Finishing a walnut table

[demondeacon]

I have finished the case work on a lowboy and now need to proceed to finishing the piece. This is the first furniture I have made from Walnut so could benefit from the collective wisdom of the viewers here. I have spent a little time on the internet exploring finishing walnut tables but that was not terribly fruitful. I considering two approaches:

1. An experienced woodworker suggested using some water based dye with a russet or burnt orange color to even out the color, and then following that up with 6-7 coats of yellow shellac.

2. I am considering first putting on some sanding sealer, then experimenting with a few different dyes/stains on offcuts, and then following this up with 2 or 3 coats of Waterlox. The table will go in my daughter's dining room but should not experience rough use or wear.

Again, I have never finished anything walnut so welcome other thoughts. I am not a big fan of BLO and waiting weeks for things to dry.

 

[dancam]

I'm not big on staining wood, especially walnut. You can't go wrong with WaterLox or, for that matter, amber shellack. You might look at RubioMono Coat and my favorite, Odie's Dark Oil.

 

[cyclopentadiene]

Agree with Dan. Waterlox is the best finish for walnut.
I recently finished some benches using water based lacquer. The finish is tough and sprayed very well but it looks “plastic” and did not enhance the walnut like Waterlox

 

[demondeacon]

Thanks guys. What steps would you suggest pre Waterlox? Sanding sealer?

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

Why would you have to "even out the color" of walnut? Sapwood?. I'm a big fan of keeping quality hardwood close to its natural color, and I don't allow sapwood in my pieces. I'll glue up a table top with multiple pieces before I'll use a single wide board with sapwood edges. Watco Danish changes the color of wood less than any other finish. On dark woods (cherry, mahogany, walnut), some darkening won't show. I have had great success with Minwax Wipe On Poly, satin finish, on walnut table bases. It darkens slightly, brings out the grain patterns, and is easy to apply. Three coats on table tops, two on legs. I've never needed sanding sealer on walnut, but I put in extra time and care in my sanding.

 

[cyclopentadiene]

I sand the piece to 400 grit. Apply a heavy coat of waterlox using a paper towel. ( 2 ply smooth side works best), buff the finish into the wood and allow to dry overnight. I then sand or repair any imperfections and sand the entire piece with 320 grit. I always wipe the entire piece with mineral spirits after sanding the finish. Coat 2 is applied the same, drying overnight and sanding with 500 grit. I dulite the waterlox 1:1 woth mineral spirits for the 3rd coat and sand to 1000 grit after drying. I then make a 1:5 dilution of waterlox to mineral spirits and wipe on while buffing with the paper towel applicator until almost dry. If you use full strength and buff heavily, it gets sticky but when diluted the final is a glass finish This is not “proper” technique but seems to wirk for me. Paper towels are great because you can lay them in the middle of the driveway to dry and if they catch fire. No problem.

 

[cyclopentadiene]

I like the wipe on poly for maple

 

[Melinapex]

+1 waterlox on walnut is beautiful. I think I went to 220 grit and that's it.

 

[NOTW]

My dining room table top is Walnut, did I believe 3 coats of Waterlox. Table was finished in 2015 and has seen normal use since then and is still looking great.

 

[Gboot]

another +1 on the Waterloo, i used it on a desk with a live edge top. Pops, the figure and leaves a beautiful finish.

 

[Jim Wallace]

I have to agree that the color variation is part of what makes walnut so attractive, but I haven’t seen the piece you are working with. If you feel you need to even out the color you can make a simple dye using walnut hulls. This is the perfect time of year to harvest them. You want to pick them up off the ground after they have softened and turned black in places. Peel them and put them in a big pot with a tablespoon of lye and simmer gently for a day or two, then strain. You will have a gallon or two (depending on how big a pot you have) of the most wonderful light brown dye that will even out the color on walnut and deepen the honey tones of lighter woods like maple. The French call this brew the “brou de noix”. As with any new finishing technique you should try this on a scrap first to be sure you like the results, but this is a very mild (not dramatic) treatment in any case that I’ve found to have wonderful results. If you are near Wake Forest, I have walnuts to harvest or I probably have some dye that I made last year if you want to try it.

 

[Roy G]

Coincidentally, I have collected a wheel barrow full of black walnuts. I have no use for them, so anybody who wants some, just let me know. Over by Jordan Lake.

Roy G

 

[Gofor]

Behlens Rock Hard Table Top Finish is also a good choice. Holds up very well even under heavy use. Like most long-oil varnishes, it will add a bit of an amber tint. It does not give a mirror finish, but rather soaks in enough that you can see the natural grain when looking across it.

Tacks quickly, so, if applying by brush, start at the far side and keep going back and forth so that you are always working into a wet edge. Suggest a 3" or 4" wide natural bristle brush for best results.

 

[demondeacon]

I have to agree that the color variation is part of what makes walnut so attractive, but I haven’t seen the piece you are working with. If you feel you need to even out the color you can make a simple dye using walnut hulls. This is the perfect time of year to harvest them. You want to pick them up off the ground after they have softened and turned black in places. Peel them and put them in a big pot with a tablespoon of lye and simmer gently for a day or two, then strain. You will have a gallon or two (depending on how big a pot you have) of the most wonderful light brown dye that will even out the color on walnut and deepen the honey tones of lighter woods like maple. The French call this brew the “brou de noix”. As with any new finishing technique you should try this on a scrap first to be sure you like the results, but this is a very mild (not dramatic) treatment in any case that I’ve found to have wonderful results. If you are near Wake Forest, I have walnuts to harvest or I probably have some dye that I made last year if you want to try it.

Thanks. The color of the different pieces of the table is pretty well matched, and there is no sapwood. My main consideration of possibly using a dye is to better match an adjacent piece of furniture in my daughter's dining room without ruining the general appearance. I will test a few different dyes and then decide which one, if any. I think my wife would fire me if I tried to cook some walnuts on her stove! But thanks for the idea.

 

[Rwe2156]

I wouldn’t use a dye unless there is a huge difference in color tone. That said, I’ve used GF medium & dark brown & a mixture of the two on walnut I wanted to darken.

I am a “shellac guy”. I use shellac as either a sealer or final finish on most of the furniture I make. Shellac does very well on walnut, some people advocate using garnet.

Waterlox is a good product, but it’s not the end all to beat all. For one, it can require several coats to build enough finish, and can be a multi-day process.

Couple coats of shellac, sand with 400, followed by lacquer - now you’re talkin’

 

[BKHam]

i have recently gone a different direction with Walnut. Waterlox and the oils darken Walnut. I want to keep it light and show off the hues.

i've been using Osmo Satin Polyx almost exclusively on my walnut and love it. the finish to me is a touchable looking satin.

shellac is harder to apply well in my opinion but i'm sure there are some experienced folks who have good advice on that.

 

[John Jimenez]

FWIW….I’m a huge fan of the Rubio monocoat natural….but it is a bit pricey. No need to buy their cleaner because it’s really just mineral spirits.

 

[hymie123]

+1 for Waterlox on walnut assuming I have time 24 hrs between coats. Otherwise I spray NC lacquer. I personally do not stain walnut.