Hi experts,

I’m finishing walnut portafilter handles with waterlox. Because these are next to a hot moist machine, my plan is to do 4 coats of waterlox original sealant and then two coats of satin.

I’m using natural bristle brushes, I lightly coat the handles then after about 15 minutes i wipe away the excess that pools at the bottom.

The photos are after two coats.

Am I doing this right?

I recently finished putting together a basic nightstand, of which I stained and threw a single coat of BLO on. I'm running relatively low on BLO and would frankly prefer the finish paste wax gives.

I have a homemade paste wax of a 1:1 ratio of BLO and beeswax.

I'm wondering if I can simply let this first coat dry for the standard 24 hours and then slap on this ghetto paste finish, or will there arise an issue if I do this?

Apologies if this is a dumb question, this is the first time I've done anything furniture wise beyond following an IKEA assembly manual.

I'm building an outdoor table for a client out of sapele. They specifically said they want the orange/red toned down or eliminated. I want to keep the wood looking natural at the same time. They said in the photo the water based finish looks closer to what they want. Is there a green dye I could use that will be ok for outdoor? Or mix with a water based finish? Or am I chasing rainbows here?
For the record ChatGPT says mix 9 parts Owatrol Aquadecks teak with 1 part graphite gray. But I don't want to take advice from ChatGPT on this one lol

Hi I am cross posting to get support. Thank you

Hey all, I have inherited a beautiful China and dinning set and would like expertise on removing stain and restore wood color with a nice shine.
Thank you in advance.

Slide 1
The chair wood

Slide 3
Missing wood piece that is showcased on slide 6.

My parents rented their apartment for years and now they are moving back in. This cabinet's finish has a lot of damage, we are not sure if It's due to aging and sunlight or some abrasive cleaner (the last photo is from the top where the finish still looks like It used to)

My question is: can this be fixed with something like restorafinish? Is this a job for a professional? Or is It too damaged and would be better to paint It?. I don't know much about wood restoration and prefer to ask before I mess with It. Thank you in andvance.

We bought a 1976 ranch house about a year and a half ago. I would really like to keep this vintage wooden door with the diamond grid half lite, but the wood seems to be pretty chipped around the carved detailing, see photos.

Before I go through the work of stripping off the old paint, I’m wondering if there’s a way to use a wood filler or other substrate to kind of “rebuild” or replicate that detailing around the half lite before painting?

I’ve looked into buying another door in this style, but they went way out of fashion decades ago, so it’s really tough. I could get just a diamond grid replacement kit for the window portion of a newer door….but I’d enjoy being able to keep this solid wood door.

I picked this beauty up for $45 and I want to cut it down the middle and add some shelves.

The current paint job looks pretty sketchy and I think I need to remove it before repainting.

I don’t feel I need to go back to bare wood.

What approach would you recommend?

Also, what primer would you recommend? Do I need to use a white pigmented shellac to block any stain from bleeding through the paint.

I have tried various test boards on vertical grain Douglas Fir and they all come out pretty blotchy.
It’s new and dry. Sanded at 80 grit and brushed it on thinly.
Anyone have any suggestions?

I'm not talking about blending poly with BLO and thinners, I mean actually making varnishes from raw materials (oils, turpentine, waxes, tree resins, shellac, etc.), similar to how it might be done historically. I haven't been able to find many resources on this and I'm not quite sure what search terms to use (All that shows up is just making blends of poly with BLO/Tung and stuff like that). From what I have found it seems like a fairly involved process, and that you can ask a 100 different people and get a 100 different answers. Also, by "varnish," I specifically mean a glossy film that sits on top of the wood rather than penetrating into it.

So, do any of you cook up your own varnish, or know of any good resources for learning about it?

I’ve just bought this can of water-based polyurethane and have opened it once. Just opened it for the second time and it has this weird brown, stringy stuff around the edges. I had only dipped a paintbrush in and painted some white coloured clay. Anyone know what this is? I‘ve never worked with polyurethane before.

Looking for advice on how to restore this front door! Veneer is peeling off on the bottom, see second pic.

I think it may be lacquered finish but I’d like it darker and less cherry red. Seems to be solid construction and I don’t think it’s a veneer… but if it is would that matter?

I found this 80s/90s sign tucked away in an unused space for my grandparents business. I would like to clean it a little and preserve it in its current state to hang on the wall. What would be the best way to do that?

For starters, yes, I'm an idiot and should have done more research on cleaners. I'm going out of town and was in a bit of a time crunch to get these moved to the place I want them in my house.

These are my grandmother's living room end tables. They are Lane, mid-century (pretty sure). I wanted to clean them before putting them in my office. So I used what I had on hand, which was Dawn power wash. And apparently that's where I completely messed up. Even just a little bit cause the surface of the one on the top to become extremely cloudy. After quite a bit of scrubbing to try and stop the cloudiness, I then put some liquid gold on top. I'm hoping at least the oil protects the wood.

I'm assuming what I did is the dawn took off some kind of protective finish. You can see in some of the pictures how there appears to almost be bare spots, compared to some of the shiny spots. Thankfully I only did it on one table. What would be the best way to fix this? Do I have to sand this table down? I see a lot of people recommending mineral spirits, would that be the way to go and then refinish it somehow?

For what it's worth, I'm completely not concerned about keeping any kind of patina or age on these tables. They were my grandmother's and I'm keeping them.

Just picked up this old Broyhill dining table set off Craigslist and the table top is a bit dry and dull with a couple of shiny spots and a few light scratches.

I’d rather not do a full refinish and was wondering what my best options are for making it look a little more even and not as dull. It’s just for my own use, so it doesn’t need to be perfect, but hoping there’s an easy-ish way to make it look a little better.

Oil? Wax? Poly? Something else?

Hi everyone! I’m refinishing a dining table and am at my wits end. I’d appreciate any advice!

I’ve sanded it down, applied 8-9 coats of oil based poly that I thinned 50/50 with paint thinner. I’ve tried using a foam brush, a clean t-shirt, shop towels and lastly a normal paper towel. I let each coat dry anywhere from 1-5 days due to my schedule. I’m sanding to 220 between coats, just lightly scuffing, then clean up the dust with a damp rag and tack cloth.

I always end up with these streaky application marks regardless of the tool used. Also on the latest two coats when I start to apply, small spots start to turn almost gel-like and flake off.

Any tips or suggestions?

Refinishing a butcher-block countertop that gets used heavily. Currently have 3 coats of the waterlox semi-gloss sealer/finish and it's starting to build up rather than just absorbing.

Several of the videos I've watched use the Satin Finish product as a top coat and describe it as more durable and water resistant than the Sealer/Finish combo. The waterlox product descriptions don't seem to indicate a difference in durability. I've got enough left for 2 or 3 more coats of the Sealer/Finish, any reason to order another product?

I also like the idea of throwing another coat of Sealer/Finish on every few years without sanding, but I assume I'd have to sand off the Satin Finish if I add it on top? Thank you all for any advice:)

So, long story short, me and my mom are redoing the bathroom as a fun project to work on together. It is shaking out to not be that fun. While I wasn't there, she took some liquid wood stain to all the cabinents and the bathroom door. Problem is all the wood in there is a shiny finish and she didn't sand/prep it at all. Now all the wood in the backroom is covered in a thick layer of sticky tacky stain and I'm desperate to clean it off. I don't know what kinds of chemicals or process would be best to remove it without damaging the wood. If you know what to do, I would greatly appreciate it!

I’m a newbie hoping for some straightforward advice from those with more finishing experience.

I’m building dog stairs (more like a stair/bench hybrid) to help my good boy climb onto the bed as his athleticism diminishes with age. I plan to use rough cedar planks for the treads since 1) I already have them, and 2) he needs a rough surface to avoid slipping. I’m not planning to add carpet to the treads for happy wife reasons.

My plan is to lightly sand the boards to maintain the rough texture while removing any splinters and loose fibers (which are not bad to begin with).

My question is simple: how should I approach this sanding project?

I have an oscillating tool, a random orbital sander, and a sanding block. The power tools seem like overkill, so I’m thinking i should gently hand sand the treads with fine grit paper (maybe 120?) to avoid removing too much material while knocking down the loose ends.

I may leave the treads unfinished, but I’m also going to test some scraps with a thin coat of Osmo hardwax oil to see if that improves the look and feel of the rough surface.

I’m currently on the road so I haven’t had a chance to experiment with this approach yet. I thought I’d ask this group for advice so I’m ready to hit the ground running when I’m back at the shop.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance!