Finish for hickory

[Luckbox72]

Getting close to starting to finish the hickory tv stand.&nbsp; Now I am trying to figure out the best finish. I took some scrap and tried a matte poly, but it really did nothing to the look and not what I am looking for.&nbsp; I have also tried a satin water poly and a semi gloss oil. I kind of like the water satin, but I have read and watched a few other finishes.&nbsp; One was 2 coats BLO with furniture polish. I liked the look on the oak and the simplicity, but not sure about the durability or how it would look on hickory. The other I read was BLO with with a satin poly, and i also read some with General Finish Arm r seal. Just trying to figure out how to get the best look, would like to enhance the grain a bit and bring out the natural colors in the hickory. The piece has a nice variation of very light pieces and some with the richer browns.<br>

 

[golfdad]

BLO/Mineral Oil wiped on will pop the grain. Let it dry thoroughly then topcoat with your prefered choice. This is Hickory/Pecan with the same finish

 

[Jeff]

&nbsp

Means what?

A few pics of your TV stand will be helpful to see what you're working with.

would like to enhance the grain a bit and bring out the natural colors in the hickory. The piece has a nice variation of very light pieces and some with the richer browns.<br>

Probably steer away from water-borne this that or the other for starters. Dewaxed shellac or Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish would be good choices and they can be rubbed out to a satin appearance if that's what you want. Both are easy to apply and repair if necessary without strip/sanding the entire piece and starting from scratch (aka "poly") and both have good durability.

A hickory serving tray finished with Waterlox.

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[JohnW]

My favorite finish for hickory.
Wipe on BLO to saturate then wipe off using paper towels to help it dry faster, and let dry for at least a day.
Seal coat of shellac either blonde or a little darker if you wish. Some amber helps bring out a slightly deeper richer look.
Clear top coat. I typically use a water based acrylic but any clear coat will look good.

 

[Luckbox72]

for the waterlox do you use the original or the voc compliant version? Also how bad is the smell with waterlox?

 

[Berta]

My last kitchen was done in hickory, I recommend the BLO. It will even out the tones and enrich the grain.

 

[Bear Republic]

The finish on that tray looks fantastic! Waterlox has my vote! For what ever that's worth.

 

[zdorsch]

I vote for waterlox satin. That’s what I plan to use on my hickory stair treads to match the flooring.

 

[Jeff]

for the waterlox do you use the original or the voc compliant version? Also how bad is the smell with waterlox?

I've only used the Original Sealer/Finish. The odor is like low-odor/odorless mineral spirits so it's like most solvent based finishes. I haven't used the VOC compliant formulation but it has a VOC compliant solvent (4-chloro-benzotrifluoride) in place of most of the petroleum based solvents in the Original version (Note: VOC compliant does not mean "no-odor" and is not-water borne so don't confuse the two). The VOC solvent also has a significant odor which is characterized as "smelly or disagreeable".