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One for the wood workers amongst us this time.
I am making a new bed for the wean, from "finished" red pine. it is quite an attractive wood, but i would like to put a rustic finish on it - oil, wax, paint?
Daughters opinion, as she will be sleeping in it is "black" - thats what i get for asking a 15 yr old what colour they would like!
So, its a "farmhouse" bed - any suggestions for a rustic finish?
thanks,
paul
Nothing. Or at worst just wax it.
Just let it age and mellow naturally.
Assuming you can stop a teenager covering it with all sorts of stains!
🤣
torch it
If you want to accelerate natural ageing - although its more of an exterior wood look - theres a potion you can mix up that creates the same tannin reaction that happens to wood with age:
Fill a jar with vinegar
stick some wire wool in it
leave it to steep (in the shed, its stinky) for a couple of days. Leave the lid loose as it'll give off gas
The resulting smelly solution can be painted onto wood and it reacts in the same way as years of sun and rain would
Red pine is relatively low in tannin but if you leave it out in the sun/rain for a day or two it yellows/darkens a bit as any tannin gets pulled to the surface and that then reacts more readily with the stink-wash
I wouldn’t consider no finish an option, it will take all sorts of stains from oils in your hand and absolutely zero chance of removing marks from day to day life.
If you want to keep the raw finish I’d go for an oil finish. You can wax over that if you like, wax is not really a finish on its own.
Danish oil
In my very limited experience, I didn't like wax at all, that was on oak mind you. Felt greasy to the touch (obvs) and seemed to take away the naturalness of the wood. I've got some Danish oil left over from the oak, might try that on an offcut in the morning.
What about a distressed look, watered down paint, wiping on and then right back off?
Cheers kayak, you posted as I was typing
Melt down beeswax, cocunut oil and chopping board/mineral oil roughly in equal measure. This produces a robust, non-greasy and clear finish which shows the wood at its best and does not degrade (foodsafe). Easy to re-apply.
If you decide on oil (Tung's a good one, or Danish) then dilute the first coat 50% with white spirits then get on as many coats as you can (5+?). More of a performance but the finish will be superb.
Should you go down the lacquer route, I find Wilkos lacquer spray (£4) good inside and out, I did some wooden doorsteps and oak washing-line props after oiling and the finish has survived very well indeed.
Find the Osmo oil finish you like best and use that. I’ll never use danish or Tung oil again after using a couple of their products. So easy to apply and looks great.
They do some tinted PolyAx oil which I’m sure you could get in a grey/black finish which your daughter would like.
What about a distressed look, watered down paint, wiping on and then right back off?
for that you need to have some texture / raised grain otherwise its just really a stain/wash. Practice on off-cuts first - a good, stiff wire brush (ideally one you can hold well with two hands) along the grain removes softer material and brings up the grain. You can also sort of burnish that softer wood down - I've used the ball-pien side of a big old hammer - sliding it along the grain it'll track along between the harder grains and raise them up. Both pretty tedious though.Sand-blasting works if you've anywhere local that does it
thanks all. just ordered a couple of Osmo testers to see how they will look.
cheers