Here's one for the woodworkers on the forum. Does anyone know anything about more natural options for finishing furniture than your typical stain and varnish?

I've just finished my first project, a bookshelf to hold my records. I thouroughly enjoyed building it, but the finishing was not so enjoyable. Particularly the fumes really got to me. I'd like to find other methods of finishing for future projects.

I know people use beeswax, I was wondering about other options for staining. I was thinking maybe I could use Guiness. Is this idea feasible? Is there too much water in Guiness to finish wood? Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ben

are you talking about the beer?

if you are, it sounds interesting, but I would think it would cause the wood to expand and ruin the surface.

Some people use lemon oil as a finish. this generally requires a very tight grain and a dark wood. This looks great on walnut.

I am no expert with finishes, but I believe it entirely depends on the species of wood that you are using.

If you are expecting the wood to take a beating, a polyurethane finish will protect it.

shoe polish

It's easy to make it look like shit. Try it on lots of scraps before you unload on the cabinet.

Espresso makes a nice stain.

If you need the wood to be sealed you can just use oil of any kind.

I once made a table for a girlfriend using white oak and walnut. I sealed it with plain old canola oil. I applied it every time the table looked dry for a few months. She's still got it, I think.

Linseed oil. But I would just use a stain- you can get them with both the stain and finish combined. If this is a soft wood like pine, you might have some difficulty getting an even finish without pre-conditioning it first.

The bookshelf was oak and oak vaneer. I've got access to a good amount of ash as well.

ben wrote:The bookshelf was oak and oak vaneer. I've got access to a good amount of ash as well.

The oak will stain nicely - I don't know as much about ash. I've read up a bit on finishing, and it seems most of the popular finishes have some sort of smell associated with them.

If you think stains smell bad, you should try stripping wood sometime.

If the fumes were the problem, then you want to switch to a water based wood stain. I've used these several times and gotten some absolutely fantastic colours out of them. They're also very easy to apply, and come in a good variety.

I used some in Japan, but if you are in the United States, then Minwax makes a good selection of them.

You can then go over it with a protective clear finish if you like, but I'm usually quite happy with just the stained wood. I'll try and send you a photo.

oh, and a guy I met in a woodworking class mentioned he used tung oil a lot as well. Linseed and tung oil won't darken the finish much, so it depends on what you're after.