small quantities, you might contact Larry Legace who is a former AR shop owner and has supplied me with most of what I need (including finishing liquids) for my AR9 project. You can email him at larrylegac AT aol DOT com. Be sure to tell him I referred you - sadly, we've done a lot of business getting these AR9s resurected.

Kent

[Horswispr]

These look great. In general, I agree that lemon oil or orange oil hides scratches and brings out the grain without making things too shiny...my goal is to make things look pretty much what a brand new pair would have looked like in the early 70s.