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Best finish for inside of chest

3K views 15 replies 15 participants last post by  wormil 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Building a blanket chest for my grand daughter from walnut & hard maple. For the outside I plan to apply Waterlox on top of the stain. My question is for the inside of the chest. Should I finish it using the same varnish? That seems like overkill. Shellac? That seems appropriate but I worry about warping the boards caused by different types of finishing on opposite sides of the same board. Unfinished? Seems reasonable but again, I worry about warping due to varnish on one side and no finish on the other. Any suggestions are much appreciated.
 
#7 ·
I use shellac if contents will never have any solvents that might dissolve shellac, or water based poly if contents can not be controlled.

General Finishes High Performance, or Enduro work well for inside of cabinets, boxes, or drawers. Can put down 2-3 coats in one day, virtually no smell, and more than durable enough for inside of things. Works even in my router tool drawer with wrenches and oilier.
Often use GF WB on inside of cabinets, and Arm-R-Seal on outside, never seen any issue with differential stress due different finishes. Most of time I prefinish the insides with WB and spray gun, assemble pieces, and finish outside with Arm-R-Seal (or spray 2K poly). As long as the GF Enduro is cured long enough, oil based poly can even be applied on top to level the edges, and it blends seamlessly.

Best Luck.
 
#9 ·
In case no one mentioned it: DON"T use an oil based finish (the smell thing). Shellac, or a waterborne is what you want. You could also use solvent lacquer, but the other 2 would be much better.
 
#10 ·
+1 to water based poly or shellac. If it's for clothes/blankets/toys but not for anything involving alcohol (which dissolves shellac), shellac is my choice because it dries so fast. You can get two or three coats done in an hour and a half if it's warm out.
 
#11 ·
Thanks everyone for the advice. I really appreciate this site & its members. I believe I will finish the inside with shellac. Possibly the bottom of the chest in shellac too.
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
I d used a water based finish or shellac finish. Oil base in a closed space can stink for years. I know this is a fact. You could even leave it with no finish. Many high end furniture pieces than will have clothes in them will use no finish.

- AlaskaGuy
Totally Agree with AlaskaGuy. My choice would be to leave it Unfinished. If it NEEDED a Finish I'd go with a water based finish.
 
#15 ·
No one seems to have addressed your concern about using different finishes on the inside vs outside. If the blanket chest is well-constructed, you should have no problems with differing finishes or no finish on the inside.
 
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