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
finishing birch??
Sep 13, 2005
6 Replies
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.
test on scrap
go here:
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start reading.
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
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.
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