Wood Finishing and Refinishing Questions

Wood Finishing and Refinishing Questions

If you have a question about stains, clear coats or stripping paint then this is the place for you. Included in this category is cabinets, fiberglass doors and how to clean off those pesky paint splatters.

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• Furniture Refinishing Questions - Questions about furniture finishing and refinishing.

Questions with Answers

• How well do some of these wipe-on refinishers really work? - This is my first time here. My cabinets and all my woodwork need some sprucing up. Does anyone really know how well some of these wipe-on refinishers really work and how things look afterward? I am afraid things will end up looking worse then b...
• Darken already stained trim. - I want to darken my walnut stained wood door and trim. Could I rub with dark paint and wipe to give it a rustic look? Or should I lightly sand and go over the existing stain with a black stain to give it the brown/black finish I'm looking for?
• Re-poly T&G cathedral ceiling. - What is the best way to re-poly a T&G ceiling to minimize drips and what is the best poly to use?
• Water based urethane over oil based urethane? - How do I apply this new water based urethane over what I have been using for years?
• Wood cleaning after stripping and prior to refinishing - I've removed several layers of paint and what I believe is shellac from 50 year old doors and trim. After stripper has fully dried I've sanded the wood surfaces, yet there is a gummy residue left on some areas of the wood surfaces. How do I remov...
• Best finish for new clear pine interior on windows. - With all the new products out there, it is hard to find a finish that is best for new wood windows. The windows are nice, fiberglass outside and clear pine inside. What should I use to stain and seal the windows interior? Taking into account windo...
• Staining Dark Wood Ceiling With Whitewash - I have a large room that has a wood beam ceiling that I hate. I would like to know what would be the easiest way to whitewash the ceiling. Could I just use a latex paint and paint it on and then rub it off? I can not tell if the stain is oil based...
• Can you sand dark woodwork to restain it lighter? - Once stained dark, can you sand and stain to a lighter shade or will it always be pretty dark?
• Darker Wood Stain - I recently stained a new window with oil based maple color but don't like the color. Like to make it darker. How do I do this?
• Staining a Primed Wood Door - Can I gel stain an interior six panel wood primed door from Lowes? They are cheaper to buy than the 6 panel pine ones.
• Fading Stain Repair - I stained new wood in my home and over the past year the wood that was behind the pictures on the walls are now much lighter. How do I get the color to match again. I tried to restain the lighter spots that was behind the wall hangings this did no...
• After staining...then what? - The painters have stained the trim (windows, crown molding and baseboards) of our new house and are telling me that the wood does not need a sealing coat...just to rub Lemon Oil into the wood to condition it. I attempted to do that in a corner an...
• Windows are stained but are turned black with condensation. - My windows are all stained golden oak but are turned black with condensation, what can I do with them?
• Restoring Redwood Walls - Hi, We are restoring an 1880-1910 Victorian cottage. The walls are the original redwood beading board. The are pretty good condition, however, they seem very dried out. The house is located in Bolinas, CA, up the coast, north of San Fran. What...
• Painting after staining? - Bought 2 pre-hung doors and stained them with Minwax. Easy job, but now the wife wants to paint over the stain. Can this be done with regular latex interior paint?
• Applying Wood Stain Then Finishing With Tung Oil - Can I stain a piece of wood first to a color of choice and then finish with Tung oil? Also does Tung oil need a protective finish coat when the final coat is on and dry?
• Getting dryed on old latex paint off of woodwork. - I need to know, what is the best solution to get old paint off woodwork? I have tried everything!
• How do I remove wood stain from doors and door surrounds? - My doors and door surrounds, as well as the skirting boards, are a dark brown wood stain and I want to change the dark wood stain to a mahogany wood stain. Water and mineral spirits make little difference. The best advice so far seems to be a heav...
• Staining and finishing 30 eight foot raised panel poplar doors. - My father in-law, whom I work for, just took on a job for me and its 30 eight ft tall solid poplar raised panel doors to sand, condition if needed, stain and finish. Personally I want to do this, but the numbers are intimidating. I'm used to do...
• Wood Front Door Refurbishing - We are about to put our house on the market and realized how faded the front door is. It has been protected from the weather/sun, but has probably been on the frame 50 years. The top is O.K. but the vanish on the bottom half is gone or faded and a...
• Wood Staining - Whenever I use an oil based wiping stain, I find it difficult to get the color to darken even with successive coats. Is there a good brand of wiping stain available in the Canadian market that would only require one or two coats (max) to achieve t...
• How can old stain be removed from wood? - The doors inside my home that were stained with a dark stain many years ago. I would like to bring them back as much as possible to their natural color by removing the stain. Any suggestions?
• Applying Gel Stain - What is best way to apply gel stain?
• Refinishing An Old Wood Vestibule Door - I have an old vestibule door that has the pretty beveled or led glass that matches the glass in my front windows. The door is old and I am thinking of refurbishing it and moving it to be the entry door. It is dark wood and I would like to strip al...
• Which polyurethane is the best for wood that is dry? - I have a t&g pine ceiling. Our fireplace has made the wood very dry in places. The ceiling was clear coated before. I was told to use oil base polyurethane to put moisture back into the wood. I would rather use water based polyurethane because the...

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