Painting, Staining, and Finishing Hardwood?

Question

I'm building a home bar and I need to start thinking about the look of the woodwork. The wood is all birch or oak. I need to paint one piece of it, while simply finish (and maybe stain) the rest. What types of paint can I use on the wood and do I need to put anything down before the paint? For finishing it, I have Amber Shellac that worked great on my last project, but I'm looking for a slightly darker, warmer look. How might I achieve this? All the wood is bare.

Answer 1

Birch and Oak are going to take stain differently. Oak will generally take stain evenly and I like to use Minwax Special Walnut on oak for a warm, rich look. If you stain the Birch it is a good idea to put a sealer on it first or it may turn out "blotchy" as it absorbs stain unevenly. The home centers (Menard's, Home Depot) carry a fully line of Minwax products and I have used them for years. If you paint the Birch, use a primer first to seal it for evenness of the paint. I like Minwax Polyurethane "Satin" finish for a nice, not too shiney but deep lustre finish on stain.
I've done a lot of staining and have used their products for years.

Answer 2

Before painting hardwood you need to paint it with a filler which evens out the pores. Then primer its, and then use a goo quality of paint. You should use the same company for all products

For the nice wood finish you can still use shellac (although for a bar it might be a problem, as alcohol dissolves shellac) just go for a deeper color. Another good choice is to look into the new rubbed oil finish made from soybean oil, it comes in different depths of color and it protects well, and there is no hazard from fumes, food interaction or anything else.

Answer 3

Finsih is a personal thing, for sure. I prefer natural finishes on woods like oak and birch where the natural grain is tight, and stains don't really absorb well.

I'd be loath to paint any hardwood, but if you must, sand it with an 80-grit paper, wipe it down well, prime it and apply a good quality paint. If it were me, I'd use oil-based primer and paint, but I've seen excellent results from water-based alkyds and enamels also.

I don't like shellacs for anything esposed to wear. I use polyeurethanes, like Flecto or Minwax. If you like the wood in its natural color, a clear varathene will darken it very slightly. If you want to darken it, try some test pieces with the varathane-plus-stain products.

I wish we could post pictures here - I'd love to see the fianl-final!

Answer 4

Go somewhere that offers a large line of tones and colors, bring a sample of wood with you. Birch is usually a hardwood and left it's natural color, only finished with a varnish or wax. Hi-lighting this wood with paint maybe a good thing but, make sure it's what you want, it could be an expensive change if you don't like it.

Answer 5

Yes you need to apply a primer to the parts of wood you are going to paint. Use the stain to exposed wood areas. The darker you want the stain the more applications you need to apply.
Good LUck!