Finishing workshop drawers

[tony359]

Hi there,

I have built a chest of drawer for my DIY workshop. I used soft plywood.
I'd like to coat them with something quick and inexpensive, just to give them a little protection - but I am not looking at anything fancy, just to protect the wood from moisture and wear and tear. The drawers are in a garage which is not totally insulated so it can become cold and a little humid at times.

Maybe a oil finish? I must say I didn't like the linseed oil finish I applied on my workbench - but probably I didn't apply that correctly.

cheers!

 

[AndyT]

Leftover paint seems ideal to me. If you need to buy something specially, water based brushable acrylic varnish is pretty easy and dries in less than an hour.

 

[ED65]

Nothing wrong with an oil finish when it's what you want Tony but it won't provide what you're looking for here.

If you want to give best protection from wear and tear you want a film finish. Paint is one of the better options here but a lot depends on the type of paint, a gloss oil-based enamel would be much better than a matt emulsion for example.

Polyurethane varnish is another great option, the poly adding a lot of toughness and scratch resistance to a varnish.

I must say I didn't like the linseed oil finish I applied on my workbench - but probably I didn't apply that correctly.

Were you a little slack about wiping down after application to remove the excess oil? That's the usual way an oil finish can go wrong

I like a hand-rubbed oil finish myself, but it requires patience to do well. Patience when you apply it, to spend enough time rubbing down after application, and a different kind of patience to apply enough coats.

 

[mindthatwhatouch]

Oil/varnish mix thinned with white spirit.
Easy to apply, add another coat and relatively cheap.

 

[tony359]

thanks for your replies.

ED65

Were you a little slack about wiping down after application to remove the excess oil? That's the usual way an oil finish can go wrong

Yes, absolutely. In fact I tried on an offcut and this time the result was much better so I decided to go with linseed oil.

In terms of protection, I feel I'm happy with oil, but thanks for your input!