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I had a couple of slabs of redgum that have been idling for about 15 years and now I've just cut one in half as shown above. It will be an inside piece and I want to know the best way to bring the colour out of it so really shows the true redgum popping colours and grain. (Don't care about the cracks; they are just character !)
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Shayden. We're thrilled to have you join us and trust you'll get plenty of help and inspiration for all your projects around the house and garden.
What beautiful timber! I'm sure members will be keen to see how you use it.
Let me tag one of our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. experts in @EricL for product recommendations for you.
Jason
Hello @Shayden
I suggest trying out a quick test on your Redgum slab. Grab a clean rag and soak it in water, squeeze a bit of the water out and wipe a small portion of the slab with the wet rag. When the redgum absorbs the water, you'll see how the surface colour will change from light to dark. Being a natural product the redgum surface reacts differently to certain kinds of sealers. If the sealer or oil you use gets absorbed, it will in theory show the timbers colour.
How the surface is sanded also plays a crucial role on how the sealer will look like on the surface. Using a high grit number such as 400grit will give you a very smooth surface. If you have an off cut that you can test sealers on this would be an ideal way of seeing what they will look like once applied. If you do have an offcut to test, I suggest bringing it to the store and asking the paint specialist if you they can test some sealers on the surface so that you can see if it will bring the colour out.
For your first test, I propose testing Cabot's 1L Satin Clear Benchtop Timber Finish. It's designed for benchtop use and enhances natural timber grain.
I also recommend having a look at this discussion - Replacing kitchen and bathroom benchtops - River Red Gum timber by @Old-gal24.
Let me call on our experienced members @Wayne, @rjackson and @AnitaH25 for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
