How to finish maple wood.

[CNCRob]

Hello,
Im getting ready to cut out a little potty chair for my daughter out of maple. I was wondering; after I sand it what steps do I need to do to finish the wood. I want it to have a natural wood look. What materals should I use to finish it? I need it to be water resistant and not hurt her skin when shes on it. Thanks- Robbie

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[SPEEDRE]

Start by sanding with 100 grit then move up to 180, then 220. Finish in a semi gloss gel paste clear finish from Barkley(spelling?) Two coats and you're good to go.

[Mcgyver]

not sure what you mean by natural wood look, for simplicity urethane is hard to beat, tough and waterproof.

I've an aversion to sanding wood - If you really want a great finish, don't use sandpaper unless you are painting. it wrecks the fibres. get some scrapers and a burnisher (not that much money), try it out and you will never let sandpaper near your woodwork again. to see what i mean, take a board, sand part and plane part then pick which one you'd want your work to look like the wood grain has brilliance that is destroyed with sanding. scraping is also quicker and more easily controlled, ie you do end up rounding everything out

[Spezzaferro]

here's a piece made of solid maple that was given two coats
of a water based finish

[Evodyne]

Hello,
Im getting ready to cut out a little potty chair for my daughter out of maple. I was wondering; after I sand it what steps do I need to do to finish the wood. I want it to have a natural wood look. What materals should I use to finish it? I need it to be water resistant and not hurt her skin when shes on it. Thanks- Robbie

My vote would be for the urethane. I did my oak floors by sanding (sorry Mac!) till (very) smooth. Wiped it all down with a tack cloth and applied six coats over a two day period. After the fourth coat I lightly sanded the urethane before continuing and re-tacked. Five years worth of muddy feet, spilled drinks, a cat with a (short lived) preference for peeing on my area rug, and every other form of wood torture, and they still look great. And once the urethane cures/dries it's basically inert: it won't bother sensitive little tushies.

Lance

[ger21]

If you want a really easy finish, use this: http://www.minwax.com/products/prote...polycrylic.cfm

You can get it at home depot. Use a foam brush, and put one coat on it. (no drips, though, be careful). The next day, sand lightly with 220 or 320 grit and put on another coat. Sand again the next day with 320, and put on a final coat. The nice thing, is that it cleans up with water.

It takes a fairly long time to fully cure (~30 days), but is very durable when it is. It dries to the touch very fast, in as little as 30 minutes on a warm day. You can use it the next day, but if it will get wet, I'd wait 2-3 days.

[ViperTX]

I'm with ger21....but I use the Minwax Wipe-On Poly, satin finish. About 2 issues ago on Fine Woodworking it was rated #1 over everything else.

[Mcgyver]

I did my oak floors by sanding (sorry Mac!)

floors dont' count

[Dave's_Not_Here]

Rob,

A good finish for any wood that is non-toxic and easy to maintain is Shellac. They actually coat candy and medicine with it. I use it exclusively on the furniture I build and applied several thin coats to the Mission Bed I made for my three year old daughter.

It can be brushed, sprayed and rubbed on. Does a great job sealing wood, in fact, they use it to seal knots and discolored areas before painting.

You can get at any Home Improvement center. If you get the Zinzer Bullseye Blond Shellac, it will have the least tint as compared to the Orange.

Good luck!

[turmite]

Guys I hate to be another voice in the midst but this is my business! I mean it is what I do for a living. Robbie do you want a crystal clear finish over the wood or do you want an amber tint? Do you want it to feel like velvet or polished glass? There are trade offs in about any type finish you choose so choose wisely.

1 Totally clear will be either the ploycrylic that Ger mentioned or an automotive ureathane clearcoat. The poly will take a while to cure, the auto finish is dangerous to spray but is the clearest and can be polished to the highest shine of all the finishes.

2. Any of the natural finishes such as shellac, polys or varnishes will give an amber tint.

3. Pure Tung oil is a good finish but you have to cut it with some sort of a carrier to get it deep in the wood. Tung oil is a natural product and can be shipped as a food stuff. It has natural ploymizers (sp) that once are introduced into the wood grain will harden. It leaves a slight amber tint.

All of the above finishes except maybe the poly ( I haven't used that brand) will have a medium to high aroma and can stay around for days. Tung only has it because of the solvent you have to use.

All of the oil type finishes can be rubbed to a velvet like feel, with tung being my favorite. None of the oil type finishes will have the waterproofness you want due to where it is gonna be used!

My choice would be the auto clearcoat or the polycrylic.

If I can be of service let me know.

Mike

[ger21]

2. Any of the natural finishes such as shellac, polys or varnishes will give an amber tint.

You can get very clear shellac (super blonde I think) that will have very little amber color, if any. Keep in mind that shellac can be damaged by water, so it's probably not a good choice.

[RTP_Burnsville]

Several good suggestions have been given except for the use of poly. In my view that stuff should never be used on anything wood. If you want to use varnish use a quality product such as:

McCloskeys Heirloom Varnish
Pratt and Lambert #38
Waterlox Original Varnish - Phenolic

[ger21]

In my view that stuff should never be used on anything wood. If you want to use varnish use a quality product such as:

Care to give us some reasons why something that's easier to apply, doesn't add any color, and is every bit as durable should never be used?

[RTP_Burnsville]

Care to give us some reasons why something that's easier to apply, doesn't add any color, and is every bit as durable should never be used?

Poly screams cheap, has many adhesion problems both to itself and other materials, and is next to impossible to repair without stripping for starters. The manufactures have done a good sales job as it is very cheap to produce (ie very high profit margin) and have brain washed most everyone into thinking its a finish for everything which it's not in my view. Not sure how it is easier to apply, actually I find it much more difficult as it does not 'buff out' or allow for additional coats. A wiping varnish is easy to mix and apply, just thin 50/50, stir, and wipe on. The poly durability issue is a sales job in my view. The surface is hard but not so for the sub-surface. Once scratched, maintaning or repairing the poly finish is impossible mainly due to the hard surface and adhesion issues. Have you checked out the soya based products for minimal color change? Explore the options (shellac, oils, lacquires, non-poly varnishes, etc..) and I think you will agree that there is a beautiful world beyond a poly based finish.

[Dave's_Not_Here]

Shellac is not designed for heavy exposure to water nor outdoor use exclusively. However, if one is inclined to wipe off any water (urine, etc), rather than leaving it, then several coats of Shellac will do just fine. I am assuming, of course, that the Potty Chair in question has a plastic receptical and the Maple is more of a "housing" for the receptical.

Shellac dries very quickly, sands easily, builds quickly and is non -toxic. Blond or Super Blond will impart minimal Amber tint. In the event you feel the need to recoat the chair, hit it with some 0000 steel wool, apply a coat or two and in 1-2 hours, the chair is back in service... assuming the potty training takes that long

If one wants Poly, you can seal the Maple with a coat of Shellac and wipe on two or three coats of MinWax Poly with an old Tee Shirt. The entire job can be done in a short day and in use that night.

So, unless you want to hose off the potty chair and let it air dry, or run it through the dishwasher or in some other fashion; inundate it with moisture and let it sit... Shellac is just fine. In fact, wooden baby rattles are finished with Shellac all the time...

... just a furniture and cabinet maker's opinion

[RTP_Burnsville]

Using a shellac sealer that is de-waxed is also recommended if one is planning to top-coat.

[CNCRob]

Thanks guys for all the great answers. You guys had a ton of great ideals and answers!