Thread: Recycled Oregon benchtop finish

Thanks so much. Paint central’s is where I got my tint from. They’re great

Could could do the the tinted and wipe off as desired then allow to dry and go with the above roller method with the osmo satin or whatever you chose.

alternatively you could do a water based stain, allow to dry completely and go with regular osmo over top. The main combo to avoid would be water based clear over oil based stain probably. Keep in mind the less steps and simpler the finishing procedure the less steps you will have to do every time you need to refinish

Originally Posted by hurcorh

Could could do the the tinted and wipe off as desired then allow to dry and go with the above roller method with the osmo satin or whatever you chose.

alternatively you could do a water based stain, allow to dry completely and go with regular osmo over top. The main combo to avoid would be water based clear over oil based stain probably. Keep in mind the less steps and simpler the finishing procedure the less steps you will have to do every time you need to refinish

That’s exactly what I was thinking - put the amber stain Osmo, rub off then put clear over the top 24 hours later. I’ve got it on a test piece now just waiting for the first coat to dry. The paint guy at paint central said the stain I bought is spirit based. Not sure I even know what that means. Also that it would be a matter of trying the two products together and hoping!! Thought it might be better to just do the Osmo!!

I built a dining table out of Oregon planks, and after washing with oxalic acid, the table turned kind of pink.
What I did was
Firstly I put on 3 coats of shellac as sealers. I chose shellac because it doesn't change the hue of the wood, This is followed by light sanding with 1200 grit wet and dry.
Then I mixed a small amount of burnt umber oil paint from an art supply store with an ample amount of citrus solvent (or white spirit if you prefer)
Then coat it on with a small brush. This provided just the right stain and changed the colour of Oregon to more yellowish/brown.
Once it was dry. I finished it off with poly.
Worked well for me and it cost next to nothing.

Just be aware, that some paint outlets will sell you what they stock not necessarily the best product for the job.

Originally Posted by justonething

I built a dining table out of Oregon planks, and after washing with oxalic acid, the table turned kind of pink.
What I did was
Firstly I put on 3 coats of shellac as sealers. I chose shellac because it doesn't change the hue of the wood, This is followed by light sanding with 1200 grit wet and dry.
Then I mixed a small amount of burnt umber oil paint from an art supply store with an ample amount of citrus solvent (or white spirit if you prefer)
Then coat it on with a small brush. This provided just the right stain and changed the colour of Oregon to more yellowish/brown.
Once it was dry. I finished it off with poly.
Worked well for me and it cost next to nothing.

Thanks - I’m so new to this I don’t even know half those products? I do know shellac though. Can I ask why you used that? Was that so the wood was sealed so the stain absorbed more evenly? My sister told me that I have been using a spirit based stain and should use water based for a soft wood for more even application so that might help too.

So much great info!

I used shellac for a few reasons:
1. Like you said, the wood is sealed and the stain is absorbed evenly. In fact, after applying 3 coats with a brush, The surface was starting to have a shine. (If your shellac is very thin, it will take more than 3 coats to achieve that). The burnt umber stain applied was very even. and I only needed to apply 1 coat of stain.
2. The shellac seals but it doesn't block the grain of the wood.
3. I only needed one or two coats of poly as a final finish.

I also tested water-based colours. The burnt umber is nowhere near as vivid as the oil paint. just make sure you use oil paint sparingly with lots of thinner.

Originally Posted by justonething

I used shellac for a few reasons:
1. Like you said, the wood is sealed and the stain is absorbed evenly. In fact, after applying 3 coats with a brush, The surface was starting to have a shine. (If your shellac is very thin, it will take more than 3 coats to achieve that). The burnt umber stain applied was very even. and I only needed to apply 1 coat of stain.
2. The shellac seals but it doesn't block the grain of the wood.
3. I only needed one or two coats of poly as a final finish.

I also tested water-based colours. The burnt umber is nowhere near as vivid as the oil paint. just make sure you use oil paint sparingly with lots of thinner.

Thanks once again. Can you please confirm exactly which product you finished this with and whether you’re happy with the final result? I bought some spirit / oil ?? based walnut stain yesterday after ringing the Osmo rep. I’ve watered it down lots with turps and testing now on a sample piece. I think it will probably be a good colour.

I managed to get a massive pallet of recycled denailed 100mm oregon floorboards that I ripped in half and laminated together to make massive 50mm thick tables for our brewery taproom. Worked out great and I’m amazed how well they have held up after 6 years with constant daily bathing in beer. Yes there are a few dings but not as many as I thought there would be.

For finish, I used Cabbots CFP Floor. I know I’ll get a few saying polyurethane isn’t a great finish but I’ve used CFP Floor on lots of projects and I think it’s a great product - can be applied like an oil for a more matte finish. Yes not technically food safe but you’re not going to be cutting food directly on a timber countertop anyway.

I used feast Watson spar varnish

I’ve stained the wood with walnut oil based stain watered down turps which took a lot of the orange out. I rang Osmo and asked and they said oil based stain. 4 days later I then applied the Osmo Polyx oil with a scotch brite pad as recommended and it’s brown from the stain coming off. I rang Osmo and no answer. Should I apply differently or is it better to do this way so all the stain that might come off does?

How did you end up going with this?
Not sure if it was said earlier but best to finish both sides of the benchtop, top and bottom, equally by the way. Not so much for stain but for the osmo/varnish you apply.