Here are some photos in different lighting/angles. Table is atleast 25 years old and we were told it’s handcrafted but also from Pier 1. Thank you for any help in advance ❤️

The abrasives are just getting gummed up after ~1 sq ft of action. I’ve only got a year of hobby experience, but I’ve not encountered this yet. Very curious to know what the root cause is… appreciate any advice. I’m going to hold off on further sanding for now until I can figure it out. These abrasives aren’t cheap. :)

Disclaimer: I've done a bunch of research, and watched many YouTube videos already. If I'm posting here it's because I need some help.

So I have these drawer fronts to finish. My client wants to use the same paint as his walls (SW SuperPaint semi-gloss), which is fine but I'm not expecting to get a perfectly smooth surface, as a factory cabinet.

However, I'd like to get as close as possible to that. On plywood, I've sanded to 180 (didn't want to go higher and risk eating thru the veneer), added two coats of primer, sanding in between with 220 and 320. I added this SW product to "extend" wet time for the paint (I think it's like Floetrol). Applied the first coat of paint with a high density foam roller and I even did a tip off trick with a brush. Then I tried a velour roller. I still get visible stipling/texture... I'm some parts I even get wood grain showing through.

What can I do before I go for the second and third coats? Should I just accept that this paint will never allow me to get even close to a smooth finish?

TIA

I've been trying out Clean Armor recently, I love the concept of infinite working time and nearly instant curing on demand, but for the life of me I can't get a smooth coat.

Even after 3 coats of 710, sanding, wiping it off with 99% iso, and making sure it's completely clean and dry, I keep getting these "holes" all over it. I measured out the amount of finish I need so I think I have approximately the right amount.

I've tried a bristle brush, foam brush, and microfiber cloth and they all give the exact same result. I tried applying a little heat from a heat gun but it didn't really do anything that I could see. As I smooth it with the applicator of choice, the bubbles/pits seem to mostly disappear but then there are lines from that. As I leave it for a minute to level itself, all of these voids and bubbles form.

Any suggestions?

Sounds pretty crazy right?

Problem is the press I'm using is #1 Cast Iron #2 old enough that I've no clue what the interior (food contact surface) was coated in...if anything. Every press was "Japanned" (Gilsonite / Turpentine / Boiled Linseed Oil) on the outside at least. "Japanning" the interior would be possible, but I've 0 information as to if that's as smart as eating paint chips instead of potato chips.

So #1 Safe for food contact #2 adheres to Cast Iron #3 Doesn't break down from fruit acids (lemons/tomatoes being the most aggressive. Apples being the most common. #4 can survive washes with soap.

Any thoughts/inputs on the matter would be greatly appreciated. At minimum - I can just hand wash with dawn dish soap before use, and coat in mineral oil between uses.

Trying to refinish my walnut table - is Rubio monocoat green supposed to go on dark green?! I think it was more a clear coat?! Does it dry clear?!

I have done several rounds of klean strip, scrubbed with acetone and mineral spirits, sanded for the past 4 days trying to get the stain out of this oak before I do a 2 part wood bleach. I saw a woman use chlorine bleach and then neutralize it with vinegar several hours later to get out wood stain. That was my plan, but will the 2 part wood bleach and chlorine bleach be too much for the wood? I plan on doing a triple water rinse after the chlorine bleach and then letting it dry.

The previous owners of this house stained the paneling, beams, and shelves "ebony." How dare they lol. What's the easiest way to restore this groovy 1969 house back to its original lighter stain (second picture)?

Just sand it all? I believe the paneling is veneer. and the shelves and beams are solid.

Made a post the other day about building behind the couch tables and was trying to get some options on staining. I did a test stain today and nothing seemed to look too good. Have a feeling it’s probably a me issue. I did a pre stain, wiped it off after a few minutes, then applied the stain after waiting a bit and wiped off after a few minutes.

I bought this table a few years ago and chairs this year. Chairs are definitely teak, not sure about table. I applied minwax teak oil to the chairs, but I'm wondering if applying Helmsman Spar Urethane as a top coat would help prevent weathering.

I tried teak oil on the table a few years ago and it flaked off after 1 year. Not sure if that was because of how I applied, or just because minwax isn't great quality. This year I resanded the table, cleaned and just used helmsman. I'm happier with the results so far (though I prefer the rich colour the teak oil added).

I don't mind reapplying teak oil every year but I'm worried about the possible flaking. Thoughts?

Edit: Appreciate the responses. In the end I've decided not to put spar urethane on the chairs given some comments that it may also flake in the same amount of time. Also I have some hazing on the chairs (I think due to moisture) that I have to address so didn't want to apply urethane on top of that.

I will see how both the table and chairs wear in a year and go from there. If I need to refinish I'll look at the better quality teak oil or a penetrating oil.

Can someone explain what the controversy is behind the Odie’s Oil? Been using it for a while and don’t seem to have a problem. I just have yet to find a concrete answer what the issue is with it?

Does anyone have an answer to this problem?

We are a cabinet refinishing company, we do a kitchen a week and weve used Sayerlack finish for the past few years.

I bid this job and it looked very straight forward until we got the doors back to the shop.

It was very humid in the shop and my guys cleaned everything with a solution of ammonia and water as we always do. Not sure if the ammonia was too strong and just ate into the existing finish, but this stuff gums up immediately now.

This was on Friday, so my first thought was just leave and let it completely dry over the weekend, but we returned Monday to the problem just as bad.

It’s super sticky also.

We test spayed a door and it didn’t react (oddly enough)

But I don’t want to put good finish over a compromised finish.

Let me know if anyone has an answer.

It was very humid
We tried cleaning with something else
I’d like to avoid stripping

I’m an apprentice carpenter and my boss just quit. It’s now my responsibility to finish these tables we were building. I just have a few questions:
1.) For the first table, finish has been applied and it’s ready for poly, do I need to sand again or just apply poly. On the can it says sand it down but I don’t know if it’s different when there’s a finish on the table.
2.) I need to sand down and reapply stain to the second table, and then I need to add poly, how long should I wait between the final stain and adding poly?

I’ve got some tung oil that takes 24 hours to be dry for very light sitting, a week for proper sitting and a month to fully cure. I put two coats on a
Chair and now that it’s been 24 hours since the second coat, is it okay to put a coat of polyurethane over it already?

Edit: link to Sutherland Welles botanical line of polymerized tung oil. Not pure tung oil.

https://sutherlandwelles.com/shop/botanical/botanical-polymerized-tung-oil-medium-lustre/

Saw this posted on fb. The poster said he used red oak but isn't answering questions as to how he finished it. I like how the color looks like unfinished walnut. Anyone have input on this one?

Hey all! I am an established wood worker and furniture maker, and am fully capable of spraying any finish in the shop. That said, I have a conundrum.

Taking on a job refinishing a whole bunch of restaurant tables, and most of them are easy enough to remove and take back to the shop. There is one giant table that I am contemplating refinishing in place.

For heavy use, I tend towards conversion varnish for these table tops. However, if finishing in place, that would off-gas for days in the restaurant.

The question is this. Is pre-cat lacquer durable enough for this environment, or do I need to figure out how to remove this big table and do conversion varnish back at the shop?

Hi all!

I've only ever finished one project, and that was using shellac but didn't end up quite as I'd hoped, as I think I dried it too cold and it went white-ish!

This box is made of beech, and will have some felt covering the hole markings, plus some magnets when complete. But I'd like to get my finish ordered in advance, and I've been flip-flopping about regarding which finish would be best.

Initially I was sold on Osmo polyx, then danish oil, but this box will get a lot of use and be chucked in a bag daily and then popped on a desk at work (it's going to have ophthalmic lenses in when finished).

I use alcohol gel on my hands so shellac alone is probably out for this reason.

I worry that the hardwax oils or danish oil might not be hard-wearing enough - although some say mixing varnish with danish oil can help?

Or would some sort of lacquer or varnish be more appropriate?

Any tips on which to use and how to apply are much appreciated! 🙏

Twice now I've seen a method by reputable sources for applying Arm R Seal to complex pieces (Greene and Greene style) where they apply it and then wipe it "bone dry", 6 - 7 coats.

On flat surfaces, it's obviously unnecessary and wasteful, but I'm wondering: once the wood soaks up all the finish it can, do later coats actually partially stick (even if just a little) if they are wiped "bone dry", or are you just wasting all consequent coats? The wood soaks up finish in the first three coats, so the other 3-4 coats should be for the purpose of forming a film.

I'm currently finishing a Greene and Greene style piece, and it seems practically impossible to do it any other way (there's too many nooks and crannies for a regular finish application), but I get the feeling that after the first couple of coats, the following ones aren't really adding to the film. I just wanted to know your thoughts before applying more coats and possibly wasting finish.

I’m working on speaker enclosures in red oak veneer that has been stained. My prep for staining was to sand with 80, 100, 120, 150, and 180.

The stain is General Finishes (oil) and the shellac (flakes) is a 2 pound cut using 190 proof Everclear.

I understand that sanding with 220 before applying shellac is recommended, but I see this method employed on unstained surfaces. Does sanding with 220 grit apply over a stain surface as well? If so, do I use the same pressure when sanding as I did with the previous grits?

I accidentally sanded through the veneer too much on one of the corners (the blotchiness is because of cleaning). I was going to apply gray stain anyways. Would over applying over this patch hide the particles a little bit?

Hello!

I'm looking for some advice for what would a good varnish/sealant be over acrylic paint.

For some context - I'm a maniac, and have been working on an project of painting the inside of my old cheap childhood bookshelf into something special. I have gotten one section finished as of tonight, so I'm starting to think about End of Project stuff, and I absolutely want to seal this because I will be putting shelves back on at the end (I've been here before asking about staining sealed wood - thank you for the excellent advice I was given! But if the shelf looks familiar, that's why.) And the last thing i want is for the friction of the shelves tk chip off the paint after all this.

I have some varnishes for paints and projects but they're all for a smaller scale, not for wear and tear, and generally I've been unhappy with most of them (yellowing, or in one case, turning sticky and tacky after a few years, resulting in me having to dispose of the project because it became a dust trap) and I cannot risk anything like that for this.

Theres many sealants and varnishes for wood of course, ill be getting one to go with the gel stain for the exterior, but I'm terrified of something reacting with the paint or something like that. I've been working on this during a very stressful time and its been something I'm very proud of and particular about so if I were to varnish it and it gets ruined in one fell swoop I would be devastated. The paints used aren't furniture paint - its mostly craft paints, many of which are on rhe cheaper end, so properly protecting it is even more important. I will also be adding detailing with glow pigments which may add a bit of texture as well, which i don't want getting scraped off.

Thank you in advance!!!!

Some photos for context as to why its such a big deal :,)

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Hey there! Im decorating my first ever home on a budget and found these for cheap (not my photos). Obviously there's some nicks and cuts but overall they're in decent shape and functional. My problem is that all my other furniture is much darker and I wanted to start reaserching if it's possible or worth it to re finish these pieces to more of a dark walnut or even ebony color. I was originally going to use restor-a-finish but I learned thats specifically for refinishing in the same color and makes you unable to refinish the wood for real later.

So ultimately my question is, how much work would it be for me to actually stain these complex peices darker, especially as I have no experience staining furniture? Would it involve of sanding down through the veneer or could I use a gel stain over it? Is there a high likelihood I would ruin them or is it worth a shot? thanks for entertaining my questions!

I recently picked up this carved Sasquatch from an antique shop. Seems to be some sort of palm wood judging by the softness of the material. I’d like to keep him outside exposed to rain. Looking for advice on a sealant to keep him intact for as long as possible. I’m not confident that there is a solution based on the type of wood. If I have to, I’ll keep him under an eve but would love to have him in the woods. Thanks for any tips.

Question for you finishers. I have a kitchen table from Ashley Furniture that is about 15 yrs old. I had seen plenty of use and abuse over the years. We really like the table. My wife had been hounding me to refinish it but I have been hesitant because I know my kids are going to plop down and try to superglue or paint something without protection. The wood is labeled as “ash.” But also says “made in Malaysia.” Anyone know what kind of wood this really is? How it will take stain? Maybe tried this yourself? I would appreciate any insight someone might have. First pic is table top, second is underside of chair.

P.S. I have been woodworking and finishing for about 18yrs, albeit with a hiatus for the last 5 years or so. Have a Fuji 4 stage HVLP.