# Chess Board Finishing Tips



## WoodGuy024 (Aug 1, 2010)

Hello,

I am new to the forum, and an amateur woodworker. I am in the process of building my first chess board using Walnut and White Oak. I was hoping to use Tung Oil for the finish and was hoping to get some ideas or tips from people who are good at finishing for the best way to approach this.
I am still learing how to finish and what to use and the process. Should I seal the wood first? what should I use things like that.

Thanks

Bart


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## Rob (Oct 31, 2006)

Both walnut and oak are porous. The tung oil is fine but be prepared to do continuous wiping for a few days or more. The oil will weep out of the pores and give you little shiny spots. They will wipe off but will re-appear shortly after the wiping. Wiping them off 2-3 times a day will eventually get you to the point where they stop appearing.
If it was me and I didn't have access to spray equipment and wanted a simple but great looking finish, I would probably give an initial light coat of boiled linseed oil to help define the grain, especially in the walnut.
After a few days, I would use a wipe-on poly that can be made or purchased.
2-3 coats in one day...scuff with a fine Scotchbrite pad...2-3 more coats...scuff...2-3 coats and you are done. The more coats you give, the better the appearance. If you can give 12-15 coats over 3-4 days, you'll end up with a finish everyone will "oooh and aaaah" over. On something like a chessboard, a coat of wipe-on poly will probably take 60 seconds, including clean-up.


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## WoodGuy024 (Aug 1, 2010)

Rob said:


> Both walnut and oak are porous. The tung oil is fine but be prepared to do continuous wiping for a few days or more. The oil will weep out of the pores and give you little shiny spots. They will wipe off but will re-appear shortly after the wiping. Wiping them off 2-3 times a day will eventually get you to the point where they stop appearing.
> If it was me and I didn't have access to spray equipment and wanted a simple but great looking finish, I would probably give an initial light coat of boiled linseed oil to help define the grain, especially in the walnut.
> After a few days, I would use a wipe-on poly that can be made or purchased.
> 2-3 coats in one day...scuff with a fine Scotchbrite pad...2-3 more coats...scuff...2-3 coats and you are done. The more coats you give, the better the appearance. If you can give 12-15 coats over 3-4 days, you'll end up with a finish everyone will "oooh and aaaah" over. On something like a chessboard, a coat of wipe-on poly will probably take 60 seconds, including clean-up.


If I went over the top of the board first with a wood filler sanded it down then used the tung oil would that help? Not to be stuck on the tung oil I just heard it holds up better the poly


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## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

i would use a danish oil instead of tung oil.its a more stable finish and rubs out to a nice luster.
the linseed oil is good idea but you want to mix equal part of linseed oil and turp9ntine. the turpintine will make the linseed oil a harder more reziliant surface.


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## Fishbucket (Aug 18, 2010)

MinWax makes a high build floor finish that will fill oak grain with 3 coats. It's rock hard in 4-5 days. I'm using it as a counter top finish. It took 6 years of beating from china plate/cup bottom. car keeys tossed on it. spilled food/water/coffee. 
With felt bottomed chess pieces, they will glide real nice on it.


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## Rick Mosher (Feb 26, 2009)

There are more than one way to finish wood. What type of finish do you want? I am assuming you want a closed pore finish since you have already used a filler. Now the finish can be high gloss like a sheet of glass or satin or even hand rubbed oil. (which can be satin or high gloss too by the way) Tung oil is an excellent choice, just be sure to wet sand the first 2-3 coats using a sanding block with 3M wet or dry sandpaper (wipe off excess with a rag). First coat 320 grit, second coat 400 grit and third coat with 600-800 grit. Let each coat dry overnight. After those 3 coats all you have to do is wipe on and wipe off one time a day until you get what you want. You can wax and buff if you would like a higher gloss or hand rub with steel wool or scotch brite pads for a satin finish.


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## leonidasblaze (Oct 22, 2010)

Well i don't have such a great knowledge about the topic as you guys have i had readied the whole thread and as a newbie i must say that i really got some really wonderful tips on on Chess Board Finishing which are really very tough to find on Internet.


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## joesbucketorust (Dec 13, 2011)

*Updates Please!*

I'm almost, not quite (just two more pieces to glue and 5 gallons of spackle to fill in the mistakes) done with a chessboard - I think it's goncallo alves and yellowheart from the scrap pile. The backside is a marquetry piece with approx 11 different types of wood. I threw a coat of BLO on the playing side and it really made the grain pop, but as I continued the build it got dirty and muddled so I've scraped it back down to bare. 

So. It's been two years since all the suggestions - what's the consensus for finishing? I don't do spray, I want durable, something that doesn't take 500 coats but yet doesn't look plastic. BLO, Tung Oil? Oil to pop the grain and then something else over that? I've seen a few finished boards here - so those of you that have actually made one what did you use and were you happy with it? 
thanks
Joe


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I don't see how you can go wrong with tung oil if you like oil finishes. All you would have to do is sand the wood down to 220 grit paper and smear the tung oil on with what ever you had. I just finished a worn spot on the floor in my mothers house and didn't have any sandpaper. All I had was a can of tung oil and a paper towel. The finish blended in perfectly with the surrounding floor.


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