Replies

1. 
   _mj_ | Jan 19, 2020 10:35pm | #1

   Tell us more...what kind of wood? Is there a finish on it now? What kind of look do you want?

   Tha answer to your question as is would be: Scuff-sand it, prime it, and brush on 2 coats of paint.

   If the free bookcase is not precious and you don't create heavy weather patterns in your bathroom with hour-long hot showers...just put it in place, it will probably be fine.

2. 
   510oak | Jan 19, 2020 11:02pm | #2

   Thanks so much for the reply! I tried to add a photo but it didn't come through. I'm trying it again. I don't know anything about the type of wood unfortunately. I know it was made in Malaysia. It looks like there's a dark finish on it now. I like the way it looks now and I want to keep the natural wood look. I don't want it painted a color. I was wondering it a coat of polyurethane would be appropriate?

   
3. 
   john_c2 | Jan 20, 2020 05:34am | #3

   Try it as-is. The only thing you reall ought to do is get the base away from contact with the floor, so it won't wick any moisture up. Even if It's an eighth of an inch, it will help.

4. 
   RJT | Jan 20, 2020 11:19pm | #4

   Spray urethane

5. 
   mikaol | May 11, 2020 10:16am | #5

   Hey,
   I'd sand and oil it. Any good penetrating oil will do. It'll protect the wood from the inside and won't chip, peel or fade. But I'm partial to oil, it's the only finish I use. I've never gotten complaints from customers.
   On the other hand, urethane makes a good top coat whether you spray or brush it on.
   Good luck,
   Mikaol

6. 
   mrossk | May 11, 2020 10:55am | #6

   urethane is more resistant to water than a wipe on oil finish. That said, as long as you're not showering with the bookshelf, a number of coats of just about anything will help.

7. 
   geedubbee | May 11, 2020 11:18am | #7

   To keep it simple and fairly quick, add some 1/8" or so nail in plastic feet to get it off the floor and provide a little air flow. they to keep the original look spray it with some rattle-can polyurethane.

   I don't normally recommend either of these things but, given what you are after I will forgo a total refinishing recommendation. The poly will come in a variety of gloss levels; gloss, semi-gloss, satin, flat. You can judge the current gloss level and select one that is similar so as not to change the look much.

   P.s. To protect against splitting drill a pilot hole just a bit shorter than the nails before driving in the plastic feet.

   
8. 
   lat_axe | May 22, 2020 03:11am | #8

   Oil finishes vary a great deal. None of them "penetrate" except perhaps a little bit up any exposed end grain. They form a skin of one kind or another.

   Some of these skins are not very resilient to water and other liquids. Those oils are generally made to produce a fine sheen rather than any significant protection. Liberon Finishing Oil is an example.

   Some other oil-based finishes have additives and formulas that do make them very resistant to water damage. A good example is Osmo top-oil, used for wooden kitchen worktops where it's very effective unless badly scratched or rubbed through to the wood.

   If that bookshelf is raised off the floor and is subject only to light doses of humidity now and then, it may be fine as it is. If it's going to get splashed or subjected to prolonged and heavy humidity which might induce some form of dew to precipitate out on it, you may need a tougher finish. That would mean stripping the old finish off back to the bare wood ........... The existing finish might be tough enough, though. Try it and see before having-at it with stripping or putting on something that might react badly with what's already there.

   Depending on how it's been constructed, putting it somewhere that's much more humid than the rest of the house might give you some damaging effects from differential movement of the parts it's made from, as the wood cells absorb some moisture and swell a bit. If it's heavily glued at endgrain to long grain joins, it might crack somewhere.

   Lataxe