Good Morning! In the next month, I will be starting on two separate projects.
The first is an open-backed white oak (ply) entertainment center (attached to the wall), which will house a 55" TV, and be flanked by a bookshelf on each side. I will be attempting to match (what I believe to be) white oak molding and sliding door which are adjacent to the location for the entertainment center. I am looking for suggestions regarding what kinds of finishes to use. Since this is going to be a high use piece, and relatively permanent, durability is of high concern. My wife and I also have a dog, and are looking to have kids in the next couple of years, both of which are concerns.
What I am considering currently is BLO (or Tung), a coat of blonde dewaxed shellac, and Target Coatings Ultima Spray Lacquer for the topcoat. Any staining will be to match the existing woodwork, which has a flat finish. Is the BLO necessary for waterproofing, or is the topcoat sufficient? Is there a different topcoat I should be considering? I DO have a spray gun, I do NOT have a shop set up for spraying combustibles. I will, however, likely spray the shellac due to the size and number of panels.
The second project consists of built-ins for a 6'x8' closet. I am planning to use birch ply, a wash coat to prevent blotching, cherry stain (IIRC, I used oil based on my test), shellac (blonde dewaxed) and the target coating product mentioned above. I'm planning high gloss here, because I like it.
I am new to this finishing thing (that is, finishing beyond a can of spray shellac), but have done a few test pieces to get a feel for the products mentioned above. Any advice/recommendations/things to avoid, etc. would be appreciated! I have had some issues with staining pine before, while using shellac as a wash coat. Since I don't want to strip multiple sheets of plywood if I screw up, I'll spend the money and get the pre-stain product that goes along with the stain and work hard NOT to screw up!
Thanks for the help... virtually everything I know about finishing I learned from these forums. It's time to get some experience under the belt and check a couple of items off of last summer's to do list (and justify the workshop purchases... a lot of them... to the wife!).