What type of finish should you put on (or have Trestlewood put on) your antique wood mantel?  The answer to this question is largely driven by aesthetics - i.e., what kind of a look are you after?

Trestlewood uses two primary types of finishes on its reclaimed and other unique wood mantels:



Waxes.  We generally use Briwax wax finishes.  Briwax products are available in many different colors (most of which Trestlewood does not stock!)  Briwax finishes are fairly simple to apply and can be touched up easily.  

View more Trestlewood mantels with wax finishes.






Oil-Based Finishes.  We especially like our "house blend" combination of tung oil, polyurethane and mineral spirits. Applying a straight tung oil, linseed oil or polyurethane can be a good (and simple) approach.  Applying a lacquer shell after the oil-based finish is applied can give a mantel a shinier look.

View more Trestlewood mantels with oil-based finishes.




Check out our YouTube video that shows a bit about the process of preparing and finishing a hand-hewn mantel: