Durable limed wood effect without using liming wax?

[rafezetter]

I've been asked to refinish an ash kitchen as the limed effect from however long ago has pretty much disappeared, BUT I don't want to use liming wax because I know the lady is a cleanaholic and will want to give the doors and a few solid ash parts a clean at least once a month.

I have looked at the various "white" varnishes but the effect isn't very good, and I've also seen that a white grain filler when covered with polyurethane (oil or water) tends to lose a lot of it's colour reducing the contrast.

I've read about Osmo's "white oil" but I think the cost is going to be prohibitive - I know the lady is asking a little bit of a "champagne finish for beer money", but I was wondering if any of you have another trick up your sleeves to give a reasonable facsimile of limed wood with a strong white in the grain, but durable enough to withstand a rather fanatical cleaner?

An idea I had was to see if I could dissolve some white oil based paint into tung / danish oil? That way I could tell her to rub some more in after every six months to top up the effect and far simpler to maintain that expecting her to wax everything each year.

Any thoughts?

 

[custard]

I'd be interested if you find something. The only limed finishes I've seen that don't look total carp are pretty time consuming to apply and therefore expensive.

 

[ED65]

If it weren't for the future owner being a cleanaholic I'd say just go with white enamel, but unless you overcoat it with something tough as nails that can withstand overcleaning it just won't hold up over time. And does this need to be applied on-site or can you take the whole lot away for spraying?

A whitened oil+varnish finish would certainly go some way towards retaining the original look but best of luck talking someone into that as falling under the umbrella of 'necessary maintenance'.

 

[RobinBHM]

I think commercial limed oak effect is done with a cellulose paste, then clear sprayed.

From memory I believe a coat of clear sealer is applied first so the paste does not stick to the wood, only filling the grain.

 

[rafezetter]

Thanks for replies - the items will be taken away from site (to my small work area) so can be sprayed and I do have a spray setup, but I don't have the gear to spray nitro or 2pack anymore; plus I think if I did she would think she could hit it with virtually anything including more powerful chemicals, and I'm not sure common polyU will be enough long term if she thinks it's bombproof.

From what I've read Robin, yes usually shellac or similar which won't fill the grain and aid removal of residue.

The work I've been doing for her of late is her final iteration as far as the kitchen is concerned, and she insists she's staying there till they carry her out in a box, so a good few years of cleaning needs to be considered.

The "regular maintenance" thing I think I can actually swing as it will feed into her "keep it looking good" mentality which is basically where her cleanaholic comes from - I've known her for 10 years so feel it's ok to make that assumption and she's been pretty good about oiling the fireplace and coffee table I made for her at least 2x per year (or so she tells me).

Which now that I think about it - what sort of cleaning can a tung / danish oil finish on Ash withstand? A light wipe with soapy water? will that raise the grain over time, should I raise and cut back a couple of times before finishing?

A thought, I've no experience of Rustins clear plastic, I've real favorable reviews but how durable is that longterm?

Appreciate any thoughts or ideas.

 

[oakmitre]

I have rubbed pure titanium dioxide into wood using acetone to mobilise it.

On the piece of ash I have, the pores are just not pronounced enough and the grain does not have cathedral patterns.

It just doesn't produce the desired effect.

 

[oakmitre]

.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Emulsion paint followed up with your preferred spray finish is one option. I've done this a few times, but unfortunately I don't have a very good image, but I do have the one below. Because of the overexposure the only area where the effect shows anything like accurately is towards the bottom of the panel nearest the viewer. This is white painted ash to 'fake up' the limed effect.

The method I use is apply the paint quickly, leave for a few minutes and rag off removing most of the paint. Sand back as hard or as little as desired, then spray a finish over the top. You can spray shellac, pre-cat lacquer, acid cat lacquer, water borne finishes, etc. Brush applied finishes are also an option, but you mention you have a spray gun.

A better illustration of the effect you can achieve, albeit in different colours is the one below. It's oak turned grey blue with ferrous sulphate, then a lightish clear coat of pre-cat lacquer applied to seal the grain. This was followed up with a green emulsion type paint, ragged off pretty firmly after a few minutes and left to dry thoroughly. To finish, the surface was lightly hand sanded with probably 220 or 240 grit (can't recall now), and a couple of coats of pre-cat applied. In this case, the initial clear coat was applied prior to the paint so that the paint didn't colour up the flatter surfaces significantly, and tended to concentrate itself in the open pores of the wood.

Applying the paint over bare wood is also an option, but you get a more overall colour changing effect - the preferred end result dictates the exact methodology. I guess you might be best to experiment a bit on some offcuts to determine your preferred method, if you decide to go down this route. Doing the job is pretty quick and relatively easy once you know the necessary steps. Slainte.

 

[custard]

Richard, do you lay down a base coat before ragging on emulsion for liming?

 

[Sgian Dubh]

... do you lay down a base coat before ragging on emulsion for liming?

Depends on the desired effect custard. I presume you mean a clear coat of polish to seal the grain. On the green grain filled oak (blue grey) I did apply a coat of lacquer between the ferrous sulphate staining job and the emulsion paint. On the white painted reception desk the paint was applied over bare wood, ragged off and sanded back to reveal more of the ash colour, then polished with a sprayed lacquer. I perhaps should have mentioned the paint was applied with a wide brush, probably 5" or 6" wide), basically slopped on pretty quickly across the grain and then with the grain. In both cases it was get the paint on quickly working it into the open pores (not much effort required for that), then wipe of with rags almost immediately. To reduce the ragging off effort you can sometimes scrape off most of the paint with a wide scraper/ putty knife/ stiff piece of Perspex, etc. If it's a new process to you, it's worth playing around with slightly different techniques to see what end results you can achieve. Slainte.

 

[rafezetter]

Thanks Richard for that summary - I can follow that no problem. I think in this case paint onto bare wood will be the look she will prefer, luckily I've been given the latitude to make that choice for her.