Water based finishes, the most incognito...

[Dokkodo]

I am building some kitchen units which are clad with reclaimed pine boards, as per clients request. They are nice boards, with one aged side which has gone quite dark which will be the faces. However, the tricky thing is the finish. They need sealing, theyll soak up oily cooking hand prints like mad otherwise, but obviously oil has a very darkening effect on them. Im wondering if anyone knows of a clever water based finish that will have little effect or perhaps evening be slightly lightening. Im no finishing expert, and have almost only used oil based finishes so far, apart from a PU finish on a unit for my camper van which was very durable but a bit plasticky.

I just spent a while trying to find a product mentioned on a thread here, barfords aquacote, but I couldnt find it and upon inspection the thread was over 10 years old so maybe its no longer a thing.

 

[custard]

There's an Osmo finish called Osmo Raw Transparent, the product number is 3044. It's basically regular Osmo PolyX but with a small amount of a whitening agent that counteracts the yellowing/darkening effect of the oil. You get all the protection benefits of PolyX plus the ease of application but without the colour change.

I've used it on a wide range of hardwoods and it pretty much does what it says on the tin. But two things you need to know. Firstly, I've never used it on softwoods so I can't comment on the result. Secondly, given enough time and enough daylight no finish will protect against wood changing colour, all you're really doing is buying yourself some time.

Osmo also offer two further products with even more whitening agent, 3111 and 3186. These two give almost a "limed" effect, which isn't to everyone's taste. Here's all three products on Birch, the gaps between the three shows unfinished wood,

Osmo offer sample sachets of all their products that only cost about a quid or so. Before committing to a real project you'd do well to experiment.

 

[Dokkodo]

Thanks very much, i had wondered about osmo raw, ive seen a floor it was used on, which was already fairly light, and thought id looked a bit limed, so maybe it was the stronger version.

I think an oil based finish will just always be too darkening and anything with pigment/whitener wont look quite right. Ill order some testers though, cant hurt to try.

I think i may be being a bit optimistic in thinking its possible to finish these boards without them going at least a fair bit darker with anyway. It is what it is, i can only hope they don't mind too much.

 

[mbartlett99]

There's always water borne PU - very nearly no colour caste and dries very quickly. Rubbish on woods that need a bit of warming but pretty good on maple/sycamore where you want to keep it light.

 

[custard]

There's always water borne PU - very nearly no colour caste

Water based poly varnish has its place, but you need to be aware of the downsides. Probably the most significant is that it offers very poor protection against red wine and fruit juice spills, plus it's worth noting that some water based pu varnishes will darken pale timbers almost as much as oil based finishes.

There seems to be a problem with the forum at the moment that prevents photos being posted. If I can remember once the problem's sorted I'll post some test result photos that might put you right off water based pu finishes, at least for dining tables or for kitchen work surfaces!

 

[mbartlett99]

TBH I've ony ever used the Bona Chemi range - veyr watery to apply but clear. After you first posted about the red wine it happened to me which was annoying but just checking today it seems to have lifted!

 

[MikeG.]

The other water-based finish that doesn't change wood's appearance much is water-based lacquer. I use it extensively, but I couldn't comment on how well it protects against wine and fruit juice spillage. What is does do is stay very clear (ie non-yellow).

 

[custard]

Here's a test on Sycamore. The four finishes, from left to right, are Polyvine water based PU, HP water based PU, Osmo Raw (3044), and Osmo PolyX. All finishes had three coats applied according to manufacturers instructions. Typical red wine staining was repeated three times at one minute, ten minutes, and one hour before being wiped off with a damp cloth.

Here's the result,

In the flesh you'd see both the PU varnishes showed some staining after just one minute. Both the Osmo finishes showed zero staining after one minute and ten minutes, and the faintest imaginable trace after one hour. Furthermore, localised refinishing is easy with Osmo but virtually impossible with PU varnishes (the subsequent finish layers are prone to delamination).

It's not immediately apparent on a rubbish Phone photo, but in the flesh you'd see the HP water based PU varnish is darker than the Polyvine equivalent, that's fairly typical and in reality there's quite a range amongst water based PU varnishes, from a slight blue tint, through genuine "water white", up to a marked darkening/yellowing tinge.

As I said before, water based PU varnishes definitely have their place, but they're far from a silver bullet solution. As always with any finish it pays to test first on some off-cuts, because what it says on the tin is rarely the full story of what you'll experience on your project.

 

[Dokkodo]

Let it not be said you have not been very thorough.

Or was it just the perfect excuse to drink a bottle of wine... :idea:

 

[thomashenry]

This is useful into for me. I've got a box sash frame in a bathroom that's been stripped back to bare, 150 year old pine, and it's the most gorgeous deep colour - totally unlike any pine I've ever bought. I had intended to repaint, but it looks so nice I can't bring myself to. However,I would want any finish I do apply to have as little effect as possible on the appearance of the wood. I'd not heard of that Osmo product, I'll get a sample and test it.