Finished Windsor chair with milk paint and oil finish
Wow, I can finally claim that the Windsor chair I have been working on is… 100% done. In fact, I’m sitting on it as I type this. What a great feeling! (For my rear end, and my morale!)
Here’s a few photos of the final milk paint job. I’m really digging the bayberry green color.
Buffing the chair before applying oil finish
The chair received two coats of red, and another two coats of green. The idea is that the red paint peeks through and adds a lot of character to the finish, almost making the chair look older than it is. After the final green coat was dry, I spent some good time buffing the chair with steel wool. Check out the above picture for the effect — buffing smooths and shines the surface, and brings the red base coat out.
Applying linseed oil & varnish finish
Once the buffing was complete, I applied linseed oil and varnish (with thinner) to the chair, and wiped it carefully to avoid leaving shiny spots anywhere on the surface. Besides the smell, this was definitely the best part…
The red base coat peeks through the final green coat
And that was it! You could see in this shot how that red just somewhat peeks through the green. It’s a great effect.
Voila!
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Ziggy,
That is beautiful!!! Did you put an oil/wax final coat? It looks to have a fine luster to it.
Regards,
Jay
Sorry, did get to read the whole post first time. Have you tried the “landark,” yet?
I think you mean “voilà”, not viola – the chair very little resembles a stringed instrument.
(Though I do wonder how a violin or viola would take a similar treatment….)
Arkaday: Haha, noted.
Jay: I’ve only used their endsealer, which I really liked. What have you used of their stuff?
Happy Weekend Ziggy,
We buy it in it’s unmixed formula by the 50 gal barrel, if that is any indication of what we use it on…everything. We cut it with citrus oil or in some cases other products. I have used it for over 20 years and it is my go to finish for everything wood (and stone sometimes,) from fresh off the mill siding to kitchen tables, you name it…just love the stuff.
Regards, jay
Hey Brian,
Love the chair and paint job. You are a master. Keep up the good work. Rich
Oh wow, the final product is gorgeous! It makes me want to build a chair or at least paint one!
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