For those who work with wood.

[Skiuseme]

I have finished making a stand for my fish tank at home and have a few questions on finishing it. I have been told that in order to make the grain of the wood really stand out it is suggested to make 2 layers of high gloss poly as your first coats and finish with what ever grade you would like. I have finished a few things by myself before but nothing quite like this. Just wanting to know your opinions on this matter.


PS Hickory is some heavy sh!t



Thanks
Adam

 

[JB]

Re: For those who work with wood.

If you want to enhance the grain in hardwood use a stain before any finish. I haven't use hickory (because it is so hard) but a walnut stain should turn on the grain.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: For those who work with wood.

How about 'pop the grain"...

hXXp://e0.video.blip.tv/1930001011871/TheWoodWhisperer-episode32181.mp4

 

[eaglejim]

Re: For those who work with wood.

Take a sample or scrap piece of the wood and wet with a cloth let it dry then you can use the poly or a stain,if you use stain you will have to poly over at least 2 coats with sanding between.If you use poly thin 1st coat 10% sand between coats use 2nd coat full strenth.Reason for wetting is it will make the grain pop,reason for the scrap piece is the wood will take darker with just the poly after it has been wet if it is not dark enough use some stain but first try it out on the scrap wood. Jim (the painter)

 

[Skiuseme]

Re: For those who work with wood.

Here are some pictures of the stand.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: For those who work with wood.

Wow. That looks great. Did you build a small shelf inside to hold your power strip and air pump (if you use one). I have always found that putting in a small shelf dedicated to those things keeps thing neat in the storage area.

 

[newbie4life]

Re: For those who work with wood.

Looks good ski!

I've been building cabinets for quite a few years now, and hickory is a wood that looks sharp no matter what -- but I've found most people like a cherry finish on the hickory. It really makes the calico of hickory stand out.

As for polyurethane, I'm not a huge fan of any of them. If I had to choose, I'd use a good sanding sealer, then a couple of coats of satin polyurethane (sheen is a personal preference, but if you put on 2 or more coats, especially with a sanding sealer underneath, it usually moves up a sheen level.... ) I put three coats of semi-gloss on my handrail 8 years ago when I built my house, and the handrail is wayyyyy too shiny for my taste.

I use a pre-catalyzed lacquer on my cabinet work.... The finish is second to none, and has excellent adhesion, and drying properties. It will be dry and ready to sand in less than a half-hour. It finishes out unbelievably smooth, and extremely water repellent. The biggest issue with it, is you really need a spray booth (must be sprayed) or some protective gear, as the smell is quite strong -- worse than the el-cheapo lacquer.

But I find that with it, I require less alcohol to cope with marriage.

 

[eaglejim]

Re: For those who work with wood.

Ski that is a sharp looking cabinet.You did a great job with it.If you have any scrap try it with a clear coat.If you don't like the color go to a paint store or hardware store and get a quart of stain in any color you want.Good luck Jim

 

[PW2]

Re: For those who work with wood.

If you want to enhance the grain in hardwood use a stain before any finish. I haven't use hickory (because it is so hard) but a walnut stain should turn on the grain.

I agree, but I always use a sealer before staining as it will make the color of the stain more uniform while still allowing the grain of the wood to show.

 

[Turin]

Re: For those who work with wood.

That looks beautiful like it is I would only sand it very very light and use some water based beits (as we call it in Holland) its the stuff that provides protection to the wood but doesn't make shine or change colour.

very good job

 

[mthieme]

Re: For those who work with wood.

Nice job.
I do woodworking and most always use Watco natural to bring out the higlights.
From there - in your case - I would use poly over top of that.

 

[JustJason]

Re: For those who work with wood.

i know this thread is old, but incase anybody is still reading it....
One thing you can do that I have done on other projects is to burn/brown the wood with a propane torch, then sand it, stain it, poly it.
The burn really brings out the grain. But like always, every species reacts a bit differently and you should take a couple of pieces of scrap and finish them different ways to see what you like.

 

[Hoss the Hermit]

Re: For those who work with wood.

I had a fish tank years ago, had it on several different stands. Didn't seem to make much difference to the fish what it looked like. They were always happy as long as the water was clean and they had food. That is, UNTIL the night the light shorted out, but that's another story............