Oak finishing

[paul]

Hi I have built some oak kitchen cabinets and am trying to finish the doors, the problem I seem to be having is keeping the wood as light as possible , I have tried Linseed oil , danish oil and finishing oil but they all darken the wood too much . I appreciate that any oil will darken the wood and I am trying to avoid a water based product, I have also tried sanding sealer and shellac white knotting . Is there a product or method which will keep the wood as light as poss and highlight the grain ?

many thanks in advance

Paul

[Andy]

What about neutral wax?

Andy.

[The Natural Philosopher]

paul wrote: .

The two are almost incompatible.

The lightest covering I have found is a matte acrylic varnish like Ronseal clear etc etc.

But it does bugger all to develop the grain.

You best bet is to get some scrap pieces and try a few wipes with the lighter Colron wood stains..with luck a clean up with acetone will lift it mostly off the hard wood and leave it in the porous rings. Then use a clear acrylic.

[George]

Wax them with opague polish or beeswax.

[Andy Dingley]

Using beech or maple instead of oak.

Finish it with wax over oil. I'd suggest Liberon's off-the-shelf blend of both - the "Neutral" wax is lighter than the "Clear" and their tung oil blends won't yellow in 6 months like linseed will. Of course you'll get some darkening, but no more than anything else. There are sprayed water-based lacquers that are lighter, but it's really not worth chasing it.

Oak just isn't a pale timber, especially not when it ages. Don't use oak if you don't want it oak coloured.

[Dave Fawthrop]

|Hi I have built some oak kitchen cabinets and am trying to finish the |doors, the problem I seem to be having is keeping the wood as light as |possible , I have tried Linseed oil , danish oil and finishing oil but |they all darken the wood too much . I appreciate that any oil will |darken the wood and I am trying to avoid a water based product, I have |also tried sanding sealer and shellac white knotting . |Is there a product or method which will keep the wood as light as poss |and highlight the grain ?

French polish?

Takes forever but looks fabulous when done. The kits mentioned are not necessary.

[Thomas Prufer]

"Limed oak" -- a finish in which a paste of lime (or chalk?) and wax is applied liberally, and then everything but the stuff in the pores is taken off with a scrubber.

A bit unusual, and not to everyone's taste, but highlights the grain and is light!

Thomas Prufer

[Stuart Noble]

Oak tends to "darken" whatever you put on it. Even if you just wipe it with white spirit, it changes the appearance because light reflects off it in a different way. That said, a lot of "clear" finishes aren't clear at all. If you want transparency, the Rustins 2 part finishes are pretty good but IMO they highlight the grain a little too much. What most people want is a mellow, natural look that is also hard wearing, and for that you have to consider lightening the wood itself.

2 part wood bleaches work well on oak but, as peroxide is the main ingredient, maybe they've been banned. How thick can a terrorist get, buying gallons of 1% strength from a hairdressing wholesaler?

[paul]

Thanks for so many replies, the problem with a wax finish is steam will bloom the wax white , acylics do nothing to enhance the grain , I have tried a sort of limed wash by applying sanding sealer and a diluted wash wipped off , this tonned down quite well but when I oiled or varnished over the wood looked quite flat, I have thought about an oxcilic acid wash but for the moment I think I will try a drop of undercoat in some oil finishes ,I have had oak floors and bits of furniture before , the problem here is the cabinets are untreated and have been in place for awhile and when I oiled a couple of doors they seemed very dark and in your face !

thanks for replies Paul