what would you do? paint walnut?

[atgcpaul]

Let me preface this by saying it wasn't my idea.

I'm going to build new doors and drawers for my kitchen. Simple Shaker style and they're going to get painted white. Told my wife I was going to go buy some poplar at the lumber place tomorrow. She says, "I thought you had that huge pile of wood already. Why do you need to buy more?"

She's referring to the 500+bf of walnut I had milled couple years ago from a storm fallen tree in my neighbor's yard.

Paint walnut? That's crazy! I thought.

But I did take econ in high school and did pretty well. I've already spent the money on the walnut--probably $2 per bf after you add it all up--and I wouldn't have to spend more on poplar ($2.45/bf) or drive to get it. It's not a huge amount of wood I need (50ft) but it would be nice to reduce the size of my walnut stash and my intent all along was to use it for my house.

On the other hand, paint walnut? Isn't that sacrilegious? I could sell 50ft for $6/bf and use the money to buy poplar and pay for gas but I hate dealing with people on CL. They are such flakes. Probably 20 interested people but only one serious buyer. That alone is a money waster and I don't necessarily want strangers in my shop. Will walnut even paint well without a bunch of prep work to seal the pores?

What would you do? I'm on the fence but actually leaning towards just using the walnut.

[JR]

Paint walnut? That's crazy! I thought.

When you read this in the morning you will see the wisdom of those words and wonder how you could have even considered it.

[LCHIEN]

would you take some Filet Mignons you stored in the freezer last month to make some dogfood rather than run out and buy some Alpo?

[cabinetman]

What would you do? I'm on the fence but actually leaning towards just using the walnut.

Noooooooooooo, don't do that. I get hives just thinking about painting walnut. You'll never forgive yourself. Buy the Poplar. Or, you might go to a local lumber supplier, and maybe he'll make a trade, but figure the differential in cost in your favor.

.

[woodturner]

I've already spent the money on the walnut--probably $2 per bf after you add it all up--and I wouldn't have to spend more on poplar ($2.45/bf) or drive to get it.

Maybe there are other alternative. Why not find a supplier that has poplar at a more reasonable price? Even the borg around here is under $2 a square foot for milled dimensional poplar.

Another thought - you said the walnut was from a neighbor's tree, so I am assuming it was cut through and through and would likely grade out at 1C or maybe only 2C. In other words, not every board will be usable for furniture or woodworking projects, and 50% or more waste would not be unexpected. Are there 50 b' of boards that are "scrap" for furniture use but could be used for this project? Defects like splits, knots, etc. could be filled before painting and the painted result would look great. Could be a way to salvage wood you would otherwise toss.

Have you looked on CL for wood? Around here, there are a number of folks with portable band mills that sell wood. It's variable grade and it's usually sold wet or air dried, but the cost is usually less than $1.00 per board foot.

Any chance you could convince her to go with a clear finish, so the beauty of the walnut shows?

Regarding painting walnut, it's a bit porous to take paint well. It can be painted, but it will be a lot more work than painting poplar. Could be another argument to make against painting the walnut.

[greenacres2]

I love walnut, and have milled weathered scrap into some nice looking pieces. And when i first read the question my knee jerk reaction was DON'T. I've had the same kind of conversation with LOML as to why i was buying 2 x 4's when i had 1500 bf of cherry, oak and ash in the shop (purchased for $500 on CL). She's slowly learning that all wood is not the same.

But the answer may lie in the grades on hand and purchased. Saw mill near me is around $2.48/bf (100 bf price, can be mixed with other species) for commercial #2 walnut but almost $5.00 for Select & Better. Their Poplar ranges from $1.07 for commercial #2 to about $2.15 for S & B at 10" wide.

So...what's the quality of the walnut? Do you have 50 bf that NEEDS to be painted to be usable? If you did poplar, could you get by with commercial grade? I can also get wormy maple for under $2/bf (under $1.50 for #1 & better) which can have the worm holes filled since you're painting anyway.

Good luck.

[greenacres2]

Thought i'd add this for you so you can show her the $14 walnut versus the $1.07 poplar. Not saying you'd use any 4" thick walnut...just giving you ammunition!!

[All Thumbs]

This is so easy I'm surprised nobody mentioned it.

"Honey, walnut is naturally quite dark. If the paint is nicked or what not, the dark wood will show through. It would look terrible. If I use poplar, you'd hardly notice it, as it is a lighter wood. It also may take more coats of paint, which isn't inexpensive."

Of course, I guess that doesn't work if she wants the cabinets painted a darker color.

[dbhost]

It seems like driving a new Ferrari to go volunteer at a homeless shelter to me... Something not right about it you know?

[JSUPreston]

Well, there is the flip side. 10 years from now, when she wants wood grain fronts, you can pull these and strip the paint.

[akronee]

Because of the blight, Walnut is $10.50/bf for 8/4 in Denver right now, more expensive than purple heart.....making a beautiful walnut door sounds great, painting it sounds like a waste. Maybe somebody on here in your area would be interested in a trade.

[sweensdv]

I had a nightmare last night, I dreamt that someone was actually thinking about painting some walnut.

[atgcpaul]

So if I'm reading it right, I shouldn't paint the walnut?


OK, OK. I came to my senses this morning and checked CL one last time. Vienna Hardwoods in VA is having a 50% off on all in-stock lumber through Dec 31. Never been there before because their prices are the same as my local place, but for 50% off, it was worth the $5 in gas.

The guy there (I'm guessing owner) was nice, but either business is really bad or he's a wood hoarder like me. Stuff piled high and not very organized in there. Gives me new appreciation for my local guy.

Picked up 63bf of poplar for $1.20/bf. Also stopped in at HD to buy a new light bulb. Their S4S poplar was $2.25/lf for 1x6 so $4.50/bf. My local prices are much better than they were when I lived in SoCal, but apparently not as good as some other areas of the country.

As far as the walnut I currently have, there are some spectacular boards in there but there're also some so-so ones. I use those for drawer runners or cabinet backs.

Anyway, thanks for talking me down. Everyone take a deep breath and exhale slowly.


Paul

[leehljp]

I had a nightmare last night, I dreamt that someone was actually thinking about painting some walnut.

LOL .

I had a 12 in wide walnut board about 15 inches long back in 2002 or 2003 (while in Japan). It was about 7/8 thick finished both sides. I wanted a thin walnut board to use as a lap pad for my laptop to rest on. A very close friend (from the Atlanta area) heard me talking about it and said he would like one.

I decided to re-saw it as much as possible with my BT3000 and finish with a handsaw. It worked well. I didn't have a planer of any type at the time with me over there so I took a belt sander and sanded it down fairly smooth on both pieces of wood. And then finish sanded it to get all swirls out.

After finish coating with three or four coats of poly, I called my friend and told him to come get it. He came over and by this time the cured finish revealed a few minor sanding swirls in the walnut. I told him I needed to get the swirls out but I would put a couple of coats of Poly and it would be perfect!

He was aggitated at my suggestion and said: "There is no way you will match the color on the wood after sanding it."

Me: What do you mean?

He: That is the best walnut finish I have ever seen! I don't want you messing it up!

Me: This is NOT STAIN; it is real wood!

Him: Real? I though walnut "finish" was paint!

(And he inherited a small pine tree farm from his dad!)

[Bruce Cohen]

I'll gladly trade you 3 bf of Poplar for every 1bf of walnut.
BTW, Merry X-mas

Bruce