Finishing for walnut bathroom vanity

[jkr1185]

Hello,
I have just finished building a walnut veneered bathroom vanity for my family's bathroom upstairs, and was looking for some finishing advice as I have never finished walnut before, and have also never finished something with the finishing requirements/demands of a vanity (dealing with exposure to water and splashes, etc.).  I would like it to be on the darker side (maybe a little red?), have a bit of contrast and vibrancy in the wood grain so that it stands out, and I am leaning towards something with a semi-gloss type finish.  Many thanks in advance for any input / suggestions for a novice finisher!
-John

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[ForumMFG]

John,

Nice piece and welcome aboard.

I would pick a dye color you want and apply it, then apply your finish...  You can use a poly but you can use other types as well but it's up to you, I don't know what look you are going for.  I would also caulk underneath the sink and not around the outside of it if you can so the caulking is not visible.  Because your piece is so nice, I personally wouldn't want to see that.

-Keep in mind that Walnut lightens overtime with age
-if you use a oil you can get a splotchy finish but with time it will improve.
-During your sanding process and once you reach about 320 or so you can use disstilled water to raise the grain and sand it with 320, or you can raise the grain while applying the dye, this procedure is a personal preference.

Hope this helps a little..  I'm sure others will chime in, there are good folks on here that can give good advise.

-Dave

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

I would suggest a coat of orange shellac to warm the color of the walnut...add some reddish tone as you said...  Kiln dried Walnut tends to get a grayish cast to it from the steaming to stabilize it in the kiln drying process.  After the shellac you could go with a good spar varnish or even a polyurethane as the final topcoats.

Best,
Todd