Types of wood penetrating finishes.
Best way to finish oak furniture.
Seal with shellac and scuff sand when dry.
Oak needs to be finished with very fine sandpaper like 280 or 320 grit in order for it to look nice when the final finishes are applied.
This category of finish is not.
If the requirement is to keep the oak looking as natural as possible whilst preventing blackening or silvering as much as possible then the following is the best system we know of.
Though subtle compared with pine this uneven absorption can give oak a blotchy appearance.
Simple but nice oak finish 1.
Water repellents and water repellent preservatives.
Then fill any blemishes with a grain filler paste followed by a gel stain.
Bonding primer after looking at all our options using a bonding primer to get a clean finish and avoid stripping or sanding seemed like the best option.
Apply two coats of rockler s mission oak wipe on gel stain.
Apply stain in the direction of the grain then allow it to soak into the wood before wiping away excess stain with a rag.
If it occurs on a stained and finished test piece try sealing the next test piece prior to staining using a conditioner sanding sealer or wash coat.
The longer you leave the stain on the darker your table will be.
We used the valspar stainblocking bonding primer sealer.
You also can add stain pigments to the clear finish to reduce blotching.
One increasingly popular method for finishing oak is to apply an oil stain followed by a coat of shellac to seal the stain.
Woodlife classic clear wood preservative.
Shellac is widely used for sealing oak.