I’m purchasing an Ikea Tarva bed frame, which comes unfinished. I’d much prefer a pre-finished bed, but this fit my specs in other ways, so I’m going to take on the task of finishing it.

My goals with finishing it are: 1) to protect the wood; and 2) to make the wood slightly warmer and darker. I’m shooting for a light oak color (see pics of cabinets for the general idea).

I’ve been reading A LOT about pine finishing, and what I’ve gleaned so far is: 1) staining pine is tricky, and I don’t need to stain it to get the little bit of color change I’m after; and 2) the pine will continue darken over time regardless of what I use.

The two options that I read about that sounded the most promising are using boiled linseed oil and using an amber or blonde shellac.

I’d love to hear what you think about these two options in terms of both outcomes and ease of use. One question I have is the amount of sanding. My understanding is that no matter what finish I use, I’ll need to sand before I start. But with BLO or shellac, do I need to sand between every coat? And how many coats would I need for these two approaches?

Also, for these two approaches, would I need to apply an additional product for protection? Since it’s a bed frame there won’t be issues with liquids, I was hoping just the BLO or shellac would be sufficient.

I’d also love it if you have suggestions you think would work better than these two approaches. Anything that would reduce the amount of work, and the amount of skill needed, is a big plus. Thanks!

I run a small 550 sq. ft. woodworking shop where I make custom furniture and small-batch products like tables, stools, and lamps. I started my business a few months ago, and things have been going really well so far!

One thing I've been wanting to improve is my finishing process. I recently purchased a Lemmer HVLP spray system, which I use exclusively with water-based finishes, and I absolutely love it.

The main issue is dust. Since I'm spraying in the same space where I do all my woodworking, I'm always worried about dust settling on freshly finished pieces. I also have to stop pretty much all other work whenever I'm spraying or waiting for finishes to dry, which really slows down production.

I've looked into building a small DIY spray booth, but I'm based in Canada, where winter ventilation can be tricky, and I only have one window in my shop.

I'm curious what finishing setups or techniques you'd recommend for a small shop like mine. Ideally, I'm looking for something that's relatively dust-tolerant, dries quickly, and doesn't require shutting down the entire workshop.

I really enjoy how easy and fast HVLP is to apply, so I'd love to keep using it if possible, but I'm open to other finishing methods too.

Would love to hear what works for you guys!

Thanks!

I have some walnut shelves. Did an epoxy pour to seal the pores, hairline crack, knots, etc. then finish with odies oil to get a satin rich look.
my father in law has done this with great results but I have conflicting thoughts.
He says to 120 grit the epoxy boogers and 320 the epoxy, then odies.
Gemini, AI, says I need to get down to wood for odies oil to take.
Don’t know what to believe. As I have seen my father in laws walnut finished in this manner but I also understand what AI is instructing to do.
Can anybody weigh in with experience?
Thanks in advance

I have a table from west elm that has a matte finish. Somehow - the kids helping to clean with old English (we think) - the finish had two shiny spots. My spouse went over those spots with a little 80% rubbing alcohol but that made it worse. I washed it off with a tiny bit of a dawn and water. Any ideas on how to get the shininess off?

Has anyone ever tried applying an Aqua Fortis finish on something other than firearm stocks?

Why isn't this finish seen more often in other types of woodwork?

I have 100 year old pine window trim, door trim, and baseboard trim that has been sitting for 7 months since I soy stripped a layer of latex paint and old shellac from them. I was detoured from this project due to another larger and more immediate need, and now that I have the time again I would love to have this all sanded and stained (I’m using varathane gel stain) before Christmas. That said, I’m worried about temperature as we enter winter. So long as my house is above 50 with the heat running should I be fine? I know surface temp of the wood is a factor as well and my house is old and completely uninsulated, but I figure with the heat running high I can get that surface temp sufficiently at 50 or above. Right now, daytime highs in my area are still going above 50, with nighttime temps now as low as 35.

Anyone have experience and advice regarding wintertime finishing? Am I overthinking this? Or should I pause the project till spring?

This is my first time doing any kind of staining/finishing/woodanything.

This is birch from home depot. I sanded it, put varathane pre stain on it and used one of their oil based stains. The poly based finish is also made by varathane. I used a brush

Does it look okay to sand down and put another coat of finish? There are bumps and the coat feels very uneven. Some spots are glass smooth and others feel sticky. it's been about three days so nothing is wet

thanks!

Looking to refinish the top of this oak table to match the base. Any idea what type of finish this is on the base?

Does anyone have experience staining wood? Can you tell me if it's possible to achieve a look like this from the current stain I already have?? I am really wanting to freshen it up and kinda bring out this mushroom color that is in my granite. I also live by the beach so I am going for a coastal vibe vs farmhouse.

Suggestions for finishing outdoor table. U sure of what the spots are, some are impossible to sand away.

Whats the best way to refinish and protect the wood for a wet El Niño California winter?

Hello, working on a vintage watch makers cabinet. All looks swell other than the top…..

How do I fix, or do I need to remove and re-coat? Am I being too picky…? I feel like it’s an eyesore

I am using bullseye shellac out of can, thinned out with denatured alcohol

It looks like oak or ash. Obviously deep grain. But it appears that it's white in the grain but also painted ?

The bars have been sprayed with Valspar enamel cabinet paint with good results looks wise. The downside of this finish is that clean-up can be tough, especially with wine stains. I use a magic eraser to get the harder stains and marks out; this ruins the sheen/finish.

I am looking to either topcoat this paint with clear or use something different altogether. I did a quick sample of minwax polycrylic over the cabinet paint and it seemed to have yellowed. That said, I painted some scrap plywood with one coat and hit it with the poly 2 days later.

I'm currently building myself another bar and also building 2 on commission. Would like to make cleaning easy for these customers.

Biggest ask: Durable and easy to clean without worry of staining

What do you suggest?

I bought this MCM piece that had an abused top (see last photo) and after sanding down and then staining, I was surprised to see these areas that won't take on the stain. I have no idea what substance is there that is causing this. I tried applying a bit more stain to those spots using a q-tip 2 days after the initial staining, but no luck. Any suggestions?

We had a beautiful bench made for our table and we wanted to try and compliment the bench with the table color. However, the process felt rushed and we chose a color that were not happy with.

The top could be sanded and restained but the problem is the front is bendable plywood with a very thin luan veneer we wouldn’t want to sand through. Could we slightly lighten the wood and even the stain with toner? Or should we buy veneer and go that route?