Built-in bookshelves: Wood finish testing

After spending a couple days hacking our Billy bookcases, but before constructing them into our wall of built-in bookshelves, we needed to do some testing. Specifically, wood finish testing. Our design includes a combo of painted black shelving with natural wood accents. The trouble with natural wood is it's like white: there are a thousand different versions of "natural". So we had to test.

Something I've appreciated about the various projects we've done around our home, including building a floating wall and an espresso bar, as well as remodeling our kitchen, is each project has given me the opportunity to learn new things and for us to push ourselves. Case in point: rather than go with our tried-and-true Minwax clear poly, we wanted to look at other options. Ultimately, the downside to the poly is it pulls too much pigment from the wood, thus darkening and casting it a little orange. We wanted a more neutral natural. Right, exactly.

Turns out, that requires actually adding some white pigment to an otherwise "clear" finish. We chose three different products to test:

• Osmo Poly-X hard wax and oil finish (Clear Satin and Clear Matte)
• Rubio Monocoat 2C hard wax and oil finish (White, White 5%, Natural, Smoke 5%, Mist 5%)
• Minwax oil-base semi-transparent stain mix (Natural and Simply White, various ratios)

We have two different substrates for our shelving: 1/4" wood paneling (technically 5mm) for the backs and 1-1/4" trim for the fronts of the shelves. I taped up sections of each and got to work applying the various products and tints.

In the end, we really like the Rubio product. Because it's designed to adhere to the wood grain on a molecular level, the colorant penetrates that while the wax finish remains on the surface as a protective layer. Bottom line: it leaves a nice, natural feel to the wood. Straight poly is essentially like plastic-coating wood, so the feel of it is a little more tacky. On both substrates, the Osmo finishes tinted them too amber for our liking, much like the Minwax poly. 

For our needs, we're going to use the Rubio Natural. The differences between it and some of the others (particularly the various 5% finishes) were subtle, but Natural was the, well, most natural. We also liked how much coverage it has: a little bit goes a long way. We have essentially an entire wall of wood backing we need to finish and the stuff isn't cheap. But it's time to rip down the paneling and get to work finishing. Then, at long last, we can start to build some shelves!