We decided to make a floating wood shelf for a vessel sink in the bathroom, bought some 1.5″ thick mahogany (Honduran, I think) and my husband decided to finish it with tounge oil. Big mistake. This brought out a mottled appearance and drew attention to black streaks in the wood. It looked so bad we’ve been sanding it trying to get back to plain wood. The oil is still seeping through but I think we can get past it except for a few small freckles.
Any suggestions on what to use to finish the mahogany and leave it close to the natural color? We’ve considered wax or water based polyurethane.
Replies
Wax will watermark very easily .I suggest would go with a poly (easy to apply)You might consider oil based poly though it does yellow a bit(do a test )especially if there is residual oil left in the wood.Waterbase does not like uncured oil finishes and can give adhesion problems.With waterbase a washcoat of DEWAXED shellac as a sealer/barrier then poly might be a way round any residual.Always test your finish techniques first as you are probably well aware now
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled