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Questions tagged [finishing]

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Finishing a woodworking project refers to the final steps to beautify and protect it.

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43 views

Additional finish I can use over Linseed oil to maintain natural feel while protecting it more from water?

I recently finished a pine table with 100% polymerized linseed oil (tried and true), however would like to protect it more from water and abuse, without losing the natural feel of the wood, that I ...
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1answer
32 views

DIY “white wash” from thinning latex interior paint?

I'm looking to paint a red oak commission piece and the client asked about a "white wash" type finish instead of purely opaque white paint such that the grain shows through. I was wondering if there ...
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2answers
40 views

Proper way to dilute water based oil-modified polyurethane?

What is the proper way to dilute water based oil-modified polyurethane? I know for oil based poly, to use mineral spirits. Water based poly, use water. I couldn't find any details on how to dilute ...
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2answers
88 views

IKEA Gerton (solid beechwood) treatment with mineral oil?

So I need a new desk, and preferably something that's solid wood that can support my dual-monitor mount without sagging or bending. I currently have an Ikea desk that's made of particleboard, and it's ...
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23 views

What can I put on an unfinished cabinet that will not get a lot of use

This cabinet will not get a lot of use. More of a storage cabinet that will have a lamp and cable box. I just need some sort of finish. Really don’t want to change the color.
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1answer
30 views

Can you apply wood conditioner without staining?

I made a cutting board for my self-healing cutting mat. Would I be able to use just the Minwax wood conditioner and no poly or stain? My first wood project was the craft table. After finishing it I ...
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1answer
50 views

Is a HPLV or Airless Paint Sprayer better for projects with a lot off nooks/crannies?

I'm trying to decide whether to buy a HPLV sprayer or on Airless sprayer for applying Lacquer/Polyurethane to my woodworking projects. Lately I've been doing a lot of outdoor projects with some ...
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1answer
35 views

Best finish to keep an oak kitchen counter top looking matte and natural

I am about to re-sand my oak kitchen counters. There is quite a lot of it, including the upstand and splash back. Looks like the previous owners have used various oils over the past, including one had ...
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1answer
65 views

Flush fitting to an uneven surface

I'm building a kitchen cabinet into a concrete wall that has been rendered imperfectly (over concrete blocks that weren't perfect either). In some places, the front of my plywood cabinet box is flush ...
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0answers
29 views

How strictly should I follow temperature guidelines for brushing lacquer?

I'm trying to finish a small piece with brushing lacquer, which I have not used before. The can says that I should not apply it if the temperature is below 55F (13C). The temperature in my area has ...
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1answer
61 views

Ash, seasoning, and epoxying to aluminium

I've decided to make a pizza peel from aluminium sheet with an ash handle, and because aluminium sheet isn't very strong I'm going for a full tang construction. As ash is nice to work green, I've ...
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46 views

What are these blemishes along the grain and how do I correct them?

I have a dining table made out of Acacia Wood. The process of preparation was: Mill the table flat Sand the table to 180 Grit Spray Nitrocellulose Lacquer Lightly sand back Spray 4 heavier coats of ...
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1answer
58 views

Finishes over mineral oil

Over the past few days I have been refinishing a cedar chest. I used stripper and a razor blade to remove most of the old finish before starting to sand. I sanded it up to 600 grit. I was reading ...
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34 views

How to Fix Wood Tabletop (Finish stripped off by bottom of bug spray can left on overnight)

After leaving a bug spray can on my wooden table overnight, I went to remove it the following morning. When I did the wood seemed stuck to the bottom of the can. As I removed it, the finish was taken ...
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1answer
95 views

Sanded lightly between coats of minwax. Applied second coat and you can see where I sanded. How can you fix this?

Refinishing a pine table. Applied one coat of minwax wipe on then sanded as told. Applied second coat and sanding marks still showing. Can it be fixed?
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1answer
119 views

What's the polishing method to achieve/maintain this smooth, reflective finishing

I bought this set of 30-year old dining table and chairs from Craigslist, and the owner indicated that they would polish them every year. I was stupid not to follow up with a question about their ...
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1answer
55 views

Removing a chemical or food stain on oiled wood table

I made a kitchen table from oak wood, and oiled the surface. It's a great looking piece and I'm very proud of it. Yesterday I must have stained it with a cleaning product, I unfortunately do not know, ...
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1answer
58 views

What is patting on poly, What material is needed and how do i do it and is it better than using a brush?

I'm working on redoing a 3x3 butcher block and turning it into a craft table for my granddaughter and she wants a nice finish on it. What is patting on poly?
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0answers
41 views

Watco lacquer still gummy after 4 days

I am a jewelry artist who recently started working with wood. I have used a gold stamping ink to lightly cover a few pieces, allowed to dry completely for 24 hours and then started doing mist coats of ...
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1answer
66 views

Would different finishing schedules inside and out spell doom for a bathroom cabinet?

For a little while now, I've been thinking about making a cabinet (or something) with a finely painted exterior, but a natural finish on the inside, so that there's a little hidden gem when someone ...
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41 views

Will oil stain in pores cause issues with wood dye?

I'm making a table from Sapele. I stained it using Old Masters wiping oil stain but, unfortunately, due to the grain it came out blotchy. A friend suggested using a dye instead of oil stain. I tried ...
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2answers
51 views

How can I get a blotch free clear coat on raw unstained wood?

I am working on a remodel job and we are having trouble getting a blotch free clear coat. We are using water based polyurethane on new cedar, no stain.
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1answer
66 views

Lacquer/polyurethane over paint?

I am painting cabinet doors using Dulux waterbased satinwood. It does seem to remain in a state where things touching it tend to stick. I have found this to be the case on other doors even after many ...
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2answers
60 views

Fix parts of wood where polish has faded

I have tried using wood cleaner and ring away. But honestly the stains (I think by water) have got worse. How can I get rid of them?
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38 views

Lacquer. Perfect Round Holes. Wood Glue. Etc

I'm a hobbyist. I'm building a guitar cab. This is my first touch of a table saw and first try and box joints. A couple of Q's: 1. I sanded the heck outta this thing but apparently not enough to get ...
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2answers
77 views

Termite treatment for non-treated lumber?

Yesterday I found a great deal on 3" x 12" x 12' non-treated lumber (pine). I bought several pieces, but before using it for an indoor table, I want to add a termite-resistant treatment. Once I add ...
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75 views

Can this be fixed before poly?

Just starting to get my feet wet on this old table, sanded and stained it. The picture shows the defect I'm talking about and it was there before I started refinishing the table. Is this something ...
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0answers
38 views

Durable clear finish over lettering on natural background

I am making a skittles board with b2 birch plywood. For those that don't know, this is not a candy server - it is a tabletop game somewhat like a combination of bowling, shuffleboard and top spinning....
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143 views

What are these white fibers emanating from the inside of my lignum vitae lidded box?

Several months ago I turned this lignum vitae lidded box. The first thing I noticed after completing it was how quickly the wood changed color in the sunlight, going from a just-turned honey brown to ...
4
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1answer
56 views

How to get an even sheen with wiping varnish?

I am making my own wiping varnish by following Bob Flexner's recommendation of mixing polyurethane varnish (in my case, Minwax semigloss) with odorless mineral spirits. Everything seems to be going ...
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1answer
90 views

Darken Danish Oil

I have a red oak board and I want to darken it pretty substantially to be more walnut color. I put on some Black Walnut Danish oil and it’s still too light and slightly red (I don’t expect the red to ...
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2answers
2k views

Can I leave indoor wooden furniture unfinished or will it grow mold?

I purchased some furniture that has wooden elements to it that ended up being unfinished. Should I be concerned about this? During the more humid months, will these elements grow mold on them? For ...
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52 views

Strategy for coating a built table with polyurethane?

I built a simple table. I stained each piece before final gluing and construction. I am not sure how to polyurethane the table. I am concerned about both getting an even coat that doesn't run and ...
2
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1answer
45 views

Does water-based polyurethane affect paint color?

I recently painted a dresser. I originally painted it a darker gray than I wanted so after putting the initial two coats on I took the paint back to Home Depot and had them lighten the rest of the ...
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0answers
85 views

Cigarette-proofing outdoor furniture

I built some benches, they're pressure treated lumber currently finished with oil based stain and oil based satin finish spar urethane. Some of them have shellac between the stain and urethane because ...
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4answers
234 views

I put a heavy coat of linseed on a project I didn't wipe off excess. It didn't dry completely and left a sticky surface. How can I clean this off?

How can I take linseed oil off wood that has dried sticky? It tried thinner, denatured alcohol, nothing works.
2
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1answer
3k views

Can I use #0000 steel wool for final polish of water-based polyurethane?

I'm finishing my first woodworking project — a tabletop that I hope to mount on a sit/stand desk mechanism. I've stained and applied 4 coats of Varthane water-based polyurethane in matte finish. I ...
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0answers
22 views

How long until setting Waterlox sealer vertical

I am building a speaker box (cube) and finishing 5 sides. Normally I lay the box flat and do one side then rotate and do another side. Waterlox requires 24 hours between coats. Does that mean it’s ...
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0answers
53 views

Water-based polyurethane

I had my floors refinished. They won’t tell me what they used. I picked out Bona stain and asked for water base polyurethane. They applied the stain at 4 PM. The next morning they supposedly applied ...
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0answers
38 views

How can I darken a stained finish without sanding/stripping?

My current maple cabinets have a brown stained finish and I would like to darken the stain a bit more. What can I do to accomplish this WITHOUT needing to sand everything down and start from scratch? ...
4
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1answer
90 views

Dark stain for a mantle

I have a client that has me stumped. We installed a lovely new stone facade for a client, but their vision for the mantle has me at a loss. They like Minwax Carbon color stain, but want a deep color, ...
2
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1answer
651 views

When can I sand water based polyurethane?

I've applied Water Based Varathane Ultimate Polyurethane to some desktops. I intend to apply 3 coats. The instructions say drying time is 2 hours. Can I sand the finish after 2 hours or do I have to ...
2
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0answers
77 views

Problem with walnut finish

A typical finish we do on walnut is staining with Old Masters Natural Walnut stain (sprayed and wiped) and then 2 coats of a waterborne poly on top. A fabulous finish. However a couple of times we ...
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2answers
88 views

What glaze or surface treatment to repair this bar?

I have a bar that has a corner that was damaged in a move: It seems as if the wood underneath the finish is MDF. But, how do I identify what the finish is that was used here, so that I can identify ...
2
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0answers
58 views

Are lacquer re-coats supposed to dissolve/remove pinhole bubbles?

I am brushing lacquer on 50 small walnut plates. My first coats were a bit of a learning curve and I had produced some small bubbles. My understanding is that new coats of lacquer will dissolve into ...
5
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1answer
376 views

Lacquer, persistent brush marks

So I'm 6 coats deep and cannot get the lacquer to settle flat. I think the lacquer is just drying too fast for me to adequately put enough on before it starts to set, it's a desktop of 2 feet by 4.5 ...
4
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4answers
644 views

Wood Still Rough After Finish

Preface - I'm a woodworking novice. I applied a polycrylic finish to an Ikea Gerton (solid beech wood) table top. I only lightly sanded with 220 by hand before applying the finish. I wasn't aiming ...
3
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2answers
99 views

How to freshen wooden box

I have an old Chess set which has been in storage in what would appear to be less than ideal conditions. (Photo taken with flash.) One half of the box (on one side only, ie the half that is not shown ...
3
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1answer
1k views

Tung oil does not dry

I have researched and done everything to get my tung oil to dry . It was put on to thick first coat. I removed the coat and sanded . Used lacquer thinner to remove . Still not dry . Has been 10 days . ...
2
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2answers
564 views

White Cedar, how to seal/stain to make look similar to its original light color?

I made this white cedar chest & I want to protect it from rain and graying from ultraviolet (UV) sun exposure. I desire an oil stain or sealer because I have seen skin-peeling from varnish, ...

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