# red oak and varnish



## bobshere (Jan 12, 2011)

Can someone tell me if you can varnish red oak to keeps it natural looks or do you need to stain first?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Hello Robert, welcome to the community...

Yep, you can use a varnish on red oak. Its a good idea to use a "sealer" prior to applying your varnish. Oak is very porous making achieving a smooth finish somewhat difficult (not impossible) without a sealer/filler. I've managed excellent results using a "NO" wax shellac as a sealer. No matter what you use, the oak will "darken" up a shade or two, so grab a couple pieces of scrap and experiment first.. If you have the means, I'd suggest you try a couple different types of varnish, Boiled Linseed Oil, wipe on poly to name a couple just to see how they look. Most Oils (BLO, Tung, Danish etc.) the differences are very subtle giving a 'warmth" to the wood. The wipe on poly's have become very popular and give you a very durable finish.

HTH..

Bill


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## tdublyou (Jan 8, 2010)

Robert,
Bill is right about the sealer/filler and that the oil based polys will darken the wood some. Water bourne polys on the other hand will not really alter the color much at all.


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## walowan (Jan 21, 2011)

Nomatter what finish you use the oak will darken over time anyway....


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