finishing birch??

[LYLE MOYER]

Need advice on finishing a birch cabinet. I would like it dark. Any suggestions. How about Watco oil? I understand that is easy to apply. Will it show splochy on birch?

Thanks Lyle

[bridger]

test on scrap and see.

birch is infamous for blotch, so the odds are against it working well without using a conditioner first. if you want to really be sure, the sequence will be something like: sealer sand sealer glaze topcoat sand topcoat.

[LYLE MOYER]

[bridger]

test on scrap

go here:

start reading.

[Andy]

It's not dark, I finished some baltic birch ply with straight Polyurethane gel varnish. It looks great - the poly kind of gives the wood some 3D texture and a nice warmth. If you want dark next time, try starting with walnut or stained oak. I've read that gel stains reduce blotchiness, but I haven't used them on anything other than oak. Good luck, Andy

[lgb]

I've had good luck applying Watco natural to birch by wiping the piece with mineral spirits before each coat. But I don't know how that would work with a pigmented Wato.

[JGS]