I am getting ready to build a cherry medicine cabinet for a bathroom redo. In looking for a water-resistant finish that also won’t make the wood look plastic, I came across Roland Johnson’s article “Hot-Rod Your Varnish” in the May/June 2008 issue. His recipe seems to fit the bill.
In the article, however, it is unclear to me if it is necessary to wipe off the coats after the first flood coat, or just let them dry after wiping on. Can anyone offer guidance?
Also, if there are other suggestions for a suitable finish, I would appreciate hearing your ideas.
Thank you!
Replies
There was a long thread on the Hot Rod Varnish shortly after the article appeared. It begins at 41228.1 At the end of the day, it is still an oil/varnish mix, and as such would be relatively soft if allowed to dry on the surface. Consequently, it won't work well if you don't wipe off all the excess.
I would stick with a wiping varnish. Any wiping varnish will be more water resistent than this mixture. You can avoid the plastic look by doing two things. First, don't get the film very thick. A thin varnish film won't provide as much water resistence as a thick one, but more than an oil/varnish mix. Secondly, you can avoid using a polyurethane varnish, which gets plastic looking with a thinner film than with varnishes using alkyd or phenolic resins.
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