I built a tall, hanging cabinet for my bathroom using beech as the frame, door, and door panel. The carcass is made from birch ply.
Because it’s in the bathroom, and not yet finished with a stain or topcoat, I have some concerns about moisture causing the wood to react. I’d like to apply a light stain to it, just to bring out some more of the red coloring, but my real question is about the topcoat.
What’s the best choice for finishing the frame and door to help reduce moisture problems?
Thanks for the help…
Replies
I would think about a wiping varnish, such as Waterlox original/sealer, or one you have made your self by thinning any good varnish 30 - 50% with mineral spirits.
Be sure you test your proposed stain and finish combination on a good size sample of the beech to see whether it looks the way you want.
For the cabinet interiors, either shellac or a waterborne finish would avoid problems with the oil based solvent and resin odors that can lilnger in closed spaces.
I've wiped on some thinned varnish before and found it pretty easy to cover, but upon drying, I see swirls in the surface finish where gloss changes to semi and so on. On a project this size, where smaller parts are getting wiped, I don't think it'll be an issue.I read about the benefits of shellac for drawer interiors, leaving no odor, so you're right. That's the way to go.The only thing I'm not going to do is stain the birch ply box to match the frame's color. Contrast is okay here, and that would be a lot of work.Thanks again...
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled