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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: Do they still produce a teak gel stain? If not, what color would be the closest?
A: I don’t know who ‘they’ is, but I can tell you that the best way to choose stain is by color and not by name. Forget what the company calls the stain; look at the color sample and make your decision based on that. Many companies have color samples online that you can look at, and most have sample chips at the store. Some, like Varathane, even offer ketchup pack sized stain samples so you can try out several stains at home on scrap wood before you commit to buying a large can. |  | |
| Q: I am applying two coats of epoxy paint to a concrete floor, after which I will apply four coats of Varathane Diamond Floor Finish. I want to add anti-slip additive to the coating. Which coat should it go in?
A: It really only needs to go into the last coat, though there is certainly no harm in putting it in more than one. By the way, I am rather baffled as to why you would coat an epoxy paint with floor finish. That floor finish is weaker than the epoxy paint, so you are topping a stronger finish with a weaker one, and it is not made to adhere to epoxy, so you could be setting yourself up for adhesion problems down the road. Furthermore, if this is a garage, the floor coating is not really meant for the rigors of that sort either. The epoxy floor coating is a great idea, but topping it with wood floor finish is not. | | |
| Q: After stain is applied and dry, would a sanding sealer be recommended to help fill the pores of oak prior to applying a varnish topcoat?
A: No. Sanding sealer is used primarily under lacquer and on woods that are very absorbent. It is not necessary under varnish, is not necessary on oak, and is not appropriate to use for filling pores. If you want to fill the pores of the oak, seal the wood with a single coat of whatever finish you plan to use ultimately, or use a universal sealer, such as Zinsser SealCoat, a clear primer. The sealer will help lock in the stain. Once the sealer is dry, use paste wood filler, also called pore filler, to fill the pores. When the filler is dry, top it with the remaining coats of finish. | | |
| Q: Can I use spar urethane if it is 58 degrees and foggy?
A: Yes, if you are using oil based exterior spar urethane, but that those temperatures are a bit risky for waterbased. |
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