Note: Diffuse-porous wood species like Maple, Aspen, and Poplar do not exhibit these large open springwood pores like ring-porous wood and are less suitable for producing a cerused effect.

Can you Ceruse any wood?

Which woods can you ceruse? Cerused wood is also known as cerused oak or limed oak because it's often found on this species of wood. Oak's highly visible grain makes it one of the surfaces for the finish. But you can ceruse any open-grained hardwood (i.e., those with large pores) such as mahogany.

Can you Ceruse with stain?

Modern cerusing techniques use liming wax or paint to accentuate the wood grain, usually on a piece with a dark stain. By using two distinct colors, cerused wood gives a strong sense of contrast, and the wood grain becomes a feature to celebrate and highlight, rather than something to push into the background.