Clear, non varnish, wood finish

scarepanda

Can anyone suggest a product that will give a clear, natural look, finish to wood? We're making a desktop and shelves from Birch plywood. They are sanded and ready to finish, but we don't know what to use. We love the blonde colour of the Birch and would like to keep that colour as much as possible. We did a test using linseed oil and loved the colour after the first coat, but the second did not come out nice at all and from what we can see we need to put at least 2 coats, if not 3 on.

From looking online it seems we need a water based finish, but alot of the information we came across was on US based sites.

Lumen

Water-based clear matt varnish?

BorneTobyWilde

There is a coating that is clear, like a varnish that goes on wooden boats, so hard wearing, and doesn't peel or crack like typical varnish

https://www.owatrol.ie/marine/boat-varnishes/

BorneTobyWilde

Any coating will change the blonde colour of wood, even clear coats. That's just normal.

phormium

That's what I would use too, make sure you get the water based as there is a yellow tinge to even the 'clear' non water one.

Mind you it's not much good as a protection imo but better than nothing!

Lumen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118080315#Comment_118080315

I've tried D1 on birch ply and it looked crap. I don't think birch ply takes up those oils satisfactorily.

olestoepoke

Junkers make a great waterbased finish that is very user friendly, Not sure if they sell it in smaller tins though and it is pricey.

https://brooksonline.ie/junckers-strong-premium-ultra-matt-floor-lacquer-5-ltr-un2123?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiOXKutrq8wIVD3NvBB2dOwqsEAYYAiABEgKuzvD_BwE

scarepanda

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

My brother actually works with boats and I was asking him about the finish and he was adamant that we keep away from varnish. He said it would be peeling in no time, especially in high traffic areas like where the mouse would be.

We don't mind a small bit of discoloration. As I said we loved the first coat of linseed, it was a lovely honey colour. But the second coat turned out a dirty yellow colour. I'm guessing it would need more than one coat?

Lumen

@scarepanda wrote:

He said it would be peeling in no time, especially in high traffic areas like where the mouse would be.

I'm sure he knows about boats, but I did a floating oak computer desk for my daughter with three coats of satin water-based varnish (Ronseal) a few years ago and it's still perfect.

Birch ply with oil looks rubbish, like a greasy paper towel.

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/ronseal-interior-varnish-matt-clear-750ml/859ht

That said, I haven't actually tried it on birch ply which is les absorbant than oak but I can't see why it wouldn't work.

scarepanda

Haha! A greasy paper towel is exactly what it looked like after the second coat :D!

If we went with varnish, how easy is it to strip back if it didn't work out?

Lumen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118081556#Comment_118081556

Everything comes off with enough sanding. 😁

IMO it's cheap enough to get a tin and test out on a piece of scrap.

Remember to sand with fine paper before the final (third?) coat.

@olestoepoke 's floor lacquer would also work but it's obvs expensive for that quantity. I've used an expensive white-tinted wash on my plywood floor and it proved completely useless and I should probably have used that instead.

2011

I use Danish oil for this sort of situation. It dries fully, is easy to apply and brings out the beauty of the wood.