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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 am making a student’s desk and am pre-finishing it, but accidentally coated the tenons with pre-stain conditioner. Can I just shrug and ignore this supplementary coating or should I peg the joints?
A: Though conditioner is much thinner than finish, it does contain some resin and therefore will seal the wood to some degree when it dries. That means it will diminish the ability of the glue to adhere. The simplest fix is to let it dry completely, then sand all the glue surfaces of the tenons with 220 grit paper. That should be enough to give you a good bond once again, though of course, pegging the joints will also add to long term security. |  | |
| Q: I have a maple butcher block table top, which I finished years ago with Watco Natural Danish Oil Finish. Someone put a potted plant on the table. There was dark brown gift wrap paper wrapped around the pot. Naturally the bottom of the pot was damp, and the dark colored ink in the paper left a dark brown stain in the wood. Other than sanding out the stain, which seems deep in the wood, is there a simpler method in dealing with it? I want the area that is being restored to blend with the rest of the finish and I’m hoping that I won’t have to refinish the entire top.
A: It does not look promising for that. You can sometimes remove stains if they are on the surface of the finish by scrubbing the entire surface, not just the affected area, with mineral spirits or TSP on fine nylon abrasive pads. If that takes out the stain, simply rejuvenate the entire top with another coat of Watco.
However, from what you have said it sounds like the stain is down into the wood, in which case you can only remove it after first removing the finish. After you have removed the finish and sanded the clean, raw wood top, wipe the surface with full strength laundry bleach, which will remove many dyes. If that does not do the trick, you can follow with a wash using a ten percent solution of oxalic acid on the raw wood. Leave it overnight, then remove any white residue with a damp cloth. Both these washes must be done to the entire top, not just to the stained area. Finally, if all else fails, you can always sand out the stain. | | |
| Q: I recently made an error in using the Varathane wood conditioner on a solid mahogany entry door. Most of a quart can was used, and unfortunately the excess was not immediately wiped off, allowing some areas to dry. I had not wanted to stain the door but only to use your oil based Spar Urethane. Are there any steps that can be taken to the door that would allow us to still be able to apply the Spar Urethane?
A: You don’t need to take any steps at all, other than waiting for the wood conditioner to dry. Once it is dry, go right ahead and go over it with spar urethane. While allowing wood conditioner to dry might affect the way the wood accepts stain, it has no harmful effect on the clear topcoat. You’ve got nothing to worry about; just go ahead and apply the spar urethane. | | |
| Q: If I spray shellac on an area of a bamboo chair whose finish was rubbed off will it restore the original color?
A: It will if the original color was clear. I have no way of knowing that without seeing it, but I can tell you that if you are talking about rattan or cane chairs, they are typically not stained. If color is added, it is usually added as a sprayed on semi-transparent tint. Unlike the shellac in cans, which contains wax, the aerosol cans of shellac are wax free. Thus, even if the color is not up to snuff, you have adequately sealed the bare spots with an ideal clear primer that you can then go over with whatever you need to adjust the color. For instance, One-Step Stain and Poly in an aerosol can, a spray on tinted finish that comes in a wide range of colors, is a great way to add a small amount of color to a select area. |
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