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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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| "My question is about pre-staining a woodworking project before glue-up. I am going to use a dye that has no binder, leaving the wood surface essentially colored, but uncoated. In this case, is it necessary to mask off areas that will receive glue prior to staining? I would rather not have to mask the glue areas if the adhesion of the glue won’t be affected."
Although a lot depends on both the glue and the dye, it is always wise to mask future glue surfaces when pre-finishing.
Many glues, including common wood glues, work by bonding with open hydroxyl sites on wood, and dyes can close or alter some of these sites. In addition, dye dries to a powder, and even if wiped thoroughly, will leave a small amount of powder on the surface. One or both these things can inhibit glue adhesion, even with glues that rely primarily on mechanical bonds. The bottom line is that it is not a good idea. |  | |
| "I bought a black painted oak table at a rummage sale. I have been able to strip everything with relative ease except the hand carved legs. Would it be possible and ok to bleach the legs?"
No, neither. Bleach only works on raw wood. It does not remove paint. Bleach is waterbased, and any finish or paint of any sort blocks water. Besides not touching the black paint, bleach will take the nice color out of the oak where you have gotten the paint off.
The key to stripping finish successfully is to keep the surface wet with paint remover until all of the finish is softened or removed, and do all the stripping in one operation. The problem is that people get impatient and try to take the paint remover off before it has done its job, and that makes it even worse. Apply paint remover liberally, and leave it on until all of the finish is softened to the point that it wipes off, or scrubs off easily with a stiff bristle brush. That may mean re-applying extra applications of stripper to keep the surface wet, or applying stripper again after the first wipe or scrub, but do it immediately, and don’t let the wood dry between applications. | | |
| "I have a fiberglass front door with a wood finish on top. It is weathered in spots, so I would like to either re-stain it, or paint it. How do I need to prepare the door? Do I need to prime it, sand it, or what?"
Yes, all of the above. Clean it first with TSP, then sand lightly, then prime if you are painting. | | |
| "I am trying to make pepper mills from red maple, which has a very nice, almost white look when ready to finish. It is soft wood, so I assumed I would need some conditioner applied before the stain. Do you have a recommendation?"
Red maple is a hardwood, not a softwood. Don’t let the fact that it is categorized as "soft maple" fool you. That is a relative term. All maples, hard and soft, are hardwoods, and as such, should do fine without wood conditioner. However, you can expect the end grain to absorb more than the flat grain, but that is quite normal on a turning, and to many, it gives the piece added depth and character. To get a unified color on a turning, you are better off sealing it completely, then using a lacquer toner. |
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