Choosing the Right Wood Finish for your Project

Wood finishes can be confusing, and there are a lot of options out there. In this video, I go through the most common types of finishes, and explain when I use them and why.

All the finishes I used in this video:

Stains: 2:02

Top Coats: 6:22

Spray Finishes: 11:40

Wax: 12:29

Food Safe Finishes: 13:18

Outdoor Finishes: 14:40

Other:

[pilotdog]

I know this is an older video but I didn't watch it earlier because the thumbnail made it look like it was only about Arm-R-Seal. I'm so glad you covered many other types, and shockingly you're one of the only people to even mention Baltic Birch. This was very helpful.

[thetruthno]

I am a do it yourselfer, not a pro, but I have had really good results using shellac as an under coat, to bring out he depth and grain, and then topping with arm r seal for durability. I also use shellac under paint as a primer to prevent yellowing of light paints.

[janetlukehart]

After watching multiple staining and finishing videos, your information is concise and easy to understand. I feel more confident about why to chose and use a particular product. Thank you!

Wow! I’m so glad you made a comment about wood that would be outside and NOT using polyurethane on it!!! Thank you!!!
I’m making/donating an outdoor sign for a Scout Camp and am an artist but a true novice with wood! So glad your advice really helped!!

[mikeswan]

General Finishes SHOULD sponsor you. I went to them because of our videos.

[chrisosh]

Brilliant! You covered just about everything in 17 minutes, re the wooden sink, make sure the epoxy is a marine quality epoxy like WEST, epoxies are formulated for different jobs, some, like a lot of casting epoxies don't perform as well in a wet environment.

[danwinter]

This was one of the most helpful videos ever. I’ve saved it for future reference.

[sarahscussel]

This was the most helpful resource for finishes I've found in the 3+ months I've been researching finishes. Thank you!

[weberwoodshop]

I totally agree... I’ve been using General Finishes for years and love it. The wood blackening is something I’ve been trying to figure out lately so that was great. Awesome breakdown.

[bigdogmn]

For staining, you should try General Finishes Gel Stain. It's my go-to for pine as you don't need the pre-stain. I also use a foam brush to apply it and a staining pad (from Rockler) to wipe off...comes out perfect!

[redfox]

That was awesome! Seriously, I would have had to watch a dozen or more videos to hear all this information on all the different products. Extremely informative, thank you.

[heathertempleton]

Seriously, the BEST VIDEO I've found explaining these products for the weekend DIY'er. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[tonyditty]

Really good job on this video. I have watched hundreds of videos and never felt compelled to comment but your presentation was great, speed of material covered and the spectrum of material covered was terrific. I particularly liked the section on protecting your lungs. Its so important and seldom mentioned (some guys/gals demonstrate without wearing anything). Keep up the good work.

[homtherobot]

Amazing video, thanks for sharing so much heard-earned wisdom. I will be coming back to reference this regularly. One thing I think should be noted, at 14:20 you mention concern that the salad bowl finish is a petroleum product, but technically mineral oil is too. So everything on that table in this section can be considered a petroleum product, except the shellac 😅I know mineral oil is considered food safe, but knowing it comes from petroleum freaks me out just a little too much, so I prefer fractionated coconut oil (which doesn't go rancid). Walrus Oil sells big jugs of it!

[BatacMex-American]

man, your video is great, you are a very helpful, easy to the ear professional wood expert! didn't got bored at all and i listen the entire video, twice! keep the passion on your work, i just subscribed to your channel!! wojou!

[robhales]

Thanks for the video dude. I've watched like 10 of these and yours makes the most sense to me.

[stevejensen]

Hey Mike - great vid! Right on about the GF HP and ARS. One thing you might mention is that the ARS will amber out over time and the HP doesn't as you did mention!

[CasualBuilds]

Hahaha, that shot of you sunbathing your your two pals, Purple Heart and Cherry!

[scottclifford]

Fantastic presentation! You did in one video what I just finished watching 10 videos to accomplish. 2 thumbs up!!

[parapente]

De-waxed Shellac: I have found this to be my go to for base finish, it smooths out pours and grain, seals and is a universal base coat accepting many top coats. There are some excellent videos on you tube if you have any questions. Thanks for this video, well done.