# best and safe finish for a crib?



## Sclafani"s (Apr 13, 2010)

I am building a crib for my son. It is a 3 in 1 (crib, day bed, and full bed). I have decided to leave it natural, but I am having a hard time finding a safe and beautiful finish. I heard that any finish is fine after it dries? If I use oil and my son starts to gum it, will the oil get wet again and then become harmful? I have used Watco natural oil finish on my bedroom furniture and I love working with it. Can I use it on the crib?


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## jlhaslip (Jan 16, 2010)

yes, you can use that.
All of the poly's, lacquers and oils are food safe AFTER THEY CURE. Unless your son is salivating lacquer thinner, he should be okay.


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## mmwood_1 (Oct 24, 2007)

You can also use either RAW linseed oil, or mineral oil, both of which are non-toxic if ingested. I built a cradle for my daughter when she was born and used mineral oil to finish it. It has been in almost constant use for 21 years now, being passed from baby to baby around town, and it has to be re-oiled every couple of years. But it still looks great. And it's a quick and easy task to re-oil.


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## Colt W. Knight (Nov 29, 2009)

I would reccomend water based lacquer.


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## Walnut-nut (Mar 15, 2010)

*Crib finish*

I built a swinging bassinet for my niece out of walnut, I used shellac. It is non toxic and you can not beat how it looks. It is a little soft but the look after I polished it, was unbelievable. the feel of the wood after several coats and sanding was a pleasure to touch. Just my 2 cents.
Casey


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## Stick (Aug 23, 2007)

Sclafani"s said:


> I am building a crib for my son. It is a 3 in 1 (crib, day bed, and full bed). I have decided to leave it natural, but I am having a hard time finding a safe and beautiful finish. I heard that any finish is fine after it dries? If I use oil and my son starts to gum it, will the oil get wet again and then become harmful? I have used Watco natural oil finish on my bedroom furniture and I love working with it. Can I use it on the crib?


 Not really answering your question.... but in my experience, the babies would rather bite/chew on stuffed animals, blankets or pillows anyway since they can get them into their mouth. I think any of the suggestions above would be fine considering the chances of using the crip for teething are pretty low (but obviously not impossible). Good luck and post some pics of that fancy crip when you're done!!


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## Sclafani"s (Apr 13, 2010)

Thank you all for your help. I decided to go with Formby’s Gloss Tung oil. I know that it is a far cry from real Tung oil. It is going on nice and it is looking good too. I will post some pics, but I'm still not done. I still have to finish sand the headboard and sideboards and put 3 coats of that wanta be oil. But anyways thank you for your help.


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## cusingeorge (Nov 17, 2007)

FYI about finishes for children's furniture:

Our Federal Goobermint is about to outlaw the use of Phthylates in coatings for use on children's furniture. What does this mean? Phthylates (pronounced "thylates") are resins that provide flexibilty to harder substances (for instance, the rubber feet on lamps). Phthylates have been used in wood coatings for a very long time and beginning this year, manufacturers will start changing their formulations to adapt to the upcoming regulation.


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## Sclafani"s (Apr 13, 2010)

Sorry that it took so long to post some pics. When I was done with the crib I made the matching changing table/ dresser.


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