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| Leave it to the pro. Michael Dresdner, a nationally known wood finishing and woodworking expert, has answered hundreds of common wood finishing questions in Varathane’s Q&A library to help you successfully complete your project. Click on a link to the left for help and solid advice. |
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| Q: I have eight year old windows with exterior metal surfaces and wood interiors. The lower portion of the windows next to the glass have rejected the original wood finish and now have dark surfaces that look like mold. I plan to remove the old finish, saturate the area with bleach in attempt to kill the mold, sand where necessary and refinish using a mixture of polyurethane and paint thinner. Does this sound like a good finishing schedule?
A: More or less, but there are a few things that jump out. You did not say how you plan to remove the old finish, so I will assume you are going to use paint remover followed by a scrub with lacquer thinner to make sure the wood is clean. In all likelihood, that will remove any surface mold, but if you must resort to bleach, make sure you apply it to all the wood, not just the area where there was mold. You must always do the same thing to all surfaces. The same goes for sanding; sand all areas the same with the same grit and type of paper. After that, oil based polyurethane is an excellent choice, though I would only thin it if I were brushing, and then less than 20%. For wipe on application, which frankly is much easier in a situation like this, there is no need to thin at all. |  | |
| Q: I have 1980’s stained oak cabinetry throughout my house and was planning on painting them. I’ve sanded, primed, and painted a set of cabinets in an inconspicuous place and they turned out fine, but the grain is noticeable. I was wondering about possibly using a wood grain filler for subsequent cabinets. I’ve read about oil-based and water-based wood grain fillers, and I’m not sure what is the best for this application. Can you elaborate on the pros and cons of each for my application?
A: Absolutely. I am a huge fan of waterbased filler, which came on the market long after oil based. It is easier to use, dries much faster, and works quite well both on raw wood and wood that is already sealed. In many cases, depending on the brand, it also tends to take stain better, but if you are painting, that will not be an issue. In case you were wondering, yes, you can fill the pores on the pieces you already painted with waterbased pore filler, then top them with another coat of acrylic paint. | | |
| Q: I’ve read about using grain fillers for wood which will receive stains, and the instructions say to use the grain filler after one coat of stain. Can I reduce my sanding time and just apply a grain filler directly over the existing oak cabinets?
A: I am not exactly sure what you are asking. You can fill on raw wood, or you can fill on wood that has been stained and sealed, but your results will be different. In the case of oak, I would not hesitate to put the filler down first, then stain, provided you are using a pigment based stain. Filler tends to block dye, but you should not have problems with a pigmented stain, especially if you use waterbased filler, which usually takes stain better than oil based filler. The key is to make sure that after the filler is dry, you sand off any filler residue on the wood, leaving it only in the pores. That way, the stain will color the filler and will also be able to color the raw, sanded wood. | | |
| Q: I have a dresser that I am refinishing. The outdated handles in the drawer fronts required holes that new hardware does not match. How do I fill the holes to ensure a wood grain match or at best, an unobtrusive blend?
A: The best way is to use a plug cutter to create plugs of the same wood, and install the plugs so that the grain goes in the same direction. Of course, that is not always possible, so let’s also talk about second best. Plug the holes with a dowel, but set the dowel just slightly below the face surface. Fill the remaining shallow hole with wood filler, let it dry, then sand it flush. It may stain well enough to hide. If not, wait until after the first coat of finish and touch up the spots, adding grain lines if you like, using either a fine artist’s brush with acrylic craft paints, or with touch up markers. |
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