stand and hood finishing

[Baalz]

Building an Oak stand and hood.
Whats a good suggestion on stain color and type?
Also what should i use for finish coat on outside?
I think on inside I am just going to use a white paint of some sorts.

 

[Big_fish]

Baalz,
I went with Minwax Golden Oak stain when I built the combo for my 150. It's a nice stain, not too dark, not too light.
I finished the outsides with a semi-gloss polyurethane (3 coats) and did all the inner surfaces that were exposed to salt air and heat with a marine spar urethane (3 coats, once again).

There should be some pics of it here:
http://www.geocities.com/scott_atk1969/150gal/

HTH,
Scott

 

[Anonymous]

Why not just go to HD, and pick the color of stain you like most? or match it to another piece of furniture in the room the tank will be in. I matched the stain to my desk, and then put 3 coats of polyurethane. I used a custom mixed Minwax color. It was waterbased, and I HATE the finish it gave-- Almost enough to build a new hood. The color didn't penetrate into the wood, and when I sanded between coats of polyurthate, it lifted some of the color in some spots. IMO, DON'T USE the waterbased stains!

IF i didn't have the polurethane around, I would have used an acrylic sealer or marine urethane.

My canopy for my 100 gal is cedar, so I didn't have to do anything (smells nice too!)

B