question about wood kitchens and toys--importance of finish

[mommyj_2]

I'm trying to decide what kitchen to buy. I found one I love, but I just realized it comes unfinished. I noticed some of the other ones have a beeswax type finish. Do you think thid matters? TIA

[zen_bliss]

if you get the unfinished one, i recommend finishing it soon after at arrives and definitely before the kiddos play with it, to protect the wood. unfinished wood does get dirty which would require sanding to get it off, and unfinished wood will absorb liquids deep into the grain and the stain will stay (juice, chocolate milk, berries, etc.)

the upside is with an unfinished set you have the option to custom stain it groovy colors before applying the finish of your choice. you have a number of nontoxic fume-free options, pure tung oil, pure linseed oil (read label closely for 100% linseed; most are cut with mineral spirits), beeswax, polyurethane (minwax). they are not very expensive and it doesn't take very long to put the coats on.

[brittone2]

One of the sellers of play kitchens and play stands (I think it is either Elves and Angels or Willowtoys) sells a natural finishing product on their site. I think it is beeswax if I remember correctly?? You can buy just the finishing medium.

Also, apparently Lowe's and Home Depot, etc. sell "Salad Bowl Wax" or something like that. You use it to keep wooden salad bowls nice. Apparently that works quite well on the kitchens.

I asked a seller on Ebay recently about his kitchens, mentioning I was thinking of doing mine w/ beeswax or linseed oil, and he mentioned linseed is toxic. It is probably as the PP mentioned...most are cut with mineral spirits, but I'd investigate further to be sure :)

The beeswax finish apparently gives a nice warm glow and brings out the beauty of the wood, and I think it is a good idea to keep the wood in excellent condition for the long haul.

[zen_bliss]

if you decide to go with a plain DIY finish, keep in mind that using just beeswax or minwax poly will sit on top of the wood and protect it without changing the appearance much (minwax will darken a little more than beeswax), versus the oils (and stains) which are absorbed and deepen and enhance the grain of the wood. i did a beeswax test area first and it only slightly darkened the wood, which wasn't the look i wanted. so, if you want to keep that sparkling fresh white pine look, use just the beeswax and buff it after it dries to get rid of the waxiness.

here is the tung oil. 100% nut oil, no fumes, no heavy metal dryers, no mineral spirits.
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_details.cfm?&offerings_id=6524
this is what i used on the kitchen i made (see 'do it yourself kitchen thread' http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=12&topic_id=29036). there is a pic of it half oiled, and you can see what i mean by enhancing the grain. it's worth mentioning again that a lot of finishes that say toy safe or food safe have a bit of fine print: when cured. until then, they do give off fumes, if that is something that concerns you.

if you use a stain or milk paint, you'll still need to finish the wood with a protective topcoat like minwax or tung oil or beeswax. of course, you can always just paint it with a water based paint, too, diluted if you want a vintage-y washed out effect, but you do get slight fume issues until it dries completely.

whew! HTH!