Finishing hard maple

[cork58]

I will be getting close to finishing some Hard Maple and am looking for a soft satin look. Any ideas what to use. It is a piece of furniture that will stay in the living room. May get a plant on it but that is about it.

[pelligrini]

I think a just a satin poly looks nice. The poly should add a little protection from the plants.

[cabinetman]

Depending on what the grain looks like and what you like, you could wipe on some BLO, to bring out the grain, let dry, and then do a wipe on of oil base poly, or waterbased polyurethane. Or, just do either the OB poly or WB poly right from the start. The OB poly can be thinned 50% with MS, for the first application, and 25% for succeeding coats.

Or, you could make your own stand alone finish of oil base mix of 1/3 BLO, 1/3 oilbase poly (or interior varnish), 1/3 mineral spirits (or naptha for a faster dry). Do wipe on applications (probably 3+), allowing each to dry.

Try first on some samples. Try not sanding smoother than 180x. Finish a sample to the final finish and let dry to see what looks best.
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