Treatments for wood stand

[RICKY81]

the kind of wood is suppose to be made out of Oak wood. I should be getting the stand in tomorrow so i can definitely take and post some pictures... i plan on using the killz paint for the inside and i think i will be going for the polyurethane..... only cause it was the one that has been mentioned of more times...LOL..

[opium89]

Poly is just a clear coat finish, it will darken the color slightly and will provide a "natural" look. Now, oak is a VERY porous wood with lots of nooks and crannys in the grain. If a natural look is what you want, you can simply apply a few coats of poly and be done with it, sanding with a very fine sandpaper between coats, or you can darken it with something like Tung Oil (as was previously mentioned) beforehand.

If you want to add some color by staining it, you are going to want to fill the grain first with something called sanding sealer or grain filler. It's a personal preference really, but if you intend to stain, it will look far better if you seal the grain first, then stain, then finish with poly. I can recommend some products and send you some instructions on how to apply them if this is the route you want to go. It's not as hard as you might think with the right direction and a little elbow grease. I would suggest Googling "aqaurium stands" or "aqaurium furniture" and send us some links with photos of what you think you might want your finished stand to look like.

[RICKY81]

this is a website that i ran in to. and the finish of the wood (i mean the pattern of the wood you know the lines and stuff) is something like that what i like but the color more like an autumn cherry stain, but not too red. something in between the autum cherry and dark walnut...

http://aquariumhoodsandstands.com/pr...e-special.aspx

[opium89]

I think I know what you're after and this might be a simple solution.

http://www.deftfinishes.com/trade/Ou...fm?ProductID=8

or

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=46

Both of these products contain a varnish as well as colorant so this is the only thing you will need to apply. There's different colors available, sounds like Black Walnut or the Mahogony might be what you're after. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you do a sample on a piece of oak first to make sure the color is what you want. Go buy a small piece of oak plywood at HD or Lowes if you need to. They may even have some scraps sitting around you can take. Ask the folks in lumber and they will tell you. Lastly, you'll also need some latex gloves, mineral spirits for cleanup, possibly some brushes and plenty of clean rags.

1. Sand stand to 180 grit, remove all dust. The more time you spend sanding, the better the overall result will be. Read up on sanding and prepping for wood finishes if you need some direction

2. Wipe or brush on your first coat - Keep wet for at least five minutes by applying more finish to spots on the oak that soak up the oil.

3. Wipe off all excess finish before it becomes tacky. Let dry overnight in a warm room.

4. Apply second coat and sand lightly with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper while surface is still wet with oil. Wipe off excess.

5. Repeat step three. (Dry overnight)

6. If the surface does not have a nice even sheen apply a third coat in same manner as Step 4. Wipe off excess and let dry.


There are lots of other ways to finish oak, but this is one of the simplest and only involves using one product. It should fill the pores adequetly while giving good color and still accenting the grain. I think you'll be very happy with it based on what you're telling us. Please post some pics when you're done with it!