What finish would be best for the inside of some cedar boxes that would protect the wood while letting the cedar aroma through. I am using western red cedar, not really that aromatic, left over from rebuilding a fence. I plan on using laquer on the outside and letting the grain speak for itself. Would leaving it bare on the inside harm anything in the long run?
Zonker
Finish and bare wood aroma are mutually exclusive terms. You get one or the other but not both. Unfortunately.
Having said that, leaving cedar unfinished on the inside of a box shouldn't be a problem. I have a cedar chest I made in high school many, many moons ago that has held up just fine with no finish on the inside. Of course, the cedar smell has faded but the wood is still intact with no issues.
Having said that, leaving cedar unfinished on the inside of a box shouldn't be a problem. I have a cedar chest I made in high school many, many moons ago that has held up just fine with no finish on the inside. Of course, the cedar smell has faded but the wood is still intact with no issues.
All my boxes are unfinished on the inside. Sometimes I will add a bottom panel of a aromatic wood. I find cedar of Lebanon as good as it gets. Then port orford cedar and so on. Even white oak is nice.
Never finish the inside of a cabinet, box or drawer.
Good Luck
Never finish the inside of a cabinet, box or drawer.
Good Luck
I have done three types of finish on aromatic cedar interior parts…
1. Raw. Looks nice and smells nice, but prone to pencil marks and scratches if that matters.
2. Shellac or lacquer topcoat. You'll lose the cedar smell, and it darkens the cedar substantially. I finish desk drawers with shellac, because the look and durability are more important than the smell.
3. Howard's Butcher Block Conditioner. It's a beeswax and oil mixture. Darkens the cedar color some, which fades in time. The smell is muted for a while, but comes back. Finish must be re-applied periodically.
Good luck with your projects.
1. Raw. Looks nice and smells nice, but prone to pencil marks and scratches if that matters.
2. Shellac or lacquer topcoat. You'll lose the cedar smell, and it darkens the cedar substantially. I finish desk drawers with shellac, because the look and durability are more important than the smell.
3. Howard's Butcher Block Conditioner. It's a beeswax and oil mixture. Darkens the cedar color some, which fades in time. The smell is muted for a while, but comes back. Finish must be re-applied periodically.
Good luck with your projects.
I find that even without a finish aromatic cedar gradually looses it's odor as the wood oils evaporate and oxidize. Re-sanding the wood can bring back some of the odor by exposing fresh wood oils. The big question is, does it deter insects???
I work with a LOT of cedar. I use Eastern red cedar (aromatic) and never finish the inside of boxes. Western red cedar, although it can be as pretty, does not have the, sought after, smell of aromatic cedar.
if you really have to (or want to) finish the inside, get some aromatic red cedar
and make small blocks to put in the box. with instructions to the recipient
to lightly sand the block every so often to renew the "aroma".
.
.
and make small blocks to put in the box. with instructions to the recipient
to lightly sand the block every so often to renew the "aroma".
.
.
Home Depot sells something called "Cedar Oil" made from aromatic cedar. I'd be tempted to try that if I did much with cedar anymore. Claims to rejuvenate the wood and restore the aromatic smell.
No experience with it, but probably worth trying.
No experience with it, but probably worth trying.
The best Aromatic Red cedar is from Tennessee.
It's really cypress or Juniper bush tree.
We all know it not true Cedar right ?
It's really cypress or Juniper bush tree.
We all know it not true Cedar right ?
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