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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: We have some cedar paneled wood ceilings and louvered closet doors that look a little dirty and show dust. I have thought of simply cleaning them with Murphy’s oil soap. Is this a good idea or would something else be better?
A: It won’t hurt. Personally, I prefer to clean with either TSP or mineral spirits, both of which are a bit more aggressive in removing the airborne grease and oils that hold dirt onto surfaces like wood ceilings, but Murphy’s is perfectly acceptable, as is any other simple soap. |  | |
| Q: We have some interior fir window sills that show a few water stains. Do you think a rag dipped into oxalic acid might brighten them up? I guess they would need to be neutralized with baking soda and then finished with something. I could see using anything from tung oil to Varathane but I would like to keep the wood looking as natural as possible.
A: Oxalic acid works only on raw wood, and will indeed remove some black water stains, but will not remove white ones. White water stains are in the finish; black are in the wood itself. As for how to use it, you apply a ten percent solution of oxalic acid to clean, raw sanded wood by flooding it on liberally to completely soak all the wood. Do not apply it sparsely or only in certain areas or you will not get even results. Let it dry overnight, then remove the white reside by wiping with a damp cloth. There is no need to neutralize.
For finish, I would probably go with either Wipe-on Poly or oil based polyurethane. Both will look just as tung oil and will offer a lot more protection with no more work. That’s a win-win to me. | | |
| Q: Will Varathane Diamond Spar Varnish work at 40 degrees outdoors on a boat, or is there something I can cut it with or an additive?
A: Forty degrees is too cold for waterbased spar urethane, and there is nothing you can add to it to make it work at such low temperatures. On the other hand, the oil based version will work at those temperatures, though it will cure very slowly. | | |
| Q: Will shellac attack a veneered glue line?
A: Nope. |
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