I just applied the first coat of finish to a cherry table top and am not satisfied with the results. I used a mixture of equal parts mineral spirits, boiled linseed oil and spar varnish. I tested the mixture on the small runners which support the drop leaf and they looked beautiful, so I confidently proceeded to the table top. There is a little bit of splotchiness on the top which I would like to remedy. I saw an article that recommended applying a coat of wax free shellac and sanding it off and then applying a glaze to hide the splotches. Another post I read suggested sanding to only 120 grit before the next coat – I sanded to 320 which may be part of the problem. I would rather not apply the glaze. Does anyone have a experience with solving a similar problem?
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That "splotchiness" is
That "splotchiness" is chatoyance. I go out of my way to find it :)
Basically it is the way light is reflected off the figure of the wood. You could hide it or learn to love it..
Once the cherry darkens it won't be quite so prominent.
Cheers, Don
Thanks,
I love it already.
As the other poster said, it is beautiful cherry wood. Be proud of it!! Enjoy.
It's not clear if you applied the shellac before or after the Danish oil blend. In the last 12-18 months there have been articles in both FWW and PW about countering cherry's tendency to blotch, but like the others I find the look very appealing and certainly more reflective (pun intended) of the nature of cherry.
My expectation is that it would be very challenging to blend away the darker spots with selective glazing, but you might be able to reduce the difference. Keep in mind, though, that cherry will darken with time.
Next time you might try wetting the surface with naptha to preview how the wood will look with the Danish oil. Boards react differently, and blotching can occur in just one part of a board. I'm going to try this trick myself to see if it is a good indicator.
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