I am finishing a mantle made of Red Oak, and am looking for recommendations on finishing techniques that can withstand a little bit of heat. Tung oil? Polyurethane? Lacquer? Any ideas would be welcome.
Thanks!
Mantle shouldn't really be getting hot at all so anything will do, I like lacquer though.
I think I would focus on the actual finish than heat concerns. If you are worried about the heat affecting the wood, then your mantle is too close to the fire.
I work in houses all the time that have latex paint, oil based paint, varnish, lacquer and varnish. No finish problems visible.
Robert
I just built and started installing a contemporary-style mantel. It is over a gas insert. With the insert running full blast, the mantel bottom and face get pretty warm, but not so warm that I can't keep my hand on it.
I finished it with wipe-on poly. No problems due to heat so far.
Finishes nor wood should be expected to hold up to heat. There is not much to prevent scorching--possibly covering with some kind of metal foil. There are code regulations about how far your mantle can be from the fireplace opening and how far out from the wall it can be. If you follow these guidelines you can use any finish.
I finished my mantel with tung oil and have had no problems at all. My mantel barely gets warm to the touch. However, my dad's unvented gas logs allow the heat to rise right up the face of the fireplace and become trapped by the mantel. The underside of his mantel gets much hotter than it ever did when he was burning wood like God intended. However, the heat still isn't enough to cause a problem with the finish. It is far more likely to cause problems with over-drying the wood, which could lead to shrinkage issues.
DonkeyHody "Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him." - Thomas Carlyle
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