Finish vs. wax on pine furniture

[Blake Patterson]

I took everyone's advice from a previous thread and got the right blade for my skil saw and managed to put together this small, angled monitor hutch for a computer setup here at the house, made out of pine. Thanks to all.

The desk upon which it sits is a very white wood (birch, I believe - or beech - not 100% sure) - slightly whiter than the pine. I intend/intended to apply poly finish to the little hutch (no stain) and put it to use, but it occurrs to me that the stain will "yellow" the wood a bit such that it matches the desk less. Currently, unfinished, it's a pretty close match.

Would using bowling alley wax _instead_ of finish result in a finished product that's closer in color to the white wood of the desk? What are the negatives of using b.a. wax insteead of finish? Typically, anything I've built and finished, I've applied (after the finish) a nice layer of b.a. wax to complete the job, per habit of my father with whome I was introduced to woodworking.

Thanks.

bp

[m Ransley]

Wax darkens alot Acrylic finishes do not.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Use a water based polyurethane and it won't darken like the oil based. I'm not sure what the wax will do, but I think you will still get some darkening.

[Blake Patterson]

Great! Will grab some acrylic poly. It comes in both spray and can form - which will give me a smoother finish? This is just a little riser hutch to set on my desk to raise my computer monitor - so I can manipulate it easily.

Tnx in advance.

bp

[m Ransley]

Smoothness of finish will depent on how many coats you put on and your sanding between coats, finish with spray coat but build and sand with brush coats .

[Matt]

When I was a kid, there was this guy, named Don Ray, I think. And his commercials for SOLID PINE FURNITURE WITH GENUINE HERCULON FABRIC! would come on starting at about 10 pm until 5 am. Thing was, his commercials were always 10 times louder than everybody elses' (Even Boots Williams and his damn Ford trucks). I don't know what 'Herculon' is (I suspect it's probably something like 'corinthian' leather) - but I do know Don went out of business. I guess the market for pine furniture with HERCULON! dried up or something.

[Blake Patterson]

Sanding between acrylic poly coats will not cloud it? I was picturing

2-3 coats. What grit sandpaper would you recommend for this sanding? I assume last coat is not sanded?

If you were going to only use spray or only use brush-on acrylic poly - which would you use?

Tnx

bp

[Edwin Pawlowski]

It will look clouded, but the next coat clears it up. I use 220 grit between coats, usually 3 coats total. The last one can be steel wooled with XXXX grade if you want.

[m Ransley]

Use Gloss for the first coats, what they put in to make satin makes finishes not as clear. You need to build coats, the first 2 dont realy seal the grain to be sanded much, they absorb. It depends on how nice you want it ypu can put on 7 coats. if you do more than 3 use 320 or

400grit. If you want gloss use it for final coat to. There are alot of ways to finish wood. Read the label, go to a real Paint store.

[Anthony Diodati]

Wax alone is not a good finish, and will do little or nothing to protect the wood from picking up moisture. Tony