White Oak Wood Finish

Deciding on the right finish.

White oak wood finish.

A good finish should highlight the best characteristics of the wood it goes on. To get a whiter finish one coat of osmo wood wax finish transparent 3111 white followed by one coat of polyx oil tints 3040 white for durability is an option. It doesn t absorb the paint nearly as much as red oak as its grain is much tighter. Teak would be even better.

Whatever you choose though the good news about white oak is that it resists rot and insects well so regardless of the finish or your diligence in maintaining it. The wood dries slowly but stains to a good finish. But that said i would suggest not painting high quality expensive hardwoods in general you re covering up half of what you are paying for. Physical properties white oak is a hard and heavy wood with a medium bending and crushing strength low in stiffness but very good in steam bending.

Woodworkers who choose to use a minimalist approach to finishing their oak projects would be wise to take some extra time in sanding in many steps using progressively finer grits of sandpaper in each step to help eliminate sanding. We have an excellent blog post about white wood finishes here which covers this subject in detail. He didn t say what type of oak he intended to use so i pointed out that white oak would be better than red oak for outdoors because white oak would hold up pretty well without a finish. I know i know it s blasphemous to imagine painting quartersawn oak but it still deserves mention that paint is a durable economical choice for outdoor projects made of wood.

Availability readily available but not as abundant as red oak. See our selection of quarter sawn white oak lumber since so many folks frequently want an easy finish that comes in just one can but will also provide a heck of a result the secret budget friendly answer is in a can of. Four proven finishes for oak. I ve put together four finish recipes that make the most of oak s contrasting grain.

It includes details on which products to use to achieve everything from a subtle. White oak s tan color under a clear finish may seem too cold for many woodworkers but all clear film finishes will do if applied in thin coats. It has great wear resistance. In this video we demonstrate 3 nice ways to finish quarter sawn white oak to get the best pop from the figure.

The first three recipes use two different color layers each separated by a seal coat of shellac. It would hold up without a finish for decades at a minimum. Many woodworkers prefer to finish oak as minimally as possible as they feel this shows off the wood s character.