Finishing Red Oak?

[Jon Hester]

I've done several projects with reclaimed barnwood, both red and white oak. Used Golden Oak Danish Oil (Matco) on most of it, followed with a Darker or Natural Wood Finishing Paste -minwax

Looking for some other finishing suggestions, other than stain, that look good on red oak? Nothing complicated...

ideas?

[sheldon pettit]

LOL, then i will leave it to others, all my finishing is complicated

[Ralph Boumenot]

Have you considered using a grain filler first? You could tint that and that would you give you a base color plus fill in the red oak open grain. You can seal this and stain over it for a different effect. A lot of different ways to approach this.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Looking for some other finishing suggestions, other than stain, that look good on red oak? Nothing complicated...

I've recently been experimenting with Zinsser orange shellac - using it straight out of the can and also mixing it with Zinsser Seal Coat.
I have to say, I sort of like the way it makes red oak look & helps what I make blend in with other pieces we have that are "store bought", w/out having to mess around with trying different colored stains.

[Jon Hester]

So If I use a grain filler, what kind of products an I use on top of it? Anything oil based? I would like to close on the grain, but want to still be able to do something on top of that as you mentioned. ...hope that makes sense, still a newbie to more advanced finishing.

[Matt Meiser]

I did my kitchen with a 2-step process. First step was Zinsser Sealcoat tinted with a little red mahogany and a little honey amber Transtint dyes. Then General Finishes Endurovar. I'm really happy with the result.

[Rich Engelhardt]

So If I use a grain filler, what kind of products an I use on top of it? Anything oil based? I would like to close on the grain, but want to still be able to do something on top of that as you mentioned. ...hope that makes sense, still a newbie to more advanced finishing.

It really depends on the filler you use - but - in general, you should be able to use any top coat, oil or water, over the filler.

Being a "newbie" isn't a bad thing, BTW.
It's when you start trying to ovrthink things that you run into trouble....
Nothing really wrong w/that either - as long as you remember to "choose your battles".
By that I mean, do your trial and error stuff on scrap - not on a good piece you've spent weeks making.

[Larry Whitlow]

I've recently been experimenting with Zinsser orange shellac - using it straight out of the can and also mixing it with Zinsser Seal Coat.
I have to say, I sort of like the way it makes red oak look & helps what I make blend in with other pieces we have that are "store bought", w/out having to mess around with trying different colored stains.

Rich, couple of questions if you don't mind. Why do you mix it with Zinsser seal coat? Are you putting anything on top of the orange shellac/seal coat mix?

Thanks.

[Jamie Schmitz]

Filling the grain with colored filler is cool. Also cool is using a liming wax over any colored oils stains,makes the grain pop.

[Prashun Patel]

What's your project?

If you use any film forming finish like shellac or varnish, the open pores of oak will make themselves known. Whether you like that or not is a personal choice. If you want them filled, this violates your 'nothing complicated' clause

Oak is a good choice for ebonizing if yr so inclined; the grain is prominent to show well under blackening, and oak accepts pigment stains, dyes, ink, or even steelwool and vinegar all very well. The metal/vinegar ebonizing trick is particularly well suited to oak, IMHO.

Another thing to consider is fuming the oak to restore its antique look.