Best finish for beech veneered mdf

[chippy1970]

What's the best finish for beech veneered mdf. Looking for something satin and easy to apply

 

[Sgian Dubh]

That's like asking, "What's the best car to buy? I'm looking for something fast and easy to drive." Some context would be useful. In your case, what's the end use of this beech veneered MDF and what equipment do you have? As it is I could tell you to 'use 30% sheen pre-cat lacquer and apply it with a spray gun' as you'd be using an easily applied polish that cures to a satin finish. But if you don't have a spray gun, and spraying facilities, and don't know how to use that equipment my suggestion is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. Slainte.

 

[chippy1970]

Oh sorry I thought easily applied implied that I didn't have a spray gun.

Right I need a hand applied finish whether it be rag , brush or pad . Satin as I said. It will be for a bookcase to hold many paperbacks. Made from 19mm white beech veneered mdf edged with 0.5mm thick edging.

Hope this is enough info for you

 

[jasonB]

I like the Aquacote SP that Smith and Rodgers sell, best applied with a paint pad. Use it on all my veneered boards, its very similar to the Aquacote that Barfords used to do much favoured by Kevin Lee but better.

http://www.frenchpolishes.com/acatalog/ ... tings.html

These beech doors were done with the Barfords Aquacote

 

[chippy1970]

Cheers Jason very helpful:grin:

How many coats do you do ? What's the drying time ?

Edit : don't worry mate I just googled all info looks good stuff nice and simple.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Oh sorry I thought easily applied implied that I didn't have a spray gun. Hope this is enough info for you

It wasn't for me, as spraying is probably one of the easiest ways of applying a finish. The additional information helps because now I know you aren't needing to finish wood to withstand, for example, a high moisture environment, eg, some bathroom and kitchen scenarios, or high temperature/ low RH circumstances such as a south west facing conservatory. And because it's a bookcase I am able to assess that the surfaces won't have to withstand the typical high abrasion and surface damage that coffee tables and dining tables have to endure. I hope you can see that your original question omitted some key bits of information that would have helped someone give a considered response.

For a tough and durable finish you could use oil based polyurethane varnish applied with a brush. Characteristics of this type of finish are that it's slow to dry and likely to attract dust and other contaminants during the drying. It also changes the colour of the wood significantly. And because it's very slow drying, it can literally take weeks to fully cure meaning the bookcase would really be unusable for a long time: if books are loaded too soon after finishing there's a good chance they will stick to the varnish. So, probably not a great choice for your project.

I think you are likely to get better performance out of the water based finishes, and Jason's suggestion of Aquacote I think is a good one. Another one you might look at are the products by Bona-- see here: http://www.bona.com/en-GB/ Have a look at their Mega, Naturale and Primer Amberseal water borne products. You use similar equipment and methods for these as you use for the Aquacote Jason suggested. As to their proper usage and application, just follow the instructions on the can or provided in their MSDS and their technical data sheets, etc.

Finally, you might even have a look at the water based 'varnishes' supplied by the sheds like Homebase and B&Q, and specialist paint stores-- they're not bad at all if the wood is prepped properly and the finish applied correctly. Slainte.