Hand sanding works best:
Finishing Walnut
The first step to showing off these grain patterns is to sand the wood properly. Hand sanding with the grain is the best way to massage this hardwood into bringing out its beautiful grain, working with progressively finer grits of sandpaper as you go.
You shouldn't need to go any finer than 180 or 220 grit for this process. Using a rag or shop towel, coat your work piece with a liberal amount of the Tung Oil Varnish. Be sure to get the edges and end grain. While the oil is wet, sand it with 220-grit wet/dry sand paper.
Lightly scuff sand. Fix any dents/problems. Re-stain to enhance color and to match the "new" with the old, then apply new finish. For a durable tabletop, I think polyurethane might be a great choice.
General Finishes EF Sanding Sealer is a high quality acrylic waterborne sanding sealer that builds fast and makes sanding smooth and easy. For wood with large, open grain, such as walnut or mahogany, sanding sealer is especially handy as a final fill after most of the grain has been evened out with grain filler.
Hand sanding works best: Walnut, although easy to work with, can be difficult to finish. To help bring out the amazing grain patterns in walnut, hand sanding works best. Simply use finer grits of sandpaper as you go along to get a smooth finish that showcases the beautiful grain patterns walnut is known for.
The best finish for walnut is a clear one. Several coats of Danish oil provide clarity. For protection, add a compatible clear topcoat.
1 tablespoon white vinegar. 3 tablespoons olive oil. Mix together in a jar. Using a rag, apply small amounts of the solution to the furniture, gently working off the dirt and grime and restoring the polish to your walnut wood furniture.
Walnut is by definition a hardwood. That means it comes from a deciduous tree (i.e. one that sheds its leaves each autumn) called the black walnut, AKA American walnut. Walnut heartwood has a rich, chocolaty brown color.
Moreover, stains tend to wash out the grain, removing bits of character. For this reason, a natural walnut wood product is rarely stained. Instead, walnut furniture tends to get a clear coat finish; either of some type of varnish, wax, oil, or lacquer.
Walnut flooring also demands that you treat it with the utmost care. If it is not treated correctly then it is easy for scuffs and scratches to appear. In particular, Black Walnut is prone to becoming scuffed. So rather than dragging furniture across the flooring, it is better to lift and move it.
The kernel of a young, only torn walnut has a light color, after lying for several days, the kernel it darkens a little. This is a natural and normal process. After drying, the kernel takes on its permanent color.
Walnut's grain is straight and less porous than other species. Once it's been dried, shrinkage is minimal. This means that it will absorb less water and moisture when in use. Walnut is an especially strong choice for humid climates.
As for the staining, if it's a bad case, you're just going to be stuck with it for a while. “The pigmentation is semi-permanent. It just has to wear off and it can take a long time to fade.”
Walnut wood can change color depending on the way it's dried or its age. The heartwood usually is a dark brown color and the sapwood is a light yellow color. When the wood is left out in the elements, such as the sun, the lighter wood will turn darker and the darker wood will turn lighter.
Special Walnut by Minwax (also available here!) is a lighter, brown walnut color. I found it to be similar to Early American but with more muted brown tones and no red tones. I've seen it used on flooring and it's another very versatile stain color.
Dark Walnut stains look great with other dark colors, like plums, blues, greens, and dark reds. Alternatively, lighter colors like off-white, light grays, and other neutral shades can pleasantly contrast the eyes. Don't be afraid to mix different shades of stained wood and different types of wood in a room.
Pros: Walnut is a very strong and stable wood that can take intricate carving. The color can be beautiful. Cons: Some may not like the variation from dark to light that's sometimes found on a single wide board. Walnut is also one of the more costly woods.
What Are The Basics of Getting a Fantastic Wood Finish? The solid walnut top, above, is a slightly different story. I finished it with just a hand-rubbed tung oil varnish, applying 8 coats to protect the top surface while giving the walnut a gorgeous, natural warm glow, too.
Woods such as oak, mahogany and walnut are characterized as having “open grain” because the wood pores are large. In contrast, “closed grain” woods like hard maple, cherry, poplar and beech have smaller pores. You don't have to fill the pores of any wood before applying a finish.
What happens when you sand wood too much? Sanding the wood in one single spot will begin to appear uneven and a little bit unbalanced with the other areas. This kind of error is possible for anyone regardless of their level of woodworking experience.
If you sand wood past 240 grit sandpaper, the wood dust becomes so fine that it starts clogging the pores of the wood. This prevents stain and finish from soaking into the wood properly, risking a poor finish job. Alternatively, if you sand too much in one single spot, you might create a divot in the wood.