Finishing walnut?

I am building a walnut desk from rough cut wood I obtained about 25 years ago. It came fron NW Arkansas, and I don't think it was ever kiln dried. I would like to do something really special with the finish, do you have any suggestions?


Albuquerque, NM

- Dennis 

Our Expert

For many years I've been air drying walnut for use in my shop. It's a lot of extra effort but there is simply no comparison between the color of air dried walnut and walnut that has been kiln dried. (Air dried lumber is much easier to work, too)


Air dried walnut has a rich color that kiln dried walnut typically lacks. This is because kiln dried walnut is usually steamed; rather than remove the sapwood from the board at the sawmill, the sapwood is left in place and the steaming process causes some of the pigment in the heartwood to darken the normally creamy white sapwood. However, this process also washes out the rich browns and reds and creates board with a bland gray color. I've sometimes rhetorically asked why they don't just remove the sapwood at the sawmill. The response is always that sapwood is not a defect. So I then ask why they try to mask it by steaming.


Assuming that the walnut that you have is air dried, I suggest that you finish it with amber shellac. The natural color in the shellac will enhance the walnut color and warm it slightly. Shellac is a beautiful finish, easy to apply with a brush, cloth, or spray equipment, and provides good protection from everyday wear. As the finish becomes worn over the years, as all finishes do, shellac is easy to touch up and repair. In fact, with cleaning and a fresh coat of shellac, the finish will look new again.

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