What finish for Blackbutt mantlepiece & hearth?

Question

Hi All,

I'm after a little bit of guidance for a diy project I'm working on, which is a mantle piece and hearth for an electric fire surround. I'm using (mostly) salvaged Blackbutt flooring which I've laminated together and doctored in a way that makes it look like chunkier timber. Although I'm not at the finishing stage just yet, I'm hoping to use something that won't darken the timber, as I really love its nice light tone. I was banking on water-based satin Polyurethane, which I use a lot, but on testing it on some offcuts even that seems to darken it a bit too much for my liking, though I could be overthinking it. Are there any recommendations for another satin-type finish that won't darken the timber? Thanks in advance.

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @tod,

Sounds like a plan.

Good luck, and don't forget to share some photos when you're done. It would be fantastic to see how it turns out.

Jacob

tod · Answer

Thanks for the advice Mitchell and for the compliment on the project thus far. I'll get some clear hardwax oil and see how that goes on a offcut and failing that I'll go for the tried and tested polyurethane.

MitchellMc · Answer

Hi @tod,

Water-based polyurethane is probably about as good as you’ll get with a hard coating if you’re trying to retain the natural, lighter appearance of the Blackbutt. Most clear coatings will deepen the colour to some extent once applied, but water-based polyurethane generally has less of an ambering effect than oil-based polyurethane and is commonly used where maintaining the lighter appearance of Blackbutt is important.

Another option worth considering is a clear hardwax oil. These are commonly used on timber benchtops, furniture and flooring and tend to give a more natural, close-to-the-timber appearance rather than building up the more obvious film that you get with polyurethane.  The trade-off is that a hardwax oil can still enrich or warm the timber slightly, so it isn't necessarily going to leave the Blackbutt looking exactly as it does when freshly sanded.

If retaining that pale colour is your main priority, I’d be inclined to make up a couple of larger test pieces from your offcuts and apply the full number of coats you intend to use. A single test coat can look quite different from the completed finish, so comparing a finished water-based polyurethane sample with a finished hardwax oil sample should give you a much better indication of which direction you prefer.

It’s looking fantastic so far, and that laminated flooring has done a very convincing job of creating the appearance of a much more substantial piece of Blackbutt.

Let me tag @r23on, @JoeAzza and @woodenwookie to see if they have any thoughts on preferred coatings for retaining the natural look of timber.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell