Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Finishing doors and mouldings
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lanark
09-04-05, 12:10 PM
I am in the process of refinishing the oak doors and mouldings in my house. After stripping many layers of paint, sanding, and (finally!) staining with a dark red oak stain, I am confused as to what the next step is. Many of the refinishing guides I have followed apply to furniture and I am unsure as to what type of finish to use (if any). Polyurethane seems too shiny, and tung and teak oil seem pretty high maintenance (having to redo every year or so). I have been told that no finish is required on doors and moulidngs etc. after staining, but this doesn't seem right, especially since one of these doors is a bathroom door (I am worried about moisture). Any advice on what, if anything, I should use? The doors, mouldings, mantle, and baseboards in our living room were previously refinished, but I can't tell what, if anything, was applied after the stain. Advice?
mako
09-04-05, 07:54 PM
There are different sheens in polyurethane. None that I know of are outright dull (which I kinda like though). Your best bet may be what's called "Wipe-on poly" which Minwax makes a good one. It's not as thick as regular poly.
You can also try boiled linseed oil, it forms a hardened coating somewhat like wipe-on poly, but not quite as durable. Most folks think it looks better than poly, though, especially if you like dark. Don't go thick or it will get gummy. And do a heavy-duty soap wash on *****everything***** you use to apply the linseed b/c it will spontaneously combust all by it's lonesome if left on a towel or brush. I don't think you need to recoat this yearly, I think it lasts longer than that. I think...
You can also try boiled linseed oil, it forms a hardened coating somewhat like wipe-on poly, but not quite as durable. Most folks think it looks better than poly, though, especially if you like dark. Don't go thick or it will get gummy. And do a heavy-duty soap wash on *****everything***** you use to apply the linseed b/c it will spontaneously combust all by it's lonesome if left on a towel or brush. I don't think you need to recoat this yearly, I think it lasts longer than that. I think...
marksr
09-05-05, 07:31 AM
IMO all interior wood work should be finished in either varnish or polyurathane. As mentioned above both come in 3 different sheens, satin, semi-gloss and gloss. With varnish - after the stain is dry apply 1 coat of sand and sealer, sand smooth when dry and apply 2 coats of varnish sanding lightly between coats. With poly it is basically the same except all coats are polyurathane.