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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 am replacing some old pantry shelves with 3/4" plywood with a thin veneer of either birch or maple. I plan on lightly staining them and finishing them for durability. Knowing the veneer is so thin, would you recommend using a pre-stain wood conditioner before the stain is applied?
A: Conditioner has nothing to do with how thick or thin the wood is. It has to do with what wood you are staining. Both birch and maple often stain evenly without conditioner, but just as often blotch. It’s a bit of a crap shoot, so in this case, I think you would be wise to use conditioner if only as insurance. Otherwise, it might be a real "birch" to get it to stain evenly. |  | |
| Q: Do I need to use a wood conditioner prior to staining solid maple?
A: With maple, it varies tremendously. Often you can get away without it, but I have seen some maple that needs it. It depends in part on the tree, and in part on the species. For instance, big leaf, one of the soft maples, is more prone to blotching than is rock or sugar maple, which is much harder and denser. Either do test samples on scrap pieces of the same wood, or on a hidden underside that has been sanded the same way, or use conditioner just to be on the safe side. | | |
| Q: We are ready to stain and finish the red oak trim and doors in our new home. We want a semi-gloss finish in a honey ginger color to match the floors. The trim was routed and seems ready for stain.
A: It’s not. You should never apply finish to a machined surface. Sand through the grits, starting with either 80 or 120 and moving up. Your final sanding should be with 180 or 220 grit paper, preferably by hand sanding with the grain, and using garnet paper rather than aluminum oxide for the final sanding. Because oak has such large pores, I often suggest that people use gel stain rather than liquid. Find the color that matches your floors, put it on liberally and wipe off all the excess while it is still wet. Let the stain dry, then top off the stained wood with several coats of oil based polyurethane. | | |
| Q: We’re in the process of restoring a 60’s era houseboat with the original paneling. It’s in pretty good shape but am wondering if it’s possible to re-stain and refinish old paneling. Can it be lightly sanded and refinished?
A: Refinishing means removing the existing finish with paint remover and applying finish to the bare wood. Reading between the lines, it sounds as if you want to just add color and another coat of finish to the one that’s there, and that is certainly possible. First, clean the surface with mineral spirits or TSP on nylon abrasive pads. That will clean off any surface oils or grease while the pads lightly abrade and de-gloss the finish. Stain will wipe right off finished wood, but one way to add color and finish in one step is with One-Step Stain and Polyurethane, a tinted top coat. You can also buy One-Step Stain and Poly in an aerosol can, which makes it somewhat easier to control the color application. |
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