# Best finish for a cedar chest?



## jaydawg74

Hey guys, I picked up this cedar chest not long ago. I believe the wood is aromatic cedar although it doesn't have that deep red hue to the bare wood. The finish that was on it before was badly crackled. I'm guessing it was a shellac? I stripped the old finish off with Kleen-strip, wiped it down with mineral spirits, sanded with 80 then 150 then 220 grit sandpaper using my ROS and finishing off with 220 on a block hand sander.

How would you guys finish this chest? I'd like to promote the natural colors of the wood, but I don't want it to look "red".

Thanks guys!


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## croaker

With no finish the cedar will turn brown.
I have built a few the inside i use no finish to keep the smell.
The outside i have had good luck with poly.


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## ghost5

I use cedar all the time it is like a weed here so I get it free. Same type you have there. For me it is just the opposite poly on cedar gives me fits. It gets splotchy and some times won't cure/set up. I hand rub Johnson's paste wax onto most of mine now. Well the ones that aren't fishing lures or turkey calls.


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## BigBull

If you want to keep the red color wipe it down with a couple dozen coats of tounge oil. She'll be purty for a long time.


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## Steve Neul

Cedar is going to eventually turn brown no matter what finish you put on it and it looks like the piece is old enough you haven't sanded it down to the red color anyway. Since it isn't something exposed to water you could put many different finishes on it. You could use conversion varnish, oil base polyurethane, standard varnish, water based polyurethane or lacquer on it. The conversion varnish is expensive but hardest finish. I would be more inclined to use the oil based polyurethane.


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## Stevedore

Nice project. I have some of the same concerns with 2 old cedar chests, one from my mother & one from an aunt. Both have already been refinished before they came to me, and I'm not thrilled with their appearance.

I may use poly, or possibly the tung oil suggested by an earlier poster. I did an old upright piano (not cedar!) with tung oil about 25 yrs ago, and it still looks very nice. 

If you want the benefits of the aromatic cedar for clothing storage, I've heard that you can sand the interior to remove any surface crud, hardening, dryness, etc., to refresh the cedar smell. I'm planning to try it when I refinish these.


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## rayking49

I use oil based poly on my cedar projects.


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## alacman68

I'm doing the same. I have my mothers and my grandmothers cedar chest. I'm probably going to leave my Moms along, because it's the way I remember it when I was younger, but my grandmothers has been in an attic and looks to have roofing asphalt on it. I've sanded it down, and was just going to put Danish oil on it. Is that alright, or what do you recommend?


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## Brian T.

Similar wood to the western red cedar that I have been carving for many years.
I like the appearance of the wood under one or more coats of MinWax Tung Oil Protective Finish.
One coat is matte, a week apart and 4 coats is water-wet glossy.


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## 35015

Hello Jaydawg74'

The wood is most likely a Juniper species (Cypress family) as the only true Cedars (Cedrus) are found in mainly the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean and a spattering in Asia...

I am a staunch traditionalist and find most "modern finish" really crappy at best, especially for exterior use...As I try to explain to clients all the time..."Modern finish are only modern...they are far from being better when compared to traditional finishes." 

I make all my own finishes and/or use only natural finishes, so never recommend...modern plastic finishes on wood or masonry ever. It is even more of an issue with exterior exposure. I would recommend Heritage Finishes, which I have used for over 30 years. It is a blend of Tung Oil, Flax Oil, Beeswax, and Pine Rosin with a Citrus Oil thinner and UV stabilizer for the exterior grade material. I would note also these materials are natural and come from "food grade" resources with no additives, or moder petroleum distillates found in almost all major brands.

Many colleagues and project directors specify Waterlox line of products. They have only high praise for the results and I have seen little issue over the years.

For pigments, you can make your own. For example a nice gray is found in Vinegar and Steel Wool. For other pigments to achieve your desired effect, Heritage Finishes sells them but my first choice for my pigments (if I don't make them myself) is The Real Milk Paint Company. Diawyne is the owner, and a wonderful resource on traditional finishes...

Hope this ​was helpful...

j
​​


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## Quickstep

If I wanted a "close to the wood" finish, I would put on 2-3 coats of shellac (just enough to seal it) and then wax it with 0000 steel wool. Looks great - feels better.

For a finish with more build and more gloss, I'd use Waterlox Original. It brings out the grain nicely. First coat seals, after that gloss builds a coat at a time. When you like how it looks, just stop.


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