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Renovation Material: Cerused Oak
This traditional material adds welcome texture to the sleek surfaces of modern furniture, cabinetry and more
Houzz Contributor. I'm an interior designer, homeowner and founding blogger of the before + after super-site, http://www.raenovate.com/.
Houzz Contributor. I'm an interior designer, homeowner and founding blogger... More »
Cerused oak is staging a comeback, and I couldn't be more excited. Dating way back to the 1500s, ceruse (white lead) was originally used in cosmetics, until furniture makers discovered that it worked beautifully as an overlay on porous woods. When applied to a wood such as oak, the white pigment fills and reveals grain lines without affecting the overall color of the wood's finish.
Known in Europe as limed oak, the material has recently been popping up on case goods, cabinetry, flooring and doors, although nowadays a nontoxic wax is used in place of actual white lead. It's a comfort to see craftspeople paying homage to the methods that were created so many centuries ago. And really, who doesn't love a comeback? Ceruse is back in the house and Britney Spears is an X Factor judge? It's a banner week!
Known in Europe as limed oak, the material has recently been popping up on case goods, cabinetry, flooring and doors, although nowadays a nontoxic wax is used in place of actual white lead. It's a comfort to see craftspeople paying homage to the methods that were created so many centuries ago. And really, who doesn't love a comeback? Ceruse is back in the house and Britney Spears is an X Factor judge? It's a banner week!
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Ceruse details make this three-panel door come alive with depth and dimension.
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| With custom vertical-grain cerused cabinetry and a 3-D porcelain Geologica backsplash, this kitchen is dripping with texture. |
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Sleek lines combine with the traditional ceruse finishing method to create the modern interpretation of a cerused oak piece.
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| Perfectly suited for a California beach house, cerused flooring has a whitewashed appearance and creates a casual elegance. |
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Custom vertical-grain cerused cabinetry is wonderfully balanced by this kitchen's patterned backsplash.
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| By combining linen, wool and cerused oak, Lisa Benbow created a space filled to the brim with natural materials. |
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The New Traditionalists have brought us the ultimate cerused cabinet. It's in red oak, and the base and doors are highlighted with white ceruse.
| White filler contrasts highly against a dark stain, as shown on this round wenge night table. |
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| Stainless steel beautifully highlights the cerused finish on the modern cabinetry and floating shelving in this Seattle kitchen. More: Design Greener: Using Reclaimed Wood Laminate Floors: Get the Look of Wood and More for Less |
Ideabook published on May 17, 2012.
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Edit: I saw this on re-reading. 'although nowadays a nontoxic wax is used in place of actual white lead.' If it is not white lead, why call it 'cerused' which means 'white leaded'?
The purpose of the finish is to allow for cleaning. Unfinished woods leave dirty fingerprints over time.
The best results I have to keep wood looking natural, without turning white, yellow or a darker color is to use Minwax wood finish #260, "pickeled oak". Enclosed is a photo of one house using VGDF wood wi
the minwax finish
Isn't it wonderful to honor history? Not to mention interesting.
Everything comes around again and again.
Just know your product!