Tung Oil finishing.. ? (1 Viewer)

[Dan_D]

hey all,
I have my tempest enclosure finished and im now thinking about how to finish it. Its covered in oak veneer and has stain grade quarter round edging (non oak). Unfortunately there are a few glue stains so i dont think i can stain it as i originally planned. Im thinking that a tung oil finish might do the trick, but ive never used it before. Should i use a stain pretreater on the wood first? Its my understanding that the more coats you apply, the glossier it gets, is this correct?
Any tips or advice or other ideas would be great.
thanks,
DAN
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[Julian Data]

Hi Dan!
Do you plan to change the color of the wood or would like to preserve the "natural" look?
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[Dan_D]

well im not sure. do you think its possible to change it w/o seeing the glue stains?
Since the edges will be lighter than the oak, i thought about staining the edges just natural, and the oak somewhat dark redish. I go to NCSU (red and white) har har. might look nice too.
but if itll turn out best just being natural, i can live with that too.
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[Steve B]

The glue has filled the pores and will prevent stain from penetrating wherever there is excess. In general, you should let excess beads of glue dry and then scrape them off instead of wiping while it is wet. For a big spill, you can wipe with a wet cloth, but you will probably get uneven staining. Go for the natural color if the deed is done.
Why Tung Oil? It is a pretty finish, but difficult to maintain and not very durable. The synthetic finishes beat naturally ones in almost every way for wood that is not in itself artwork or designed to match antiques. With Tung Oil, the first friend that puts a drink on your speaker will ruin it.

 

[Dan_D]

ah, this i didnt know. durability is definately important in a college apartment

.
what do you suggest? just like that wipe-on polyurathane finish? give me more details if ya would
thanks
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[Jim Robbins]

Tung oil will darken the finish and as mentioned, is not very water resistant. Waterbased clear finishes will also deepen the color. I think a lacquer finish will least darken the wood. You might try a oil based poly finish also.

 

[Pete Mazz]

Polyurethane is the easiest durable finish. BTW, you can wipe on any poly. Don't pay more for the labeled version.
Pete
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[Dan_D]

ok cool. should i use any pretreatment? what grit paper should i sand down to? then just rub it on w/ a cloth and repeat?
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[Pete Mazz]

Sand lightly with 220 grit. Tack off any dust. You can use the poly straight up or thin the first coat if you want. Lighter coats vs heavier. If you need to, sand very lightly between coats. Two or three will seal, after that it's up to you how much build you want to achieve.
Pete
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