Heart Pine Finishing...with what

[Tom Queen]

Okay I tried researching for an answer and found pleanty of internet todos and not do. Even talked with my local store and not sure they want to give me advise because of the Heart Pine and possible pitchiness or what i think is sap. I hit a pocket of sap it was try but yellow dust was tacky. I'M CONFUSED on what to do.....

If there is thread out there just point me in that direction if not just let me know.

Here is the problem...I have built my wife a nice Heart Pine table and I have planed and jointed, sanded top and skirt. Oh....Let me say this is for the kitchen and needs to be durable also. Have 3 kids so water, cold and heated bowls will be put on top.

But now it needs to be finished but when I hit the sap pocket..see above. it concerned me. Now researching on the internet I'm finding that Waterlox is a possible option, Shellac thinned with Mineral spirits for sealer from local store but no recommendation on finishes.

So.. Waterlox, Wipe on Poly, Armaseal, full strength Shellac, Deft Lacquer or (turtle Wax my idea).

 

[marinosr]

Somebody else was just wrestling with the same issue. This thread has good advice.

https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=64870

 

[DSWalker]

My first build was a table from heartwood pine. I found pockets of crystallized sap and it also had some damp spots that had the strong odor associated with the heartwood. I used a Minwax conditioner, then Minwax stain and then several coats of Minwax Poly. It's been about 3-4 years and it is holding up very well. No finish problems at all. Pic below is pre-stain to show similarities in the wood. Not endorsing the above, just saying... It worked for me before I had the benefit of finding this site to ask a lot of questions!

 

[Tom Queen]

You are giving me HOPE.....I was thinking of Minwax because I really like the way it turns out. Do you have a finish picture? Do you have any water or heat spots? I have kids and they don't always remember to use plate mats to absorb the heat from soup bowls. Is your poly a satin, semi or gloss.

By the way beautiful table.

 

[Tom Queen]

Somebody else was just wrestling with the same issue. This thread has good advice.

https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=64870

I've read that thread twice and they are refinishing I'm already down to raw wood.

 

[DSWalker]

You are giving me HOPE.....I was thinking of Minwax because I really like the way it turns out. Do you have a finish picture? Do you have any water or heat spots? I have kids and they don't always remember to use plate mats to absorb the heat from soup bowls. Is your poly a satin, semi or gloss.

By the way beautiful table.

Thanks, Here you go. Can't recall the colors, but we started with a brown and finished it with something red. I think the Poly was a satin.

No water or hot marks, but she is now 27. They rarely use it. Most dinners are eaten from the couch!

 

[Bill Clemmons]

I recently built a table w/ Southern Yellow Pine for the top. This one had to be darkened, so I used a gel stain. It worked better than anything else I tried, but still left a slight difference between sap and hard wood. If you don't want to "color" the wood, I would suggest a gel varnish.

On another note, you mentioned mixing shellac w/ mineral spirits. DON'T. Always mix shellac w/ denatured alcohol (DNA). A 1 lb. cut of dewaxed shellac is considered a "washcoat" and can help minimize the blotching you sometimes get w/ pine.

If you want a better understanding of all types of finishing, I would recommend "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner.

P.S. For a final top coat, I would use lacquer, multiple coats.

 

[Jeff]

I hit a pocket of sap it was try but yellow dust was tacky. I'M CONFUSED on what to do.....

You mean "it was dry"? Whoever kiln dried the wood went the extra step by raising the kiln heat at the end to "set the sap" aka crystallize the sap.

I'd suggest sealing it first with Zinsser SealCoat shellac in DNA, cut to 1lb. Then topcoat with Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish for protection and durability (easily repaired if needed without major refinishing too).

This is longleaf pine...

 

[Tom Queen]

You mean "it was dry"? Whoever kiln dried the wood went the extra step by raising the kiln heat at the end to "set the sap" aka crystallize the sap.]

Thanks for your thoughts. My big fingers or auto correcting. "I'm a trying woodworker not a writer "

The pine came from a home that was built in 1900 and 118 years later it should be dry?

What do you mean by cut to 1 LB . I use deft lacquer sealer at a 70 DNA /30 deft...a jimmy clewes recipe I've used for wood turning.

Regarding the lacquer I was told to stay away from that on heart pine. another friend who works for that woodworking store told me to use Mineral Spirits to clean the wood then use wipe on poly. He has built several tables from Heart Pine and has not had any problems. these were tables he sold.

Still confused. Going to test the wipe on and let everyone know. OH..i just ordered the kindle version of the book. You were not the only one who recommended i purchase. reading tonight.

Thanks.

 

[CDPeters]

What do you mean by cut to 1 LB

If I recall correctly, Zinsser SealCoat is a 2lb cut dewaxed shellac. So to make it a 1lb cut, mix 50/50 with denatured alcohol.

Working from dry shellac flakes (mixing from scratch) the "#lb cut" refers to the weight of flakes in lbs per 1 gallon on DNA. So...

1lb flakes to 1 gallon DNA = 1 lb cut. More commonly made in small batches, so
4 oz. flakes to 1 quart DNA = 1 lb cut.

 

[Jeff]

Thanks, Chris. That's a clear explanation.

 

[Jeff]

Zinsser SealCoat is a 2 lb cut in the can so dilute it 1:1 with DNA for a 1 lb cut and wipe it on with a rag for a sealer coat. Don't need to be meticulous and fussy with it (slop it on) and let it dry about 20-40 minutes. 1 coat is usually sufficient.

Top coat with Waterlox or poly. Personally, I hate poly for lots of good reasons, but that's your call. Test it on your scraps after the shellac sealer.

 

[Tom Queen]

wow...great information if not now some time in the future. Thanks. Chris

 

[Tom Queen]

I will do...and thanks....

 

[zdorsch]

Waterlox would also be my choice. I built a SYP table for friends in 2010/2011 finished only with Waterlox and it has survived three young and VERY ACTIVE boys who use it everyday.

 

[chris_goris]

Okay I tried researching for an answer and found pleanty of internet todos and not do. Even talked with my local store and not sure they want to give me advise because of the Heart Pine and possible pitchiness or what i think is sap. I hit a pocket of sap it was try but yellow dust was tacky. I'M CONFUSED on what to do.....

If there is thread out there just point me in that direction if not just let me know.

Here is the problem...I have built my wife a nice Heart Pine table and I have planed and jointed, sanded top and skirt. Oh....Let me say this is for the kitchen and needs to be durable also. Have 3 kids so water, cold and heated bowls will be put on top.

But now it needs to be finished but when I hit the sap pocket..see above. it concerned me. Now researching on the internet I'm finding that Waterlox is a possible option, Shellac thinned with Mineral spirits for sealer from local store but no recommendation on finishes.

So.. Waterlox, Wipe on Poly, Armaseal, full strength Shellac, Deft Lacquer or (turtle Wax my idea).

Ruby shellac and satin/ semigloss Lacquer, youll be amazed!

 

[Mike Wilkins]

A small cabinet I built out of some heart pine was finished with Buttonlac shellac. This is the darker of the shellacs; I mixed my own using denatured alcohol and shellac flakes. I forget the ratio but the cabinet came out nice. No top coat was used over the shellac. Still looking fine after 15+ years.

 

[JimD]

I made a bed early this year out of new SYP 2x12s from Home Depot. I wanted another bed quickly and used a design on the "Woodworking for Engineers" website. I hardly ever stain wood and didn't stain this, I just brushed on a few coats of shellac. I think that is fine for a bed or the inside of drawers but for a kitchen table, I would put some poly over it. I've read many times that you have to use de-waxed shellac if you will put another finish over it. But I've seen several you-tubes, one by the "wood whisperer" that say they put poly over regular shellac and had no issues. So if I notice issues with the bed in a few years (which is doubtful, it doesn't get used much), I will put poly on it.

I've also just put poly over pine before. If you have a pitch pocket that ozzes (how do you spell that?) the poly will move with it and you will have a bump. But my experience is that this is pretty rare. You should see the pockets and know in advance if this is a possibility. On wood that old, I'd think it was done doing that kind of thing.

 

[Darryl]

Four years ago i built my first farmhouse table from 130 year old heart pine that i salvaged from the weatherboards of my great grandparents house. I wasn't sure of what to finish to use since i was a novice, So i asked for advice on this forum and Waterlox was recommended by several experienced members. So glad i did. Waterlox is the only finish i use on heart pine. Very easy to apply and requires little if no sanding between coats. Apply with soft cloth or brush.