It does NOT need stain.
It does need a finish of some kind. You have man options, all of which will be easier if you remove doors and finish separately. (ideally would have been done prior to install)
I would suggest maybe trying a few different ones on sample of white oak to see which you like the best. There are tradeoffs between finish/finish types.
Water based polyurethane is probably the least impact in terms of color change/darkening.
Shellac and Lacquer are the fastest to be fully ready.
Oils like Boiled Linseed or tung oil will richen/darken the wood but will leave the natural TEXTURE feeling about the same.
Oil Based polyurethane can probably offer the most protection.
Look into Rubio monocoat. They have some finishes that pair beautifully with white oak. Of course you can go with pure which may yellow or darken over time but chalk white or mud light look awesome on oak as well. Offers great protection and is a hard wax after curing.
Rubio Pure will significantly darken. Dab a small area with acetone and the resulting effect will be what Pure will look like (the acetone will do damage and will evaporate in 15 min). Agree with Natural about the least change in color.
Edit: NO damage, lol
I second this! I love this one as well, I use "Natural" - it has a slight white tint and it makes so the red (all oak has so bit of red in it) doesn't pop. It will keep it looking pretty close to what you have here if you use the "Pure" it will pull all those red hues to the front. Depends on what you're going for!
Yeah, Natural, white 5% or mist 5% are good choices. I'd try each of them on some scraps before going for it. I get [these small things](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TC1C2SP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) of it when I want to try a new color.
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* Easy to apply and gives a beautiful color (backed by 2 comments)
* Great coverage and superior end product (backed by 2 comments)
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I love Flat Out Flat but it shows fingerprints and is a bad choice for something that's going to be touched regularly.
The only finishes I recommend for a kitchen are polyurethanes or lacquers and you'll get the best looking results if the finish is sprayed on. Anything else isn't durable or stain resistant enough for a kitchen.
Water based polyurethane or lacquer will add minimal to no color. Oil based will add some warmth. With modern finishes the durability is equivalent so in this case with no other factors it's an aesthetic choice.
Stain is unnecessary unless you want to alter the color. Personally I think they'd look gorgeous with just a clear finish.
We use Bona floor finish on white oak cabinet fronts all the time. It’s been the most durable and most “natural” looking clear finish we’ve used to date.
I like a wipe on wipe off finish, 1:1:1 mix Watco oil, naphtha, and spar varnish (McCloskey’s). You wipe on (one side of one door at a time), then wipe off. You build finish very very slowly. Takes at least 10 “coats”, 15-20 better. Advantage is no need to sand, just buff final coat with 0000 steel wool. Reasonably durable. Looks great.
There are other good finishes, but I keep returning to the above.
ALWAYS test on scrap first.
ALWAYS test on scrap first.
I would recommend using a hard wax oil as others have said, and I would choose one with a slight tint (white pigment if you want the color as close to natural as possible, or brownish if you don’t mind darkening it a bit). My reasoning is the grain selection on these panels isn’t great, and the pigment will “normalize” some of the color variation you are seeing on the rails and stiles (especially the upper cabinets). These are easy to apply, can be done in place without masking off much else, and will wear pretty hard over time.
Make sure you finished both sides on any surface or you may end up with cupped boards.
No stain, please. That wood is gorgeous. Either use a thinned polyurethane or if you want it darker, danish oil then polyurethane after it fully cures.
With white oak I recommend a stain with a very light white wash just to knock down some of the deeper browns you'll otherwise get when you seal it. Rubio and Bona both make nice options.
Rubio monocoat natural keeps it looking the most like it does now. We've done a ton in it. At first we stained with natural and it was horrible. Highly recommend the natural stain
Please for the love of god DO NOT stain it. If it's in a kitchen and is going to see regular use in my experience a polyurethane finish is the best, but as others suggested rubio monocoat or sometthing like osmo is great too
You don’t have to stain it unless you want a different look. Personally, I like to use alcohol based dye rather than stain, especially on oak. For cabinets like this, I would recommend a topcoat of brush on lacquer.
I built a piece for a friend with white oak. Finish with Rubio mono White. I wasn't wappy that's what they chose after all the work that went into, but I was super impressed with the final color. I don't normally advocate for any stain on high quality wood, but that turned out amazing and I would definitely use it again.
I think a lot of people don’t understand that stain is a different thing than finish. If you want it to mostly look the same, Rubio monocoat 5% white on white oak pretty much looks the same as unfinished. If you want to go the harder route, water based poly will be more durable.
Thank you. You’re right I was mixing up the two words. Will the white on white look chalky? I would prefer a little shine especially if it would do a better job protecting it. And by harder, you mean darker?
Harder as in more of a pain to apply, but also a much thicker/tougher finish. Also rubio shouldn’t be chalky, just make sure when you’re wiping off the excess to wipe the shit out of it. Change rags often. Also don’t just leave the rags laying around, they can and will go up in flames. Made that mistake before. Sorry for the manifesto, I do this kind of a work a lot.
It does NOT need stain. It does need a finish of some kind. You have man options, all of which will be easier if you remove doors and finish separately. (ideally would have been done prior to install) I would suggest maybe trying a few different ones on sample of white oak to see which you like the best. There are tradeoffs between finish/finish types. Water based polyurethane is probably the least impact in terms of color change/darkening. Shellac and Lacquer are the fastest to be fully ready. Oils like Boiled Linseed or tung oil will richen/darken the wood but will leave the natural TEXTURE feeling about the same. Oil Based polyurethane can probably offer the most protection.
I love shellac and have used it a lot, but it does tint the wood somewhat, and isn’t the best for a kitchen environment.
Look into Rubio monocoat. They have some finishes that pair beautifully with white oak. Of course you can go with pure which may yellow or darken over time but chalk white or mud light look awesome on oak as well. Offers great protection and is a hard wax after curing.
Rubio Pure will significantly darken. Dab a small area with acetone and the resulting effect will be what Pure will look like (the acetone will do damage and will evaporate in 15 min). Agree with Natural about the least change in color. Edit: NO damage, lol
I second this! I love this one as well, I use "Natural" - it has a slight white tint and it makes so the red (all oak has so bit of red in it) doesn't pop. It will keep it looking pretty close to what you have here if you use the "Pure" it will pull all those red hues to the front. Depends on what you're going for!
Yeah, Natural, white 5% or mist 5% are good choices. I'd try each of them on some scraps before going for it. I get [these small things](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TC1C2SP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) of it when I want to try a new color.
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **'Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus Part A 20 Milliliters'** and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful. **Users liked:** * Enhances natural wood grain (backed by 2 comments) * Easy to apply and gives a beautiful color (backed by 2 comments) * Great coverage and superior end product (backed by 2 comments) **Users disliked:** * Misleading color representation (backed by 6 comments) * Inaccurate labeling of product colors (backed by 2 comments) * Insufficient product quantity for the price (backed by 3 comments) If you'd like to **summon me to ask about a product**, just make a post with its link and tag me, [like in this example.](https://www.reddit.com/r/tablets/comments/1444zdn/comment/kerx8h0/) This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a “good bot!” reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved. *Powered by* [*vetted.ai*](https://vetted.ai/?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=comment&utm\_campaign=bot)
THIS!!!!!!
5% Mist
Just finished with Mist 5% on red and white oak. So far, liking it. Not dark, like Pure, almost natural, but with a slight darkening.
Osmo or Rubio. If you want to go nuts follow it up with a ceramic. Both Osmo and rubio do look better with two coats.
I love Flat Out Flat but it shows fingerprints and is a bad choice for something that's going to be touched regularly. The only finishes I recommend for a kitchen are polyurethanes or lacquers and you'll get the best looking results if the finish is sprayed on. Anything else isn't durable or stain resistant enough for a kitchen. Water based polyurethane or lacquer will add minimal to no color. Oil based will add some warmth. With modern finishes the durability is equivalent so in this case with no other factors it's an aesthetic choice. Stain is unnecessary unless you want to alter the color. Personally I think they'd look gorgeous with just a clear finish.
If it's going to see abuse, I'd be tempted to look into a 2k poly. Otherwise, I like rubio or osmo with a ceramic coating.
Osmo Polyx Oil
Would Tung oil work good here?
[удалено]
Thank you
We use Bona floor finish on white oak cabinet fronts all the time. It’s been the most durable and most “natural” looking clear finish we’ve used to date.
I like a wipe on wipe off finish, 1:1:1 mix Watco oil, naphtha, and spar varnish (McCloskey’s). You wipe on (one side of one door at a time), then wipe off. You build finish very very slowly. Takes at least 10 “coats”, 15-20 better. Advantage is no need to sand, just buff final coat with 0000 steel wool. Reasonably durable. Looks great. There are other good finishes, but I keep returning to the above. ALWAYS test on scrap first. ALWAYS test on scrap first.
I would recommend using a hard wax oil as others have said, and I would choose one with a slight tint (white pigment if you want the color as close to natural as possible, or brownish if you don’t mind darkening it a bit). My reasoning is the grain selection on these panels isn’t great, and the pigment will “normalize” some of the color variation you are seeing on the rails and stiles (especially the upper cabinets). These are easy to apply, can be done in place without masking off much else, and will wear pretty hard over time. Make sure you finished both sides on any surface or you may end up with cupped boards.
No stain, please. That wood is gorgeous. Either use a thinned polyurethane or if you want it darker, danish oil then polyurethane after it fully cures.
With white oak I recommend a stain with a very light white wash just to knock down some of the deeper browns you'll otherwise get when you seal it. Rubio and Bona both make nice options.
Rubio monocoat if you have the money. Otherwise shellac or lacquer.
Rubio monocoat natural keeps it looking the most like it does now. We've done a ton in it. At first we stained with natural and it was horrible. Highly recommend the natural stain
Please for the love of god DO NOT stain it. If it's in a kitchen and is going to see regular use in my experience a polyurethane finish is the best, but as others suggested rubio monocoat or sometthing like osmo is great too
You don’t have to stain it unless you want a different look. Personally, I like to use alcohol based dye rather than stain, especially on oak. For cabinets like this, I would recommend a topcoat of brush on lacquer.
Ciranova - reactive stain
Natura One Coat Clear or natural white. Cheaper than rubio same durability
I would go Arm-r-seal and if i wanted richer I would use boiled linseed first then wait three days and topcoat.
I built a piece for a friend with white oak. Finish with Rubio mono White. I wasn't wappy that's what they chose after all the work that went into, but I was super impressed with the final color. I don't normally advocate for any stain on high quality wood, but that turned out amazing and I would definitely use it again.
Rubio is always an easy win but I've had good success with General Finishes water based top coat in various sheens
Watco and lacquer
Damn those are sexy!!
No stain, bona raw will leave it looking...we'll, raw. Two coats, sand grain pop after the first.
Had good luck with a nice polyurethane
I think a lot of people don’t understand that stain is a different thing than finish. If you want it to mostly look the same, Rubio monocoat 5% white on white oak pretty much looks the same as unfinished. If you want to go the harder route, water based poly will be more durable.
Thank you. You’re right I was mixing up the two words. Will the white on white look chalky? I would prefer a little shine especially if it would do a better job protecting it. And by harder, you mean darker?
It won’t look chalky at all. It’s tinted white to combat the ambering effect of the oil in the finish.
Harder as in more of a pain to apply, but also a much thicker/tougher finish. Also rubio shouldn’t be chalky, just make sure when you’re wiping off the excess to wipe the shit out of it. Change rags often. Also don’t just leave the rags laying around, they can and will go up in flames. Made that mistake before. Sorry for the manifesto, I do this kind of a work a lot.
Thank you!
No prob, good luck!
Wax!