Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Staining closet doors

Any hints on staining a 4 foot wide closet door? Never been finished.

Thanks. :-)

What type of wood is it? Luan? Birch? Oak? Pine?

He thinks it is Birch. He wants to stain it a dark color and he is concerned about appying it evenly on such a large surface.

I've had good luck using Minwax Wood Finish (oil based stain). They have a nice website that gives the colors of their wood stains. (for a dark color you might choose Special Walnut, Provincial, Red Oak, Jacobean, Red Mahogany, Dark Walnut or Ebony.) You won't have a problem getting the stain even with a birch veneer door.

I'd suggest that you take the door off it's hinges and lay it flat on a pair of sawhorses. Then lightly sand it with 150 grit sandpaper. Minwax wood finish is best applied with a varnish brush. I prefer to apply a thin coat and brush it out well. Soaking the wood is not necessary and will only prolong the drying time. After you brush the entire side of the door, you can immediately wipe the excess stain off with a clean rag. Allow the rags you use to lay flat and dry before disposing of them, don't throw them in a trash can right away because that can be a fire hazzard.

I believe the can says to wait at least 8 hours- but I prefer to wait 24 hours- before applying a finish. I don't care for the Minwax polyurethane, but it's up to you. Your first coat of finish (or sanding sealer) will need to dry, then you will lightly sand it with 220 grit sandpaper (or a 180 grit fine Sandblaster sanding pad) before applying additional coats of finish.

I would not recommend that you use brushable lacquer, because it's hard for a DIY'er to avoid brush strokes on a project as large as a door.

Thank you very much. I will relay this message to my husband. I am sure the information will be greatly appreciated! :-)

Although I haven't used one in years, a lambswool application pad [available at most paint stores] works well for staining large flat areas. However the stain is applied be sure to do 1 side at a time and don't stop in the middle, complete the whole side before taking a break or stopping for any reason.

Thank you very much. That sounds like a good idea! I was thinking of something like using a sponge mop. Then I got the brilliant idea of looking on the Internet for suggestions from people with more experience. Appreciate your help. :-)

An applicator pad is similiar to a sponge mop, only not as thick or wide and kinda of square - they work well for staining.

The lambswool applicator Marksr mentioned will work well if it's a smooth slab door (they use those applicators for varnishing hardwood floors - great for covering a large area smoothly). I would stick to a brush if the door is a raised-panel. It's easier to control how much varnish is in the corners with a brush.

XSleeper's advice on the stain is right on target - try an edge or small corner first to make sure the stain is the color you want.

Thanks guys. The doors are flat. I'll pass this on to the hubby. :-)