invisible finishes.

[Andy Maldoror]

i'm building a krenov style cabinet for a friend and i'd like to keep the most natural look possible in the wood. i was planning on the general finishes oil/varnish, but the warming of the maple tones in the piece is not desirable. neither is a glossy look desirable. i have some renaissance wax and was wondering if it would be acceptable to finish the interior with only wax.
i don't have shellac, but was thinking a light coat of extra pale blonde shellac may also work...and i've heard shellawax is also a good invisible protective coat.

if so, which shellawax product would be proper for cabinets? and where could i get it in the US?

any other recommendations?

[John TenEyck]

What did Krenov use on his cabinets? Wasn't it pale shellac or even nothing at all? Even shellac will give maple a warmer look.

John

[Rich Engelhardt]

What did Krenov use on his cabinets?

I have no real idea - but - since he began his ww'ing career in Sweden there's an excellent chance he was taught the use of soap finishing.
A soap finish is both nearly invisible and extremely durable.

[Brody Goodwine]

Water based polyurethane varnishes don't effect the color of maple at all, but past 2 coats they can get a little plasticky looking. 1 coat of water based satin poly has my vote.

[John Coloccia]

I would lean towards a satin waterborne acrylic, like Deft or Target.

[Prashun Patel]

Most natural look and best feel IMHO is wax. I'd sand it up as high as you can - like 600grit, then wax it.

If you really wish to use a resin for protection, I would personally not use a satin - it is hard to get the sheen just right without building a moderate film with any varnish that has even a hint of sheen to it.

Rust-O-Leum makes a waterborne polyurethane in a 'matte' finish which truly looks like there's nothing on the wood. You can get it at some Big Blue stores. Again, I'd sand up to 600 before and in between coats. Because there is zero sheen, you can apply one or two thin coats for modest protection and you won't notice any streaks or porosity differences as you would with a sheenier product.

If yr piece is small, I have a 98% of a 1/2 pt that I'd be happy to send to you to experiment with. PM me.

[Quinn McCarthy]

I would go with a water based poly like Target. Remember that not only are you protecting the wood from damage but keeping the wood in equilibrium by minimizing the effect from moisture in the air. When I spray cabinets I spray all sides even the bottom where nobody sees gets a coat. That way if there is ever a water spill on the floor and gets under the cabinets you know that there is some protection there.

Hope that helps.

Quinn

[Casey Gooding]

Krenov used a variety of finishes. Common were extremely thin shellac, Renaissance wax, and oil/varnish (similar to Watco). He also was known to use no finish at all.

[Scott Holmes]

Rich,

Extremely durable or easily renewed? Doesn't water dissolve soap?

[Rich Engelhardt]

Scott,
Yep - sure does.
Thing is it doesn't dissolve it 100%. Water just takes off a very small portion of the film.
Dirt and stains wipe off with a damp cloth. While the surface is still slightly damp, a new coat of soap is applied.

Unlike wax, soap doesn't get tacky and attract dirt and dust. Nor will it change color as some solvent waxes do. Nor will it impart any sheen.
It's also a very hard finish - according to some as hard as varnish.

Soap is a traditional Scandanavian finish. It's been used there on interiors, furniture, tool handles (unlike wax or other film finishes a soap finish won't raise blisters), floors and just about anything and everything wood for a long long long time.
("Soap" is probably the most ancient of man made wood finishes known.)

Almost all high end furniture made in Scandanavia has a soap finish. It's considered a mark of fine craftsmanship - akin to dovetailed drawers.

One big drawback to it these days is finding the right soap.
Gimme a second here.....
Drat.. I can't find the old link I had for sourcing soap flakes. AFAIK, IIRC,,, there's only a single source for them based out of the UK.
Since I can't find the link I have to go by memory so forgive me if I'm not 100%.
The soap has to be pure and contain no additives, oils or perfumes. I
IRC, home made lye soap is the closest you can get here in the US.

I first heard of soap finishes from my old friend and mentor - "Old" Floyd.
Floyd and I worked together in the late 1960's and again in the early 1970's.
In the time between, Floyd had been trasnferred to Upper Michigan and heard about it up there from his customers.
I'd forgotten all about it until I saw someone here mention it a few years ago.

[Prashun Patel]

"...unlike wax or other film finishes a soap finish won't raise blisters..."

But it may dry yr hands out !!!

I'm going to research this further, but my non-pro instinct is that the Scandinavians used soap for the same reason many people used linseed oil: it was available. Modern finishes and glues tend to be superior in just about every way to their traditional counterparts.

Soap, by definition, is designed to make water and oil co-soluble. Because of this, I would venture to guess that a soap finish would do a GREAT job of attracting dirt and wax from anything it came in contact with over time. On the other hand, it probably cleans up very easily.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Modern finishes and glues tend to be superior in just about every way to their traditional counterparts.

Pre- VOC lock down,,,,,I'm w/you 100%.

W/the way things are being regulated these days, I'm not so sure.