When I call myself a novice I mean this is my first project…
I have built my daughter a built-in bed with drawers beneath and bookshelves at the head and foot of the bed. It looks good. I used ash for all the finish work on the bed (everything visible) and now I need to know what to do with it. Because it is a kids room I expect the bed to see a lot of wear and tear, and I am thinking the wood should at least be poly-urethaned. (I have a can of it that I used on the cedar panelling in the living room) but I am wondering if there is a better way to make the wood washable, durable, and look good.
Your ideas are appreciated.
DAGWOOD
Replies
A good poly will be durable enough. Ash is a very durable wood. They use it to make wooden baseball bats.
Thanks! Are tehre any special instructions about thinning for first coat or anything? I haven't made furniture before and I don't want this to come out ugly. If I should thin, what would I thin with (I'm guessing varsol)?
Thanks again,
DAGWOODView Image
Mr. Bumstead
Thin with Mineral Spirits
Derek
DagwoodBumstead,
Greenish poly on greenish ash? Yeech!
Alan
dag,
I've used Waterlox on ash several times. It gives me a nice hand rubbed finish after about 5-6 coats...and is very durable. I litterally use my hands to apply and rub in well...very light sanding between coats (if necessary). The poly is easier but I like the rich look of the ash with the Waterlox
Novices often over do finishing. Experimenting should be done on something other than a completed piece of hard work. Buy fresh materials. Keep it simple and follow the manufacturers instructions. I do lots of trim and casework that is finished, sometimes to my dismay, by others. One relatively foolproof method I recommend is Zip-Guard satin oil base poly. Apply two light coats. Sand with 220, apply third coat. Sand with 400, buff with 0000 steel wool and apply a coat of paste furniture wax. It will look and last great.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
As you can see you will get as many different suggestions as you do people that reply. I work alot with ash. Are you going to stain or color it at all or do you just want to apply a topcoat ? Do you want to keep the ash as clear (light) as possible ? Do you care if the finish yellows somewhat with age ? Ash is a very underused and underated wood in my opinion. Is is inexpensive, cuts and machines well and finishes well. It's also very durable. I don't feel that thinking a finishing process through is complicating the job. You just need to know what you are trying to achieve. I can build most things in my shop quite easily. However I tell folks it's only one third of the project. Nice work can be ruined with a botched finish job. Sanding and finishing aren't most peoples favorite parts of the project but I think they are the largest and the most important. Let me know if I can help.
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