I'm in the process of building a coffee table out of aged white oak. The white oak has been sitting in the rafters of my families barn for the last 30 years and has a darker tone on the surface due to the age of it. I've been researching finishes that I could use but have been disappointed with the options. I want the finish to look as natural as possible. I recently heard about soap finishing and it seems to be the best option. However, I've heard people say that it only looks good on lighter woods. Would the darker tone of the aged white oak still look ok with the soap finish? What preparations does the wood need before the soap finish is applied?
Maybe I'm missing something.
You're making a table from aged lumber without disturbing the darkened surfaces?
A soaped finish won't offer much protection for a tabletop. Neither will paste wax, but I think that's probably what I'd use if I wanted as little change to the color as possible.
You know the oak will continue to darken anyway, right? Stickley was fixated on that ancient oak color and settled on fuming white oak with ammonia as his preferred method to replicate it.
I sanded the boards down to...
I sanded the boards down to get rid of the dust, stains etc that had accumulated and the darker tone remained. I only realized it when I put the bottom of the boards through a planer and they came out a lighter color. I chose not to plane the top and to leave it with the character that it had accumulated over the years.
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