# An Acacia wood desk. How would you do it?



## James1 (Oct 16, 2012)

I purchase a long Acacia worktop (2200x600x26mm) from the hardware store (Bunnings) for $100. It'll be a work/computer desk to replace an old pine one of almost the same size. It's made from solid laminated Acacia pieces, impregnated with linseed oil and was marketed as suitable for kitchen or bathroom benchtops, or hobby purposes. I'll attach the old Ikea legs.

I need some advice about how to finish it. The instructions say to apply wood oil before use, and straight out of the shrink wrap the bench looks as though one half is darker, smoother and with a less visible grain.

Basically what I want to do:

1) Make the look uniform (the darker to match the lighter side, or vice versa). Q - Should I sand it, or wipe out excess oil, or add more oil?

2) Coat it with wax or water based clear matt coat (like Cabothane). Q - What do you recommend to preserve the look of the wood?

Pics attached, you can see the unevenness from one end to the other


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## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

I don't think you will be able to even the colour unless you put a dark stain over the lot. Even then the lighter pieces will probably remain lighter than the rest. 

I think there is another post about what can go over linseed oil, I can't remember it but if I find it I will post a link. Others will be bound to offer assistance, otherwise, solver paints or another paint specialist could probably give the best advice on what may be suitable to use.

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

Welcome to the forum by the way. I'm guessing you are from Australia.


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## Ozrob (Apr 21, 2008)

Hi James and welcome to the forum. The Big Green Shed eh? It's hard to say what Acacia it is, buy it's most likely Silver Wattle from NSW. I don't know that you will manage to even out the colour as its totally timber and grain dependant. You can do what Dave suggested and swamp it with stain, but I don't think that will do it and also I'm guessing you wanted the natural timber look. 
If you are going to sand it, be very careful as it is only laminate. Perhaps a good go over with Mineral Turps to mop up the Linseed Oil, then re oil it with something like Feast Watson China Wood Oil, Liberon Tung Oil diluted 1:1 with White Spirits or Wattyl Teak (Scandinavian) Oil. Two or three coats of any of these will bring out the richness of the Wattle and may lessen your worry.
You can get these oils from most Hardware shops, but Bunnings don't stock Wattyl products.

Let us know you you get on.

Regards,

Rob


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

With the criteria you have I believe I would use a paint and varnish remover on it and strip as much of the linseed oil off of it as you can. Then sand the top and use a very thin wood conditioner on it. You have some blotchiness in the top and the conditioner will help. If you object to the sapwood (white streaks) you can brush some light walnut stain on sapwood with a small brush and then put a lighter stain over the entire top to even it up. Then I would clear coat it with a oil based polyurethane. Do some testing on the underneath side of the top before you put anything on the face side.


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## James1 (Oct 16, 2012)

Thanks for the welcome. Yes I'm an Aussie.

The worktop's marketed by a German company, and made in Vietnam. It's 100% Acacia (not veneer), the wood blocks are glued together.

I've never oiled wood before, and don't have much woodworking experience at all but I'll look into the oil's suggested. Which one do you think would smell the least after a couple of weeks? If I apply a wax or matt coat afterwards, I'm assuming that would keep the fumes locked in.

What about bee wax? 

May seem like a stupid questions, but would the wax or oils leave a residue on hands or paper?


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## Ozrob (Apr 21, 2008)

Hi again James,
OK. I would sand back the top to 400 grit after removing as much of the linseed as possible. Then I'd use the Wattyl Teak (Scandinavian) Oil and if you have a ROS, sand the wet oil into the top up to about 1200-1500.
Then wipe it down with a clean dry cotton cloth and let it dry for about two days. You shouldn't need anything else and the smell, which is not unpleasant, will dissipate after about a week. If you want to wax the top, I suggest UBeaut Traditional Wax. If the colour is still uneven, you can get the wax in Walnut, Baltic, Cedar or clear. You can get this at Carbatec.
If you don't want to do the wet sanding, wipe on three coats of the oil about a day apart with a light sand between each coat, then either add something like Wipe On Poly (Minwax) or the Traditional Wax. If you look at my website, most of the items have either been finished in oil alone or with traditional wax.

Regards,

Rob


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## James1 (Oct 16, 2012)

Cheers, I was actually looking at the UBeaut wax just before I saw your post, and getting up to speed with oil basics on youtube 



Also looking at waxes, apparently pure beeswax would be a bit soft especially with my arms resting and typing might get a bit tacky? 
What do you think about this: 1-Use turps to remove linseed oil. 2-Sand to perfection. 3-Apply wood conditioner? 4-Apply u-beaut white shellac http://www.ubeaut.com.au/dewaxed.html. 5-Sand to perfection. 6-Apply UBeaut Wax.


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## Ozrob (Apr 21, 2008)

Hi James,
Sounds like a plan! For an alternative to Shellac, have a look here
When you come to use the UBeaut wax, I suggest you give the top a once over with UBeaut EEE cream. It acts as a very fine cutting compound and gives a good base for the Wax.
Give the Shellac a run on a bit of scrap timber to be sure you have the system working. If you decide to use Tung Oil, I'd suggest you give that a test drive as well. Good luck!

Regards,

Rob


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## James1 (Oct 16, 2012)

Cheers. As a beginner it's all quite a bit to take in. For sanding should I go by hand, electric orbital 1/2 sheet or ROS. I can connect it to a shop vac too if it allows.

http://www.bunnings.com.au/products_product_300w-ozito-ozos300wa-½-sheet-finishing-sander_2024.aspx?

http://www.masters.com.au/product/900028257/909-third-sheet-sander-13s

http://www.bunnings.com.au/products_product_poly-hand-sander-280-x-108mm_10959.aspx?

http://www.masters.com.au/product/100487231/worx-300w-random-orbit-rotary-sander-wx652-1
http://www.bunnings.com.au/products...&searchType=any&searchSubType=products&page=3


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## Ozrob (Apr 21, 2008)

Hi James,
Yes, finishing is an art in itself. I would suggest a ROS either a 125 mm or 150 mm as it will give a much cleaner finish to the sanding. It's up to you really, if you intend to work on small projects, a 125 is well suited, for larger areas, a 150 would be the go . You won't end up with little swirly scratches like you can with a sheet sander. A Shop vac is always a good idea, you don't really need a lung full of Acacia dust. Tassie Blackwood, (which is Acacia melanoxylen) dust is rather toxic in large amounts. But I will promise you one thing. When you have done the finish, you'll really be pleased with yourself. It's a most satisfying pursuit.

Regards,

Rob


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## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

Wellcome James.

I have a yard full of Acacia at my place and my Firewood stack comprises quite a bit.

Finishing is not my go, but seeing your from Australia I thought I would weigh in with my experience with Wattle.

It is an extremly hard and dense wood that has a very attractive swirling grain. I have never stained it, just sanded through the grits and then hand rubbed it with U- Beaut traditional Wax.

A few coats and you have a great finish. The product does not rub off or smudge like a lot of soft waxes. You can even put it over whatever stain or finish you come up with.

Unfortunately, in the laminated look, it looks a bit too in your face for my liking, but, it is wood, so I am sure we can artificially help it a long to even out the colour.

My doubts are that because it is a dense wood that it might not take a stain and what it does accept will not be very deep. If that is the case then once you stain only give it a very likght sand otherwise you will be back to bare timber again.

While I am not sure, I have doubts about using an oil, I do not think it will sink in and give you a look that you will be proud off.

I do not want to put you off, because I do not know, but experiment first on an offcut if you have some to spare. Not all finishes will be at home on the Acacia.

Most of the Wattle I have is Black Wattle, 

Pete

Ps. Have a look at the base of my Avatar. It is Black Wattle I turned after I rescued it from my Fire stack. I carved the toad and named him Wally after one of our famous Queensland footballers.


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## James1 (Oct 16, 2012)

Hi star. The unneveness i'm not happy with is the almost caked on waxy oiled look which almost appears to have seeped to the bottom half of the worktop from standing on end for who knows how long (if thats even possible). You can just make it out in the photo, and the white marks are actually paper towel residue from wiping the dust off after unpacking it.

Do you think there's an advantage to applying the white shelac before waxing?


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## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

James.

I would go along with Ozrob's suggestion. I do not know, but i have this feeling that Acacia and oil are not a good match and their might be better ways.

If I am right then the splotchiness is due to the uneven sinking in of the oil and the fact that you have dust collecting on it makes me think that the finish used was not really suitable for Acacia.

The fact Bunnings are selling it could be because they bought a heap on the cheap because the manufacturer was clearing the decks of it, so to spesk. ( I do not know. )

But the first thing I would do would be to use an orbital sander as suggested and gradually go through the grits.

It is hard to say but possibly start at 180 grit with a light sand, then 240 and 360. Possibly 240 might be ok as a finishing sand and you might have to start at 150 grit.

The first sand should even up the oil and the dust might even draw up some of the oil. What might be a go if it is possible is to use a drying agent on it after sanding if such a thing is possible.

Google Terribine to see if that will do it or after you sand wipe it clean with Mineral Turpentine ( Australian Mineral Turps, as for our US friends I think Turps might be a different product there. )

Now, what I have said is only conjecture, but at least I doubt you will make things any worse.

Basically I would just sand and wipe with Turps. That would be the cheapest. Give it a good swab with the Turps before you start then lwipe dry and sand. Good luck

Pete


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## Ozrob (Apr 21, 2008)

Hi Pete and James,

I just want to say that I have used Scandinavian and Tung oil on Tasmanian Blackwood routinely and get uniform reproducible results. I've also used it on other dense timbers, such as River Red Gum (really twisty grain)Purple Heart, Blackbean, Macasser Ebony, Brush Box, Red Box and others. No problem with any showing blotchiness or unevenness. Drying was complete.

I would suggest that there is way too much Linseed oil on the laminated top and that this is what is causing the irregularity. We can't even be certain of the "linseed oil" used or the concentration of it, or whether it was BLO or raw.

So I propose that starting with 100 grit, you work your way up to at least 400, using (120, 150, 180 and 240 grit) before deciding what to do next. Pete is right that you should be drenching the timber with Turps (or Citrus Terpene) to get rid of the offending Oil. You might even consider wet sanding the turps into the wood, then wiping off the slurry that will form.

The pics below are Tassie Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) oiled with Wattyl Teak (Scandinavian) Oil. It works.

Regards,

Rob


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## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

Thanks for the information Rob. I will keep that in mind and give it a try.

You certainly have produced the goods. 

Pete


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## James1 (Oct 16, 2012)

My first ROS. Came with 2 each of 60, 100, 150, 180, 240 grit and carry case. I didn't like the turp smell (I used the expensive low odour stuff too), so I just sanded right through the oil to the wood below. I didn't have much time, but I basically did the back of the worktop in about 30 mins with 60grit. There is oil left in a bit of the grain, I'll try and get through that tomorrow.

It's a mixture of white, pinkish and darker brown woods. I don't mind that contrast, but I also like that Tassie Blackwood table, that finish might suit it. If I don't do the Wattyl Teak, I might just give it a few coats of the Cabothane water polyurethane. I spend hours on the desk so it does take a beating, and a wax might not hold up. And I don't know If I would ever maintain it.


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## Ozrob (Apr 21, 2008)

Hi James,

Polyurethane will give you a gloss finish, but, in my opinion, just not as mellow. The other advantage of oil is that when you mar the surface of the top, you can usually cover most small indiscretions with another coat of oil.
60 grit would probably have pulled the tar from the road surface, so I guess you managed to rip all the oil away. Take some time with each of the other grits to be sure you get all the roughness out of the timber before moving on to the next. When you get to 240g you can wipe it down with Meths or turps then put on the Poly. make sure you have doors and windows open, PU can smell pretty "chemically". 
If you want to do the oiling, take the sanding up to 400g then follow the method I have recommended. You won't need Poly and you'll still have a robust finish which can be easily touched up later.
Just as an aside, I have a Tassie Blackwood table which was initially coated with Poly. I sanded that off a couple of years ago and redid the top with a food safe variation of Teak Oil. (I also remade the table into a more usable shape) No heat marks, no glass rings and one scratch fixed with a coat of oil. Easy maintenance all the way.

Here's some before and after pics. Pic 1 is before (Poly), pic 2 is after (oil).

Regards,

Rob


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## jessy224 (Sep 21, 2012)

*Reply*

Hello james, if you want to preserve the look of the wood, then you can go with the wood oil. Wood oil is the best solution for such problems. This oil is easily available in the market at a very reasonable price.




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