New Keezer - Collar Questions

[KennyPowers55]

My original plan for my collar was to build a "frame" for the lid to sit on, and then use a nicer wood around the outside. I built the frame, it seems to fit well, and is not permanently attached to the freezer. I put insulating tape used to mount a pick up truck cap to the bed. It is only sticky on one side (wood side). It does not move when I open and close the lid.

So right now, it is very functional, which I am a big fan of. I can worry about the looks later. My question is - what do I need to do to finish the wood? Do I need to finish all sides of the wood? Paint, stain, polyurethane?

I may eventually add the extra wood on 3 sides somewhere down the line, but it is not a high priority right now. My original intention was to only use this for commercial beer, but after digging into this forum I am convinced I need to brew and keg my own beer.

 

[OscarBrau]

It's a good idea to seal the wood so it doesn't get damaged/warped by moisture. to make it look nice, I suggest staining it a color you like on the exterior, and lacquering over that. On the interior, you can paint (I used shellac primer for the interior of mine).

Really, you can do whatever you want - whether it's staining and adding clear over that, painting the whole thing, or just putting a clear coat on - as long as it covers the bare wood.

 

[vettehead99]

I'm in the process of staining my collar right now. I didn't do any painting, just stain and polyurethane.

I got some oak wood covering the inside collar on mine, I'm basically copying the keezer that was on homebrewacademy. It's only got oak on the front and sides. I used 2 coats of cherry red stain and I've got 3 coats of polyurethane on it at the moment. I'll probably go up to 4, maybe 5 if I don't like how 4 turns out.

IMO, if your concerned about looks, go with staining. It gives it a really nice polished look.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Sure you can paint or stain it any color you wish, or use a clear wood sealer. Easy solution would be to spray and rub some furniture polish on it....hit it liberally with some lemon pledge and your keezer will smell lemony fresh....not the best job, but easy and only 5 minutes work...will help to seal the wood against moisture. Or perhaps rub down with mineral oil... Seems like you like easy

Likely last a long time just as it sits, only a couple of pine boards so not much at stake.

 

[CA_Mouse]

I just finished mine a couple of months ago. I treated the wood with wood conditioner, then stained it the color I wanted and finally sealed it with a urethane sealant. Inside of it I placed foam insulation to help keep the temperature.

 

[Anyhowe]

I still have the "nice" wood I was going to finish mine with laying around. The 2x4 collar worked and looked just fine. I stained it in all sides to slow any moisture problems and finished the inside with rigid foam insulation and insulation tape. Easy to find at any hardware store.