Which light / golden finish for oak faced plywood?

[Ceirwan]

One of my tasks this winter has been to build some new lockers above the settee backs in the cabin, or price reasons I've gone with oak faced ply & oak trim
I was going to use a danish oil from Curprinol called 'medium oak' which looked pretty golden on the example colours they showed, unfortunately I've applied it onto the first bit of trim & it a bit dark and gloomy, and makes the cabin look a bit to 'furniture like'. I don't want to leave it as white as it as standard.
I'm going to attempt to acetone / sand what I've done so far off.

Can anyone recommend me some kind of finish to get that 'golden' look you often see?
Is it simply a matter of the type of oil or stain?

Picture of what it looks like now, second picture is more the colour I'd like.

Worst case scenario I can always paint it white with varnished trim, the oak plywood isn't cripplingly expensive.

 

[lw395]

I prefer a clear finish.
The clearest seems to be 2 pack International.
What Ronseal call clear exterior varnish' is not terribly clear, in a jar it's as dark as good ale and a lot cloudier, but I'm using it for skirting boards at the moment.
Anything which claims to be 'oak colour' will be light brown applied over very pale timber and brown applied over oak.

The water based Ronseal might be worth a look.

 

[Old Bumbulum]

I've used Rustin's Wood Dyes to get oak to the colour illustrated, Light Teak I think in that case, followed by varnish or multiple coats of raw linseed oil.
The dye needs to be carefully applied with a soft pad to get an even density and avoid streaks.
Only by using trial pieces with different amounts and perhaps overlaying colours and then adding a layer of your finish can you be sure of what colour you'll eventually get.
It's a bit painstaking but worth it if you want a good result.

 

[Ceirwan]

I'll give those suggestions a try.
I've some woodskin as well, that might be a worth a test piece, presumably once its dry you could satin varnish over it.

 

[MarcJ]

I've used white oak faced ply in my camper. I used Danish oil and then varnish - the roof panel is danish oil, facing wood is clear varnish....
20190417_155211.jpg

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

I'd be pretty cautious about any coloured finishes because oak tends to yellow on its own over a couple of years.

 

[Poignard]

Worst case scenario I can always paint it white with varnished trim, the oak plywood isn't cripplingly expensive.

I'd say that would be the best case scenario! To my eye, the large areas of varnished plywood beloved by yacht builders don't look attractive. It's like living inside a tea chest.

 

[DownWest]

I use a clear water-based hard finish on oak. Sold as a floor varnish for intensive use areas, like stairs. Brings up the natural colour and very durable, goes on a bit milky and dries clear in 30min. From our local B&Q.

 

[Ceirwan]

I've used white oak faced ply in my camper. I used Danish oil and then varnish - the roof panel is danish oil, facing wood is clear varnish....
20190417_155211.jpg

#

Which danish oil is that please?
That along the lines of the effect that I'm going for.

I'd say that would be the best case scenario! To my eye, the large areas of varnished plywood beloved by yacht builders don't look attractive. It's like living inside a tea chest.

Well I have a theme going, the main bulkhead will be white (as I had to fill some holes cut in it my POs), as will all fore & aft facing surfaces. (With varnished trim)
I'd quite like to the the stuff like cupboards and 'outboard' surfaces in varnished wood though.

 

[prv]

Is your second picture - the result you want - actually oak? On my monitor (everybody's will display the colour slightly differently) it looks a lot like my interior woodwork, which is cherry. I don't know what finish the builder used, but the bits I've added have six coats of standard Epifanes and one of their Rubbed Effect, and match the original very closely.

Pete

 

[Ceirwan]

Is your second picture - the result you want - actually oak? On my monitor (everybody's will display the colour slightly differently) it looks a lot like my interior woodwork, which is cherry. I don't know what finish the builder used, but the bits I've added have six coats of standard Epifanes and one of their Rubbed Effect, and match the original very closely.

Pete

Definitely oak.
I actually wanted to use Cherry, but while the hardwood is easy enough to come by, Cherry faced plywood is not, I rang around several suppliers including Robbins & no one could get it. MDF yes, plywood no.
I'm not really equipped to do a proper job of veneering my own plywood so I went for oak.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I'd be pretty cautious about any coloured finishes because oak tends to yellow on its own over a couple of years.

+1. Have a look at the pews in any church to see how Oak changes colour with time - most are dark brown (if of early 20th-century vintage) and almost black if mediaeval. The vast majority of pews are Oak.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I'd say that would be the best case scenario! To my eye, the large areas of varnished plywood beloved by yacht builders don't look attractive. It's like living inside a tea chest.

Each to his or her own. To me, a white finish looks like cheap flat-pack furniture!

 

[prv]

I actually wanted to use Cherry, but while the hardwood is easy enough to come by, Cherry faced plywood is not, I rang around several suppliers including Robbins & no one could get it. MDF yes, plywood no.

Yes, I found the same. I ended up getting Robbins to make a sheet specially for me - I had to replace a half-bulkhead and really wanted it to match. The remaining half-sheet is carefully stored in my workshop

Pete

 

[MarcJ]

#

Which danish oil is that please?
That along the lines of the effect that I'm going for.



Well I have a theme going, the main bulkhead will be white (as I had to fill some holes cut in it my POs), as will all fore & aft facing surfaces. (With varnished trim)
I'd quite like to the the stuff like cupboards and 'outboard' surfaces in varnished wood though.

It's this one - Rustins original Danish Oil | Rustins

 

[Poignard]

Each to his or her own. To me, a white finish looks like cheap flat-pack furniture!

As you say, each to his own but my 1967 Twister has small windows and the white-painted bulkheads and locker fronts do make it seem lighter inside.

I still have plenty of attractive varnish work inside such as the mahogany coachroof coamings, mahogany grabrails, chart table and various bits of trim.

 

[northwind]

Worst case scenario I can always paint it white with varnished trim, the oak plywood isn't cripplingly expensive.

For oak furniture I use Osmo Polyx, you could also try Sadolin Clear Coat, it doesn't yellow as much as varnish

 

[Ceirwan]

Yellowing is actually what I'm after, rather than darkening.
I did a test piece with some Woodskin today and its a touch closer to what I'd like, I'll try the Danish oil mentioned above.

I think white can look good, as long as its not ALL white, some bits of trim & varnished wood can make it look pretty classy.