Hello,
I recently bought an old maplewood table.
It's got heaps of potential, i just need to give it a brand new finish and
i'm sure it's going to look great.
To do that, i'm going to need good advice on how to give the table a
semi-glossy professional-looking finish.
I want to stain the table with a honey-yellow color that will bring out the
grain of the wood.
What should i look for in the "staining liquid"? there's so many
options.....
Then, i'll need to pick a varnish. I know there oil-based, urethane, and
other types of varnishes... what are advantages and problems for the most
common type of varnishes? What would you recommend for a kitchen table?
What about stain+varnish combo liquids? Are these likely to give really
crappy results?
Thanks
fred.
"Frederic Elias" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello,
>
> I recently bought an old maplewood table.
> It's got heaps of potential, i just need to give it a brand new finish and
> i'm sure it's going to look great.
SNIP
>
SNIP
> I want to stain the table with a honey-yellow color that will bring out
the
> grain of the wood.
SNIP
What would you recommend for a kitchen table?
Fred,
For a kitchen table . . . FORGET VARNISH !! Even 6 coats of a 'hard'
short-oil varnish won't stand up to the typical activity that goes on at a
kitchen table. It may sound like 'heresy' on this forum, but for anything
that requires a high degree of abrasion, or mechanical & chemical
resistance, I recommend a Poly. Plus, my personal preference is for a
Water-Based product. Easy clean-up and quick drying allow several coats in a
single day.
A quick, easy, and viable schedule would be to use one of the Minwax
Polyshades products as the first coat. It is a Stain/Poly combination.
'Honey Pine' or 'Classic Oak' might be the color YOU are looking for. While
the instructions say to 'apply and let dry', you may want to apply, then
wait a bit and wipe off - like a 'regular' stain. I do this with the darker,
'Bombay Mahogany' .
After this solvent-based coat dries, a gentle, through sanding with 220
paper prepares the surface for the application of the water-based 'top
coats'. After sanding, wipe the dust off with a lintless solvent moistened
cloth. When dry, do the same with a water-damp cloth. Apply as many coats of
a clear, water-based poly as YOU like. Between coats, lightly 'scuff sand'
with 320 paper, and go finer with each coat. After the last coat, apply a
couple of coats of paste wax. Let each dry, then . . . BUFF WELL.
The wood 'cap' to my basement stairs was done this way . . . and still looks
brand new. The Maple top on a storage cabinet/lamp & 'odd & end' holder on
Joanne's side of our kitchen table was also done this way. Wipe with a damp
cloth and it looks like I just finished it.
Yes, it's a bit of work {I believe in 6 coats, as a norm}and make 'test
pieces' for color & effect. However, I think you'll be very happy with the
results . . . and life in a 'working' kitchen.
Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop
On Fri, 30 Apr 2004 12:53:55 GMT, "Ron Magen" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>For a kitchen table . . . FORGET VARNISH !!
Ron,
Most of the products you speak of, including PolyShades, are
varnishes. <G>
Barry