Bed finish suggestions

[stal023]

I am going to make a bed out of black walnut and another wood that I haven't determined yet. Something that is contrasting, but not wildly contrasting. Maybe a white oak, cypress or maple. I am open to opinions on this.

I've never worked with much for hardwoods before and I am wondering your suggestions on finishing? I'd like to keep the woods as natural as possible. Thanks in advance.

 

[bluedawg76]

maple is my usual choice for walnut. a very nice contrast and they behave well together. here's the headboard i made for my daughter's bed. finish was oil varnish (equal parts BLO, poly, MS). Walnut is buffed w/ dark paste wax, maple is clear (non-tinted) wax.

​

​

 

[stal023]

Nice picture. What would be a wood not as light as the maple in your photo that might work well with walnut?

 

[koslonc]

I also like maple with walnut, but if you are looking for less contrast, cherry also works well with walnut.

 

[koslonc]

...here is a picture of a walnut keepsake box I made with cherry accents.

 

[JimD]

Finish on walnut needs to consider that sunlight will lighten or bleach it. Cherry, on the other hand, darkens with sunlight. If you have a piece mixing these two woods and you like the contrast, you should finish with an exterior UV blocking varnish or poly so you mininize the color change in both woods. I like to spray, especially on something large like a bed, but my other favorite finish is wipe on poly. I mix in about 1/3 mineral spirits with normal oil based poly and then wipe it on with folded up paper towels. It is very protective of the wood and it is easy. More coats are required to get the same film thickness as brushiing on poly but that's OK for me.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Maple and Walnut are excellent for a "strong" contrast. I've done a couple of pieces w/ Walnut and Cherry that I kinda like. I finish the Walnut w/ amber shellac, then an oil/varnish on the Cherry.

 

[SubGuy]

QSWO and Walnut are nice. European Beech and Walnut are nice as well. Those tend to have a much lighter contrast than Maple and Walnut. Sapele and Walnut have good contrast with clear oil based finish and the piece will remain dark. You could also dye the maple alittle and get pretty much anything you want. If you do go maple, go with Quilted or Bird's-Eye. I made a ton of samples with different color stains and dyes and combos. I will try to dig them up and let you look if you wish.

 

[stal023]

Thanks. I think the maple/bw might be more of a contrast than I'd like and the cherry/bw isn't enough of a contrast. Something in between the two?

 

[SubGuy]

Thanks. I think the maple/bw might be more of a contrast than I'd like and the cherry/bw isn't enough of a contrast. Something in between the two?

Pecan
hickory
White oak
?

 

[CrealBilly]

Soft or hard maple sapwood is very common companion to black walnut.

 

[Jeff]

A little more complex than changing wood species, but soft maple or maple plywood can be fine with some color adjustment to darken it slightly to suit your eye.

A Trans Tint dye used as a dilute toner can do that (not a pigment oil base stain) while preserving the grain/figure of the wood. TransTint #6002 or #6009 for starters.

http://www.homesteadfinishingproducts.com/htdocs/TransTint.htm

Practice, practice, practice on large maple scraps to get that look...and write down every step of the process along the way so that it can be duplicated on the real deal with no surprises.

 

[LewisT]

Poplar presents a very nice contrast when used with walnut. I made a box with the two, I'll try to post a picture if I can figure out how.

 

[CrealBilly]

Why not just a clear finish?