supernaut

I'm making a cedar chest for my girlfriend, and I just started staining parts of it. It's made out of aromatic red cedar. The sides of the box are all still clear and have their original color. The lid, however, has a mottled appearance to it. Yellow splotches appear among the red and purple. I've tried sanding them with some 180 on my orbital, but it doesn't come up. I applied a layer of Cabot natural stain to it, and the yellow areas show up a lot darker than the rest. The stain is still wet, but I'm worried that it will still show after it has dried.

I'm not sure what's caused this. I'd think that it may be from sunlight, but there's no discoloration on the rest of the chest. Since I started looking to see what may have caused this, I've seen that a lot of people recommend just BLO as a finish, or staining it, but using a conditioner first. If either of these are a better way to finish cedar, is it too late for me to use them, or am i just stuck with the discoloration?

firehawkmph

SN,
Is the yellow splotches possibly some of the color of the wood coming out? I have turned some cedar like you are talking about and have come across a lot of yellow mixed in with the purple and red. It actually looks good. If not, maybe you could post a picture.
Mike Hawkins

jerry

The problem is the natural oils of the cedar reacting with the stain and/or top coat. When you apply anything to the cedar you partially or completely interfere with the reason most people use aromatic cedar - The Smell-. Whatever you decide you will first have to remove what ever you have applied.

Regards

Jerry

Gerry KIERNAN

Call me dense, and slow, but why on earth would you want to stain a beautiful wood like cedar?

Gerry

bradnailer

I agree, Gerry. Cedar should be left natural, rubbed with oil.

supernaut

Thanks for the insight. I think I'm going to leave the stain, as it looks better now than it did when I was applying it. My only concern now is what finish to use. The chest is dimensioned as a coffee table, and it is intended to be used as such. Therefore, I'd want a finish (at least on the lid) that is water and scratch-resistant. The other consideration is UV protection. It certainly wont be exposed to constant, direct sunlight, but that is still a concern for me. Any advice?

-Brian

Gerry KIERNAN

At the advice of Cabinetman I tried out water based polyurethane. I have used varnish, varathane, and regular polyurethane in the past, but the water based polyurthane is a real treat to use. It goes on well with a brush, or by spraying, and is a breeze to clean up with water. The satin finish is very nice. I cannot vouch for durability at this time, as I just put it on, but it says on the can that it is good for panels, cabinets, trim, and floors, so it must be pretty durable.

Gerry

johnp

it's a shame red cedar is so soft.. the best finsh i've found is none at all.. 600 grit paper and carnuba wax.. but then i use that on 90 percent of the woods i play with. a harder wood would just get a higher grit of paper..

best way to get a hand rubbed finish.. hand rub the wood