Carpentry and Woodworking - Stain and Finish help

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I would like some advice.
I'm getting some cabinet doors made for a carcass I recently built. The carcass is set inside those "built-ins" or drywall recesses that the newer homes have.

I'd like to stain and finish the carcass and doors myself but I'm nervous b/c its in a prime location.

The doors are alder as is the face frame with birch on the insides. I'd like a med brown-red once done.

On to my ?

1. Oil based stain?
2. Use a pre-stain?
3. Sand after pre-stain?
4. Sand after each stain and poly?
5. Use hand or electric sander?
6. How many coats of stain?
7. How many coast of poly?
8. How should I 'thin' the poly?

Thanks and sorry for so many ??s

Welcome to the forums!

IMO oil base stain is both easier to work with and does a nicer job. Most stains are best applied with just 1 coat. The 1st coat of stain more or less seals the wood making it hard for more stain to penetrate and dry.

It usually takes 3 coats of poly to get a nice finish, always sand between coats and remove sanding dust. There is no need to sand the stain coat. Hand sanding should be sufficent. Use 150-180 grit for the initial sanding and 220 grit for the final. Always sand with the direction of the grain!

The poly should be thinned sparingly - less than 10% Use of a quality natural bristle brush will both make the application easier and limit any brush marks.

Thanks for the quick reply...

what do you think about a prestain application -to raise the grain, then sand?

also, when you say thin the poly 10% is that 10% poly, 90% mineral spirits?

Thx.

Poly is generally ready to use straight out of the can. If you need to thin it, do so sparingly - no more than 10% thinner.

If by prestain you mean a wood conditioner - they somewhat seal the wood and make the resulting stain job lighter in color. The main reason to use a conditioner is to keep from having drastic coloring changes in soft woods like pine.

Heres the way we do it on the job site
I'm old fashion I like to use a regular stain and not that combined stain/ sealer it gets sticky and I don't like to cut it down with spirits The best sealer like to use is a spar urethane .To prep sand the door down real smooth and wipe down. To stain I like to use a rag or old sock to stain with and no brush (stain Only) so I can control the excess stain and not darken the wood to much. ( I like to see my wood grain) I hate a brush on or sponge on staining gets to splotchy. After this let dry. Now the stain will raise the grain. After completely dry lightly "hand" sand down the raised grain enough to smooth it real good but not to much to get past the stain. wipe off good. Now before you seal it get some tack rags from the paint supplier and tack the wood to get all of the wood fibers tacked / dust off( real important).
Apply your sealer and coat the wood with a good brush and smooth out throughly but don't go to heavy. ( cut this down with spirits if to thick and hard to brush out but not to much dulls the gloss finish) Lightly sand this coat and use the sticky tack cloth to clean it. The last coat is to go on. Here depending on the temp. You might have to thin a little for the sealer to go on smooth and a full wet slick look. don't go to heavy. If this finial coat suits you good, if not do another finish coat waiting 24 hrs. I'm old fashion. I like just a stain no sealer in it. And for finish I like an exterior spar urethane finish semi gloss or high gloss. It is also good for salt areas and on boats. NOTE" I like to pour my sealer in a small container so I don't get contaminates in the can if I pick up any dust previously from dipping in the can the tacking missed may have missed. Clean brush real good between sealing coats ( Dust/tack again
PS Only stain once if you want is darker then use more on rag let is sit a bit longer for stain to suck in. Remember the finish sealer will make a bit darker look the just the stain no finish
1 sand dust off
2. stain panels
3. Fine grit sanding on dry stain to knock down raised grain then 00 steel wool to smoth good
4. dust off and tack rag 1st coat of sealer
5. lightly steel wool if tiny bubbles in first coat
6. tack 2 coat ( maybe thin this coat out with mineral spirits so spreads better but not to much thinner will dull finish on sealer)
7. two coats of sealer usually does but 3 if necessary

I wouldn't recomend using a spar urathane on cabinets. It is formulated for exterior conditions and doesn't dry to as hard a film as interior poly does. The harder film = longer wear.

Great info... I really appreciate the help.

One last question. I have a cabinet with a lot of interior storage bins, with a wine bottle holder; like a wood grid for holding 9 bottles AND a ton of intricate crevasses. Should I apply a spray can poly to the interior and do the exterior by hand for best coverage? Hand poly and sanding 3X will take me a month to do, so I'm searching for fast alternatives. Any suggestions?

A spray can might be easier but the problem with aersol paint is there's very little material in the can and what's there has been thinned drastically. Brushing the 1st coat and spraying the 2nd might work ok. While 3 coats usually gives the best finish, you can cheat a little with interior surfaces - 2 coats might look ok - especially after you stock the cabinet:D

Good point! Have a you had any success with a rub-on-poly?

I've not used the rub on or wipe on poly. I can't see how it would leave a thick enough film of paint to offer any real protection.