I have tried numerous finishes on red cedar, but they all seem to change the colors of the wood, in particular the white sap wood. Does anyone have a suggestion of a finish/sealer which will not alter the beautiful color?
Thanks.
Thanks.
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finishing cedar
- Thread starter Hal
- Start date
Have you tried using shellac as a base coat?
Hal said:
Hal:
I have found that several brands (I use General) of water-based polyurethane change the color of the underlying wood the least amount.
Sprayed lacquer can also work without affecting the color too much, as long as the coats are not too thick. The color altering qualities may also vary by manufacturer.
Of the oil-finishes, I would recommend tung oil instead of linseed-oil-based finishes (e.g. "Danish Oil") which can darken the wood, sometimes 'severely'.
The suggestion above, using shellac as a sealer finish, is my "standard" finishing procedure for most of my pieces, using blonde, or extra-blonde shellac made fresh from flakes; this treatment does not significantly change the wood color. Of course, garnet, orange, or other less-refined shellacs will change the wood color much more than blonde will.
You may need to experiment to see what combination of sanding, sealing and finishing works best for you.
Cheers,
Rob
Last edited:
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
I played with finishes on cedar and didn't find any that didn't change if fairly dramatically from that fresh cut look. The least change was just buffing on the Beal system and Krylon Fixatif spray. The Beal of course is just wax and doesn't protect it at all. The Fixatif didn't really change it must less than most oils and other finishes. Clear lacquer and several poly's changed it about the same.
I want to try to bleach some before finishing to see if I can get a lighter look after finishing. I tried one 1/4" thick bowl and it blew up when the bleach soaked it. Apparently it soaks in so rapidly in places that the wood expands too quickly. I'm going to try to soak the bowl in water before the bleach the next time.
I want to try to bleach some before finishing to see if I can get a lighter look after finishing. I tried one 1/4" thick bowl and it blew up when the bleach soaked it. Apparently it soaks in so rapidly in places that the wood expands too quickly. I'm going to try to soak the bowl in water before the bleach the next time.
I made a serving tray out of cedar a couple years back and wanted to put an alcohol and water proof finish on it. I wiped the tray down with mineral spirits to remove the natural oils and then applied Min-Wax wipe-on poly. The Min-Wax is completely clear and hardened fine since I'd cleaned off the excess natural stuff.
Shellac/Waterborne Caveat
For all who, like I, use shellac as a barrier/binding coat under waterborne finishes, please note that there have been a number of problems with cracking finishes with this combination. It was first noticed by several of the high-end waterborne manufacturers like Target Coatings, and involved Zinsser's SealCoat shellac, a commercial premixed dewaxed bleached shellac. Further anecdotal evidence (including my own) indicates that when using shellac under a waterborne finish, you need to have freshly mixed product and restrict your use of the shellac to no more than 2 thin coats that are allowed to dry thoroughly for at least 24-36 hours before topcoating with waterbornes. Since I use dewaxed shellac in the darker grades as a toner, I've had to go to the addition of dyes to the shellac mix to get the same result.
Also, when mixing shellac from flakes, you will be better served to use a high-ethanol content alcohol (some are more than 50% methanol), and filter your mix twice through coffee filter material to reduce wax content to a minimum.
For all who, like I, use shellac as a barrier/binding coat under waterborne finishes, please note that there have been a number of problems with cracking finishes with this combination. It was first noticed by several of the high-end waterborne manufacturers like Target Coatings, and involved Zinsser's SealCoat shellac, a commercial premixed dewaxed bleached shellac. Further anecdotal evidence (including my own) indicates that when using shellac under a waterborne finish, you need to have freshly mixed product and restrict your use of the shellac to no more than 2 thin coats that are allowed to dry thoroughly for at least 24-36 hours before topcoating with waterbornes. Since I use dewaxed shellac in the darker grades as a toner, I've had to go to the addition of dyes to the shellac mix to get the same result.
Also, when mixing shellac from flakes, you will be better served to use a high-ethanol content alcohol (some are more than 50% methanol), and filter your mix twice through coffee filter material to reduce wax content to a minimum.
thanks
I appreciate the responses to my "problem". I have not tried a water based poly which is a good idea since it dries clear. All the oil based finishes I've tried do change the color particularly the white sap wood which I'm trying to keep. I also have not tried a blond shellac, but I have tried the lighter "yellow" shellac with color change. (It's interesting that when I did use the shellac the alcohol evaporated so quickly which chilled the cedar causing it to distort and crack somewhat. The pieces are fairly thin.)
What do people use on holly keeping it white?
I appreciate the responses to my "problem". I have not tried a water based poly which is a good idea since it dries clear. All the oil based finishes I've tried do change the color particularly the white sap wood which I'm trying to keep. I also have not tried a blond shellac, but I have tried the lighter "yellow" shellac with color change. (It's interesting that when I did use the shellac the alcohol evaporated so quickly which chilled the cedar causing it to distort and crack somewhat. The pieces are fairly thin.)
What do people use on holly keeping it white?
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I had good results just recently by spraying cedar with a very fast drying clear lacquer. My experience with shellac is that even the super blonde will impart quite a bit of yellow to the color of cedar. Regular oil-based poly placed directly on cedar can sometimes be problematic because of drying problems or softening of the finish. I don't know about the water based poly, but I suspect that it could also be a problem if applied directly to cedar. No matter what finish you use on cedar, the wood will darken from the pink color to a brown color with age.
Bill
Bill