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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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78 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
39 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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27 views

Can wood glue be used after application of danish oil?

I am making boxes and I want to glue wood pieces in the box after danish oil is applied. Will the glue stick to wood finished with danish oil?
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1answer
51 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
39 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
61 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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0answers
34 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
50 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
52 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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0answers
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
74 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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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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136 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 ...
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1answer
50 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
48 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
360 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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0answers
50 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 ...
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1answer
39 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
199 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.
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1answer
1k 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
21 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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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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37 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? ...
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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, ...
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1answer
219 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 ...
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0answers
74 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
87 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 ...
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0answers
57 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 ...
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1answer
196 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 ...
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4answers
350 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 ...
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2answers
98 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
585 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 . ...
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2answers
213 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, ...
2
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1answer
47 views

How to refinish artificially textured surface?

I'm having a bureau used as a working place (for writing, working, studying). Its top has artificially (I suppose) texture finished with lacquer or varnish. It looks OK, but using it as intended (to ...
2
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2answers
100 views

Sealing a Stained Poplar Bed Frame

I'm putting together a KD Frames poplar bed frame. I've already stained it with Minwax Wood Stain (I really wanted a black wooden look) but I'm unsure how to finish it. When I bought the stain at ...
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2answers
117 views

Fresh sawn oak sleepers deck

I'm planning to make a deck (~18m2) using oak railway half-sleepers (50mm thick, 200mm wide). They are fresh sawn, so they are pretty rough with splinters, etc. Is this a good idea at all? Can I sand ...
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2answers
295 views

How can I determine when a linseed oil finish has cured?

I have only recently begun experimenting with linseed oil and walnut oil finishes, after mainly using mineral oil. Today I read this question and realized that my process may be flawed, because I am ...
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2answers
333 views

Oil based stain over water based fire retardant

I'd like to treat some wood (raw pine) with a water-based class A flame retardant (Flameseal WSA), but also stain it with an oil based stain (garden variety Minwax or Varathane). I'm a bit unsure of ...
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0answers
46 views

Knots bleeding through deck sealer

I have a deck that I built in 1986 with treated lumber, that last year we used a stain sealer on and the sealer was bled thru at mostly knot locations. I have used clear sealer many times over the ...
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0answers
39 views

I'm looking for a good finish for goblets and shot glasses [duplicate]

So I have started turning some goblets and shot glasses, and I'm trying to find a good finish for them that can be nice and glossy, but doesn't need constant reapplication. I'm pretty sure that ...
4
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1answer
883 views

How long before polyurethane finish on desktop is dry?

I'm a total newbie and just made a simple desktop. I finished it with Minwax polyurethane satin. The can says let dry after final coat for 24 hours, but from what I've read on this forum it sounds ...
2
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1answer
167 views

Does the final coat of a Danish Oil finish need to be wiped?

Does the final coat (in this case third) of Danish Oil have to be wiped? Or is not OK to just let dry and then lightly sand/buff? I ask because I am using the dark walnut version of the Watco ...
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1answer
1k views

Filling cracks with epoxy after Tung oil

So still working on my live edge walnut table, and I think I may have screwed up the order of operations a bit. The slab has some defects - cracks, small knots with voids, etc. Didn't think to much ...
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1answer
100 views

seem to be allergic to unfinished wood in the drawers of my new bedroom set [closed]

The smell of wood is causing my throat and nose to swell when I lay down at night, I had to move to another room. How can I eliminate this odor, or at least mellow I out?
4
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1answer
53 views

What can cause cracks in painted pine?

I'm taking an online woodworking course (The Weekend Woodworker), and built a small patio table a few months ago. I made it out of select pine (kiln dried), spray painted it (~2 coats), and put in on ...
3
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1answer
86 views

Is this a bad cerusing job?

I ordered a side table from a reputable manufacturer. The table was supposed to look like this: However, when I received the table, it looked like this: The white on the side table that I received ...
3
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1answer
41 views

Hot tub lid, use paint or oil to seal wood?

I'm wondering what would be a good choice for sealing a outdoor hot tub cover made from plywood? For example, would an outdoor paint or something like tung oil be better for a high heat and humidity ...

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