I am in the process of stripping paint off 1934 knotty pine paneling and shelving in my library, and am wondering what might be the best finish to reapply to retain the natural wood finish.
Should I apply a polymerized tung oil? Or should I just rub it down with wax — beeswax or a commercial furniture wax? Or should I apply some commercial furniture finishing oil concoction? Any thoughts?
Milton Grenfell
Replies
imho: Watco Danish Oil, (to highlight the grain) then Shellac. Which Watco would depend on the effect you are trying to develop. Do you want this to look like new wood, or actually show it's age.
You might also want to post in the finishing section over on Knots.
Thanks to everyone for the input. The shellac sounds great, and its shiny finish is what one would have expected in 1934 when the house went up. However, I'm interested in a more authentic, matte finish Colonial rather than glossy Colonial Revival look. Along these lines, my inclination is to go with a recommendation I received for Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish. It is a penetrating polymerized tung oil. I've used it on oak floors and have been very well pleased -- a rich, softly lustrous, and durable finish. Sutherland Welles Ltd makes a similar product.
I've used Minewax poly/stain to match our 1950's knotty pine, with a blend of 2 different stains. You can build up the stain to give the wood some age. Some projects went very well, others just ok. Be patient experimenting and test a large section. I did some that looked good on a sample, but on the larger project, was just ok. I've heard others recommend shellac.
Milton.
The best finish is also the easiest and cheapest..It's tough and durable and surprisingly underrated..
It's shellac.. extremely easy, safe and it's what fine antiques use when they want to look great..
Oils simply have no staying power, plastic finishes like polyurethanes look like plastic unless you use satin which looks like scratched plastic..
waxs have no real staying power..
Shellac is natural biodegradeable, so easy that it's virtually mistake proof.. insanely easy to fix if damaged, You can have a six year old paint shellac and it will still wind up looking great. By the way it washes out of clothes so whatever that 6 year old spills on his clothes won't ruin them..
You've been eating shellac all of your life.. it's on most pills and a lot of candy and chocolate. It's safe!
If you somehow get a scratch on the finish you take a rag dampened with a little denatured alcohol rub back and forth say the magic words and presto chango the scratch is gone!
If 50 or 300 years from now you want to remove the shellac you soak it with denatured alcohol rub with a brillo pad and shellac is gone! No sanding ... Ever!
Shellac is hard, harder than oils, waxes, and polyurethanes. while it can be damaged it is also extremely easy to repair.. each new coat melts into the previous coats and makes a seemless repair..
I'll be glad to share exactly how to shellac if you wish..
I'm going to have to agree with Frenchy on this one, shellac will give you all the protection that you need and will bring out the beauty of the wood.
Try it on a small area and see what you think, its so easy to take off if you dont like it.
Doug