here is the door.it is a beautiful door.
it is a naked door.
help us dress this door.
PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this lovely door is going between the master bedroom and bathroom.on one side the color is lovely and pretty true to what you see here.
the other side is a little lighter due to some necessary sanding. that side still has some spots that have a very faint white "haze??" left over from paint going deep down into some unfortunate sanding circles.we don't know if we will ever get that out.
so...
we need advise.
we need an easy finish (cuz OBVIOUSLY we know nothing about this)
something that can hold up to moisture (not a lot...mostly just the steam)
HOPEFULLY something that will disguise those hazy spots but leave the wood grain showing.
what is that?? varnish?? shellac?? polyurethane?? danish oil??
we can follow directions...but at this point we have NONE! no direction...just two unfortunate remodelers floating helpless in the vast sea of wood refinishing products....
Oh please, someone have mercy on us!
someone, anyone, with knowledge...experience...compassion...I know you are out there...I have read your blogs.
In return, I promise, if anyone needs breastfeeding advise...I'm your man...I mean woman...
(shoot...if you think this begging was bad just wait til I ask you 'bout the floors)
Great looking door!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like it might be birch or maple? When you sand old birch or maple the patina comes off and can be a bit hard to duplicate. You might try a 50-50 mix of turpentine and boiled linseed oil. This some times works to restore that "toasted marshmallow" color to those woods....it also makes the grain look nice and cleans/conditions the wood. Apply it to the wood and let is sit a bit...then wipe it off with a soft rag. It may help with the white haze. Have you tried a liquid chemical paint remover on those hazy spots?...if not, you might give that a whirl first and then the linseed oil mix.
I like oil based finishes on that type of wood (varnish or poly). It continues to patina after it has dried and holds up well. Looks nice even without a stain underneath. Orange shellac also looks nice on the lighter wood, but in my opinion doesn't hold up as well...especially to moisture.
Good luck and let us see what it looks like when done!
Amber shellac for the color, depth and the old timey rubbed with wax will probably be enough for the next 25 years. You could put thinned down polyurethane over the shellac and give it the wax and superfine steel wool treatment and it will look about the same but take moisture and scratches better.
ReplyDeleteOops, that should say "old timey look". You can do the linseed oil first though. If you wipe paint thinner on the wood it will give you an idea of how it will look when a finish is applied.
ReplyDeleteok, so linseed oil/turpentine mix...apply, let sit, wipe off.
ReplyDeletethen thinned poly. (thin with what??)
then wax rubbed on with cloth and waxed with superfine steel wool.
Is that correct??
Gary...glad to see you clocked back in...you had given me an idea of what to do but I got all confused. thanks for the clarification.
Poly can be thinned with paint thinner. "Wiping polyurethane" is the same thing as is "tung oil" made from petroleum distillates. (Buy poly and thin it yourself. You will have the poly for another project.)
ReplyDeleteApply the wax with the superfine steel wool and wipe off and buff with a cotton cloth. I use Johnsons original furniture wax.
Wiping varnish is a thinned oil based varnish (often poly).....some times called "tung oil finish" (emphasis on the word "finish"). Oddly there is no tung oil in it, so it shouldn't be confused with actual tung oil (which can be hard to work with anyway).
ReplyDeleteI like wiping varnish on furniture.....I like brushed varnish on woodwork (for added strength). It takes many, many wiped on coats to equal one brushed on coat. Just my preference.