Finish comparisons - a place for general info and especially photos

[DLJeffs]

It seems like there are quite a few questions pop up about the characteristics and qualities of various kinds of finishes. So post your comparison photos here - especially before and after pics.

I am starting to do something with some citrus that Joe ( @wood128 ) sold me a year ago. It's a dense, hard wood, light in color with a little figure and grain color, that seems to sand very smooth. So I took a cutoff piece and applied four kinds of finish to see what it looked like - 2% dewaxed, ultra blond shellac; Danish oil; Formby's Tung oil; and Minwax wipe-on poly. Here's two photos after one coat along side another cutoff that is sanded to 200 grit without any finish. Note: I used my finger to apply the finish because I was too lazy to cutup a rag into four pieces.

The Danish oil soaked in the most and also turned darkest. My tung oil is pretty old and starting to get a little thick and left wipe on streaks, so I lightly sanded it with 320 grits. I think ultimately it would be in between the Danish oil and the poly. The other two weren't sanded. I am a little surprised the wipe-on poly is darker than the shellac, but I suppose the shellac is pretty thin and leaves a much thinner layer.

 

[daniscool]

How do I post a comparison? I don’t have any citrus. Or any of the finishes you describe as the mixtures are different in the EU. Just a piece of wood with my finish of choice?

 

[DLJeffs]

How do I post a comparison? I don’t have any citrus. Or any of the finishes you describe as the mixtures are different in the EU. Just a piece of wood with my finish of choice?

Yes, I wasn't saying to post comparisons with my post. People are always asking what finish doesn't darken or yellow, which builds faster or doesn't build, which is most glossy or least glossy, etc. So my idea was that when someone does a test to compare, post those photos here so we have them for future use. If you took before and after photos of a piece of wood with a finish on it, post it up.

 

[2feathers Creative Making]

I am going to have to try to get a sample of an exterior finish my acquaintance used on exterior doors. I can't give a comparison shot but I got some cedar cutoffs that had been treated with it and 5 years later the stuff looks fresh planed and a little wet.

 

[trc65]

Not too surprised the wipe on poly is darker than shellac. Even though greatly thinned, it is still an oil base, unless it's a water based wipe on?

Shellac (Platina) almost always darkens the least (immediately, and over time), unless you start talking about the water based finishes. I've tried several water based finishes and don't care for the "cold" look they leave on most woods.

Nitro lacquer is amongst those that initially darken little, but they will yellow with enough age.

Have a wood like walnut that darkens too much with an oil based finish? My go to in that case is Nitro lacquer. Gives a beautiful finish with little color change (initially). Keeping the piece out of direct sunlight (UV) lengthens the time to start yellowing. Mr G says that it will take a decade or more for a nitro lacquer to start yellowing.

Sorry, no comparison pics, most of the testing I've done was years ago.

@2feathers Creative Making what was the finish used on the door? Perhaps an untinted exterior deep/neutral base?

 

[2feathers Creative Making]

Aliphatic urethane. I was introduced to it as a finish for high end mahogany doors. Once we talked more I found he used it for basically anything wood that was exposed to the sun or weather.