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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 maple cabinets in the kitchen finished in clear satin. Some of the panels need to be refinished. What is the best method for preparing the surface and application of finish to match the other panels?
A: That depends largely on what is currently on the rest of the kitchen. You can certainly strip and refinish just some sections, but matching will depend on choosing a similar finish, since lacquer, waterbased polyurethane, and oil based polyurethane all look slightly different on unstained maple. If you know what you have, duplicate it when you refinish. If not, make samples first on similarly colored scrap maple, or on the backs of panels. |  | |
| Q: I just restored the hardwood floors of a circa 1950 house and now want to do the kitchen. Cabinets appear to be plywood. They have been stained and never sealed. They have had just about every type cleaner used on them. I need to know how to prep them. Also can use the same coating that I used on the floor?
A: Scrub the surface with TSP on nylon abrasive pads to dislodge any surface dirt and grease, then decide whether or not you want to try to remove the stain. If not, seal the cabinets with one coat of Zinsser SealCoat, then follow with at least three coats of polyurethane. There is no particular reason you could not use a polyurethane formulated for the floor on your cabinets, but in most cases, it is designed to dry much slower for flow out, and is more likely to sag and run on a vertical surface. | | |
| Q: I’m getting tired of frequently applying tung oil to our teak dining room table. I would like to apply a wipe-on polyurethane finish because of its durability. What surface preparation should I do? Can I still use denatured alcohol to remove any white heat rings prior to this surface application?
A: Yes, you can use denatured alcohol for heat rings first. After that, scrub the table with TSP or mineral spirits to remove any airborne dirt or grease. Use Scotchbrite for the cleaning step and you can omit sanding. When the table is clean and dry, apply the wipe on polyurethane. | | |
| Q: What ratio of TSP to water do you use for cleaning raw or finished wood?
A: It is not that critical. Use about a half cup of TSP to a gallon of warm water, or twice that if the surface is really greasy. |
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