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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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| "I have two antique solid oak desks that have been professionally stripped
to bare wood. I would like to stain them an ebony color. What steps to I
need to take to prepare the pieces to be stained, and which products should I use?"
Sand the pieces with the grain, by hand, using 180 or 220 garnet paper. Stain either with black dye, or use India ink. Of the two, India ink will be much blacker. Make samples on scrap oak first to see which look you prefer. Either dye or ink will go under any common finish you prefer. |  | |
| "We have an oak veneer dining set, including 6 chairs and a hutch. My wife would like to do something funky to the table top, such as ’whitewashing’ it, or ’dribble’ on it, then reseal it. Does she have to strip the oak stain first? What products would you recommend?"
No, not if the finish is in good shape, by which I mean not cracked or peeling. Scrub the surface to remove any surface dirt, grease, or wax with Scotchbrite loaded with either mineral spirits or TSP. Seal it with one thin coat of
Zinsser SealCoat as a barrier coat, and have at it. After the SealCoat, she may use any finish her heart desires. | | |
| "How should I prepare, and what should I use on my 1962 cabin’s wood ceilings? The interior ceilings are in pretty good shape, but the exterior ceiling over the patio is almost black. It appears to be only surface grime. Is there something to use to clean and finish them?"
For the interior, clean with TSP in water, if it needs it. There’s no real need to finish an interior ceiling, but you might want to spruce it up a bit with a coat of Watco Danish Oil.
Scrub the exterior with a commercial deck cleaner or use a mixture of TSP and bleach. The black is most likely mildew mixed with dirt and that combination will get rid of most of it. You can also pressure wash it if you own a pressure washer.
Once the dirt is gone, treat the wood with deck brightener (not the same thing as cleaner) or wash it with a 10% solution of oxalic acid. Either will help restore the original color. Finish with any exterior deck coating or exterior Watco Exterior Wood Finish. | | |
| "I was told that using wood conditioner prior to staining or a polyurethane coating would even out the coloring of the Bolivian Cherry I’m using. Is this a fact, and if so is there a wood conditioner you can recommend?"
Wood conditioner is the finishing version of orthopedic shoes; it helps correct a specific problem. If you don’t have that problem, wearing such shoes will provide no advantages at all, and may make things worse.
Certain woods, including cherry, most softwoods, and some figured poplar, birch, and even maple, may absorb oil based stains unevenly. Applying wood conditioner prior to staining will do two things: it will make the stain color more evenly, and will also make the color lighter. It has no advantages under clear finishes that will not be stained, so don’t even consider it if you plan to finish in the natural color.
When you suspect staining problems, test the wood and stain first. Use wood conditioner by flooding it on, wiping it off, then staining before the conditioner dries. It only works while it is still wet.
For what it is worth, Bolivian Cherry, which is not related to American cherry, is not a problem wood doesn’t require conditioner even if one were to stain it. |
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