# Recommend finish?



## Kallen (Feb 17, 2010)

I am building a bunkbed/desk for my daughter. I am using mostly home Depot lumber (pine). I know little about finishes like polyurethane or lacquer.... I am not sure what to use. Right now I plan on leaving it natural colored (as in no colored stain). I was hoping someone may be able to recommend the best finish of this particular project. Thanks.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Keith

When in doubt always fall back to _schlack..._

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Kallen said:


> I am building a bunkbed/desk for my daughter. I am using mostly home Depot lumber (pine). I know little about finishes like polyurethane or lacquer.... I am not sure what to use. Right now I plan on leaving it natural colored (as in no colored stain). I was hoping someone may be able to recommend the best finish of this particular project. Thanks.


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

A nice tough finish for kids furniture is the clear polyurethane they make for floors. Minwax makes one that dries in about 4 hours. One or 2 coats would be sufficient. You can get it in either a gloss or satin finish. It will really make the pine look quite nice and it is a very durable finish and it is very easy to apply.


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## crquack (Oct 10, 2008)

Is that the wipe-on version in shiny cans like this?

Wipe-On Poly - Oil-Based Clear Protective Finishes

I am about to try it myself. I found spraying on the poly finish got a bit expensive and wasteful. Are there any hidden pitfalls?


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

The wipe on poly works very well. It's only caveat is it is very thin and often requires several coats if you are trying to get any kind of build. If you are just after a quick finish coat one or two coats is fine. 
The regular polys like this fast drying one require a couple of coats, and you need to start with a thin coat and build slowly by adding less thinner with each coat. 
The floor finishes offer the toughest most durable coats, and hence that was why I recommended them for children's furniture. Again start with a thin coat and build as you go. 
I attended one of the Minwax seminars at a wood show and learned quite a bit about their finishes, well worth the time if you get a chance. I had been having a lot of trouble with poly finishes before that, mostly because I was making the mistake of NOT thinning them before application. I didn't find that out from the Minwax fellow, it was another seminar with a very seasoned wood worker. 
I have also used the Varathane brand finishes with a lot of success as well. Minwax just offers a faster dry time for some of their products.


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## crquack (Oct 10, 2008)

I used the Varathane spray over plain pine and over stained pine and cherry. It worked just fine but half of the can ended up not on the workpiece - a common spray problem.

Do you sand between coats? The last spray I did was on a piece of plywood. Not of critical appearance, but if it were, I should have sanded after the first coat. It made the fibres stand up in places.

If I knew I would have used that floor finish...


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

I am by *NO MEANS *an expert at finishing. I just followed some helpful advice I got and it seems to work. I hate sanding. The trick I am told is to thin the varathane for a nice light even coat, wipe lightly in one direction only, do not do heavy overlaps, do not put the finish on too "thick" and *do NOT *go back and try to "correct" things. Because as the thinner evaporates (which it does quickly in oil based finishes) the drying time is shortened, it literally begins drying almost immediately. If you try to "fix" something, you are actually working with semi dry finish, and you know that's just going to mess things up. So getting a nice even coat in the first place is your primary concern, so don't try to apply the finish too heavy. If you do it thin and even you should only need to do a very light sanding between coats. I like BobJ3's advice of using a scotch bright pad and just "take the fuzz off". Then thin the second coat slightly less. A rule of thumb is 50% for the first coat, 25% for the second coat, and maybe 15-20% for additional coats. The advice I got, and it seems to work, is never to use the finish full strength. It's too thick. If you want a thick coat you will have to build it slowly. I have never put more then 3 coats on anything including a hardwood floor. I don't want things to look like they were dipped in plastic. If I want high gloss I use a high gloss finish. But I tend to like the look of the satin finish on most wood. 
Water based finishes will dry a little slower, but still going back to try to "fix" things when the finish is wet is a no no. Wait till it's completely dry, sand to fix if you have to. 
I tried the spray finish in the can and didn't care for it. The sprayer malfunctioned before the can was half empty. I do have a HVLP sprayer and I intend to experiment with it this summer. It has to be an outdoor thing as I have no exhaust system in the garage. 
There have been a couple of good books on finishing that have been highly recommended on this forum. Taunton's The Complete Illustrated Guide to Finishing, and there is also a video series Finishing A to Z by Charles Neil.


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## Kallen (Feb 17, 2010)

I hadn't considered using a floor finish... Nor in my research have I seen mentioned about mixing.

i HATE oil based products in general, and one of the item i was looking at was the Miniwax water based poly... would I still want to thin that in the same manor?

As for schlac..., I'll looking more into that.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Shellac doesn't have the reputation for being very *tough*, but it's certainly safe around children... it's the typical finish for cribs... and use to coat certain medicines for children to keep the flavor "locked in".

Poly is very tough but I don't know how great it'd be if a child ate it.. though it's considered safe on cutting boards (once fully dried), so....

You can make your own "wiping varnish" by diluting oil-based polyurethane 50/50 with mineral spirits. Many of the experts recommend doing just that and I've used it with great success. I've also read (but not being an expert, this is second-hand) that commercial "wiping varnish" isn't really a varnish but I hope Jerry Mayfield will see this and pop in to clarify the topic. He's a resident finish guru..


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Yes you can thin the water based poly, with water of course. Use distilled water as tap water contains contaminents.


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## jerrymayfield (Sep 25, 2004)

Most,if not all, of the generally available wiping varnishes are alkd resin(with a small amount of one part polyurethane resin) mineral spirits and metallic dryers. You may be thinking of "Danish Oil" -oil-varnish mix.

Regards

Jerry


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## jerrymayfield (Sep 25, 2004)

Kallen said:


> I hadn't considered using a floor finish... Nor in my research have I seen mentioned about mixing.
> 
> i HATE oil based products in general, and one of the item i was looking at was the Miniwax water based poly... would I still want to thin that in the same manor?
> 
> As for schlac..., I'll looking more into that.


 Min-wax "water based poly" is not water based, it is an acrylic with water as the carrier. All of the experts I have talked to state you should follow the makers recommendations about thinning-Don't. I personally have thinned the product with about 5% water without any problems. Maybe I was lucky. Also I much prefer oil based non polyurethane varnish.

Regards
Jerry


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## crquack (Oct 10, 2008)

> There have been a couple of good books on finishing that have been highly recommended on this forum. Taunton's The Complete Illustrated Guide to Finishing, and there is also a video series Finishing A to Z by Charles Neil


I use Flexner, however, although his treatment of the subject is very full, he is the first to admit that applying the information in practice can be very difficult. Often one does not know what is in the can that one bought. He gives some hints what to look for but frequently it turns into a kind of black magic.

Thus *specific* recommendations concerning *specific* products are like gold dust. Also the books are frequently out of date and it is hard to relate new products to the book info. Finally, the books are often country-specific. Just look at the fun we are having thinning shellac!


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