DIY advice... finishing a stripped chest of drawers.

[MontyVeda]

after spending over week battling with substandard paint stripper... I've finally got my old kitchen chest of drawers stripped back to the bare wood, and it's looking good.

After having a scoot around you tube, so many of the videos seem to be advertisements or marketing videos masquerading as guides, rather than actual guides.

I've no idea what the wood is... i guess it's hardwood. Originally made by Solent Furniture Products Ltd, Kitchen Furniture Specialists. It's minimal in design and from the layers of paint I removed, it was originally painted cream with duck egg blue drawer fronts... so 50's or 60's I guess. It'll end up in the bedroom rather than the kitchen so a highly durable finish isn't essential.

I don't want to go too far removed from the natural colour, and don't want a high gloss finish... so I guess I'm looking at oil or wax, or both. Any products to recommend or avoid? Any priceless tricks of the trade i need to know?

 

[Aperitif]

If you wax it, then use a sanding sealer beforehand. This is nice stuff and will develop a nice surface upon which to wax. Stops dirt 'passing through' the wax and getting into the grain of the timber.
For 'varnishing' there are decent general purpose acrylic based products available. A satin finish is, I guess, what might suit. Easy to clean up your brushes, to recoat and to avoid and unnecessary fumes. If you are doing a water-based finish, then wrap your brush in a well dampened rag between coats. If it's a spirit based one then wrap it in kitchen foil between times etc..

 

[slowmotion]

Some oil finishes ( eg Danish Oil ) tend to darken quite severely over time.

 

[jifdave]

tung oil it

 

[vernon]

tung oil it

Brings a new meaning to giving it a lick of paint.

 

[MontyVeda]

thanks for replies... another possible consideration is temperature... if the finish is fumey, I'll have to have the widows open, which means applying it in little more than the outside temp... will this affect drying times or even the way it dries?

@jifdave what's the benefit tung oil? Ease of application? Better finish? Both?

 

[jifdave]

protects the wood.... i used it on my butchers block...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_oil see here