A Quick Finish for New Shelves

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April is Minwax National Woodworking Month®! To celebrate, wood finishing expert Bruce Johnson has written a few blog posts to inspire you to tackle a DIY project this month. Don’t forget to download the Minwax National Woodworking Month® mail-in rebate form, you could save up to $17 on select Minwax® products. 

When Leigh Ann’s collection of carved animals began tumbling off our crowded bookshelves, I decided they deserved a new display shelf of their own. I picked up a few oak boards at my local home improvement center, and in a few minutes had measured and cut four shelves and two vertical supports.

Since oak has a beautiful, light-colored grain, I decided to forego a stain (although oak responds well to every color of stain) and selected a new finish –Minwax® One Coat Polyurethane. Since it is water-based, I used a quality synthetic bristle brush to lay down a smooth, crystal-clear coat on each board.

Attaching the shelves to my two uprights was just as easy. As soon as they were dry, I simply drilled holes through the back of my supports and supported the shelves with 1.25-inch wood screws.

As you can see, the One Coat Polyurethane really brings out the natural beauty of the wood, while providing it with plenty of protection with just one application, making this DIY project fast and fun.

Until next time,

Thanks for stopping by!

Bruce

Download the Minwax National Woodworking Month® mail-in rebate form here.