Advice for Bubinga Coffee Table

[Les Key]

Thanks to Matt for the good deal on the wood. I'm building a coffee table for the future wife. But...to help it blend in a little more with the other furniture I'd like to get a little more brown and less red in the finish. I sampled a little danish oil on the rough cut and it looks great just a little on the red side.

Any advice? Was thinking about a oil / wax finish, poly would be ok if ya'll think that would be a better alternative to the wax.

Thanks, love the forum

[Tim Sproul]

to help it blend in a little more with the other furniture I'd like to get a little more brown and less red in the finish.

First....most woods will change color over time. The change in color can be due to simply air exposure (purpleheart) or sunlight exposure (cherry). I haven't worked a lot of bubinga....so be careful about coloring the wood now without any knowledge of how the wood color will change over time.

If you want to neutralize red, add a little bit of green. Google for 'color theory' and this will provide you with an abundance of links for further information. Alternatively, both Jeff Jewitt and Bob Flexner briefly introduce color theory in their respective books, Great Wood Finishes and Understanding Wood Finishing.