cR

04/02/2004 7:15 AM

Please Help - My birch dresser has a strong raw-wood odor??

Hello,
I'm very much a newbie and have little experience. We just made a
dresser out of birch wood (from Home Depot), and polyurethane all the
exposed wood. It has been a month and we still can't use it, as
clothes take on a strong raw wood-like smell. I thought about maybe
varnishing the inside to seal the wood. Would that make a difference?
What would you recommend to get rid of this odor?? Any help would be
appreciated. Thanks, Ray


This topic has 3 replies

hD

[email protected] (David Hall)

in reply to [email protected] (RayRay) on 04/02/2004 7:15 AM

04/02/2004 11:41 AM

[email protected] (RayRay) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Hello,
> I'm very much a newbie and have little experience. We just made a
> dresser out of birch wood (from Home Depot), and polyurethane all the
> exposed wood. It has been a month and we still can't use it, as
> clothes take on a strong raw wood-like smell. I thought about maybe
> varnishing the inside to seal the wood. Would that make a difference?
> What would you recommend to get rid of this odor?? Any help would be
> appreciated. Thanks, Ray

I was always of the understanding that if you finish one side of your
wood but not the other you will have problems as the unfinished side
absorbs moisture at a different rate than the finished side. For that
reason alone I would finish the inside and hopefully it will solve
your other problem.

PA

"Preston Andreas"

in reply to [email protected] (RayRay) on 04/02/2004 7:15 AM

04/02/2004 3:59 PM

Generally, it is the varnish (polyurethane) that is the culprit. However,
if it is truly the wood, get either Deft brushing lacquer or a clear shellac
sealer made by Zinzzer. Both should be available at the local Borg. These
two finishes will dry and leave no smell.

Preston.

"RayRay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello,
> I'm very much a newbie and have little experience. We just made a
> dresser out of birch wood (from Home Depot), and polyurethane all the
> exposed wood. It has been a month and we still can't use it, as
> clothes take on a strong raw wood-like smell. I thought about maybe
> varnishing the inside to seal the wood. Would that make a difference?
> What would you recommend to get rid of this odor?? Any help would be
> appreciated. Thanks, Ray

nn

in reply to [email protected] (RayRay) on 04/02/2004 7:15 AM

04/02/2004 12:09 PM

The built in dresser made for my wife used Baltic Birch for drawers
and complaints about odor in clothing started about 2 days after
completion. Took the drawers into the garage and wiped shellac on
inside and outside of drawers and reinstalled within an hour and
nothing since. If these were inside a newly built wooden case the
insides of that would need coating also to be on the safe side.

On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 15:59:54 GMT, "Preston Andreas"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Generally, it is the varnish (polyurethane) that is the culprit. However,
>if it is truly the wood, get either Deft brushing lacquer or a clear shellac
>sealer made by Zinzzer. Both should be available at the local Borg. These
>two finishes will dry and leave no smell.
>
>Preston.
>
>"RayRay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> Hello,
>> I'm very much a newbie and have little experience. We just made a
>> dresser out of birch wood (from Home Depot), and polyurethane all the
>> exposed wood. It has been a month and we still can't use it, as
>> clothes take on a strong raw wood-like smell. I thought about maybe
>> varnishing the inside to seal the wood. Would that make a difference?
>> What would you recommend to get rid of this odor?? Any help would be
>> appreciated. Thanks, Ray
>


You’ve reached the end of replies