Not even sure if this is a wood veneer or some type of laminate. I don’t want to strip it, just want a simple food safe finish to make it look less worn out. Ideas?

Stripped first with citristrip (maybe my first mistake?) and have been orbital sanding for quite a long time (first at 120 grit then down to 80). They're still quite splotchy. I can't tell if I need to keep sanding of if I've gone too far? The veneer appears relatively thick. I also included a pic of what it looked like before. I believe the doors original to the house (1969). I'd like to strip them down and refinish them, ideally in a lighter tone. I know these are cheap doors and can be replaced but the modern ones don't seem as well built as these and I'm a sucker for keeping the original stuff. Any advice would be appreciated, thank you!

https://preview.redd.it/nrkmnqcwpcyd1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc712200c82b670006eb0b0f7a74f6871535df60

https://preview.redd.it/s3vhjucwpcyd1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cede114164f883073e662518d7f207f168f90beb

https://preview.redd.it/d7uvwpcwpcyd1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e08337e16f6f8fe530bc03278dc1cef3646e401

https://preview.redd.it/s0w29zcwpcyd1.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e1ba3b5cc9091d907d7385c3b311dfdde1aaad06

Have a dining table that I am attempting to refinish and used minwax gel stain, did 2 coats. I keep reading conflicting information on how it should be sealed. I just want to do it right. Any suggestions??

I am experimenting with refinishing 100 year old red oak windows. I want a transparent finish, and my usual plan with exterior wood is to stain, then spar urethane. I have used danish oil, BLO, and dewaxed shellac for indoor projects, but I really don't want to mess up here by playing around - I have 58 to restore, and half are on the second floor.

This is my current plan:

Because these are painted, I am stripping, cleaning, and staining with oil-based gel stain. I am only cleaning enough to get the paint/stripper off because I don't want to damage the old frames with chemicals. I figured gel would adhere better than oil would penetrate.

Then, I will finish with 2 coats of oil-based spar urethane.

Does anyone see an issue with this, or have a better suggestion? TIA!

So I've bought a slab of american walnut for my computer desk about a year or so ago, and it came pre-applied with some hard wax oil from the company Blanchon

Overall it's great, but the spots that get the most use (i.e near the keyboard, the front, etc) don't hold up well, and there are some spots with uneven finish on them. I (perhaps stupidly) tried to apply some olive oil which turned out great, but it as well, doesn't hold up so good and I have to keep re-applying it every month to get the finish I want. Not sustainable.

What would be the best course here to fix this? I like a very subtle-glossy look so I am not looking for anything too aggressive. Any recommendations?

Are there dyes that can be mixed with walnut oil? Thanks.

Decent stain and finishing experience, but first time working with some high quality hardwood.

1. Main concern is if it's too cold to apply General Finish, water-based, satin top coat (have about 3 more days of highs in the 60s)
2. And can I get away with 1 coat for my use case (utilitarian vs aesthetic)

Details:

• 5/4 Walnut boards, each about 8-10" x ~6.5ft
• Using for shelves in basement (2x Bar, 2x laundry room)
• The wood is beautiful, just want to protect it from warping/cracking
• Will be applying the stain in my garage

Ok so I thinned down a can of water based polyurethane (that was falsely advertised as oil based) with white spirit. I applied the 5th coat to a lapsteel guitar before I noticed it was in fact water and not oil based. What I have now is a dry-to-the-touch but still slightly tacky finish.

My question is, will this cure eventually, or am I better off just stripping everything down and starting from scratch? If it does cure, after however long, will it still provide adequate protection?

Would I need anything else in addition to poly stripper to remove the finish?

The top is sticky and dirty. I want to sand it off and reapply a finish. I would like help with what type of finish and any tricks for sanding/preparing it.

I’m in the market for a new bathroom vanity. I found one I like but it’s expensive. The shop has the same one but in a burnt orange color on sale for $400 less. I’m thinking to buy that and paint it to white.

The reeded part looks really thin. Is it possible to sand and prime? I don’t have access to a lot of tools. I plan to buy sand paper to lightly sand the surface by hand and then prime and paint.

I intended to stain these stairs and add a runner. I'm being told by others they are not stainable. Also wanting to fill the gaps. Not interested in rebuilding these basement stairs. Thoughts?

I've stripped the finish on this table and it had the discoloration before stripping. I don't know if someone had put something on there to strip previously but it looked like the original finish. Has anyone seen a table with this discoloration before from a factory finish? I've spent a few hours stripping the varnish off carefully as I would like to maintain the original color? Should I leave as is? I do not want to sand it down any further. Any advice?

https://preview.redd.it/emygieylu4yd1.jpg?width=2016&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b49d2f8c991e636b53a53e4b3a83fc06c83aeb5d

Hello,

There isn't many information on this topic so I would like to create this as a note.

I conducted this unscientific experienment to see the effects of Japan Dryer on both BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil (No dryer added)) and Pure tung oil.

Allbäck Boiled Linseed Oil from leevalley, Finico Tung Oil from ardec.ca and KLENK'S Japan Dryer Oil-Based Paint Additive are used.

Here's the link to the original product used:

1. https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/supplies/finishing/finishes/112234-allback-boiled-linseed-oil?item=56Z1220
2. https://ardec.ca/en/p/176/tung-oil

https://preview.redd.it/oyz1il3zj4yd1.jpg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=47360865b7900b7a1a4df0dc5dfa69e9d09c63bc

https://preview.redd.it/0i56nob0k4yd1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4626c406761e834d8b147f44db73adca47899c2c

Upper left is BLO+DRYER

Upper right is BLO ONLY

Lower left is Pure Tung Oil+DRYER

Lower right is Pure Tung oil only

Each sample is 10ml in volume of oil and 2 drops of dryer (+D version). All the samples are prepared at 7:30pm and the above image is the observed at 11:51am the next day. Room tempureture is 20C. TO+D is the only one getting a skin. I saw the skin in the early morning at 8:15am but didn't take a picture of it. Skin is the indication that oil has dried on the surface.

I will update the result when I see more progress.

UPDATES:

1. Did the same again with 10ml tung oil and 2 drops of dryer (0.1ml). It starts to skin after 10 hrs.

Hey all. Just curious if you all condition your wood veneer plywood prior to staining? Or you just go right at adding color. Plan to use a fairly light rubbing stain, and poly over coat.

I have two questions. A few years ago I made an entertainment center out of pine and stained it, but never got around to applying a protective finish such as polyurethane or lacquer. It simply has a minwax stain, nothing else. Can I simply primer and paint over this without sanding or stripping since it doesn't have a protective finish? I also have another piece, a coffee table build I'm working on, it is pine as well and want to know what the best primer/paint are for pine to cover grain and get the best paint finish? Thank you for any help!

I purchased this acacia butcher block this week with the intention of turning it into a desk. I know I want it to come out darker and have a satin finish, but I'm very inexperienced in finishing.

This linked redditor's desk would be my ideal goal. I know they made theirs out of Walnut, but I really like the deep brown color and the amount of gloss in the finish (I estimate a satin finish would work).

Any advice on which products I should be using to get to that finish? I appreciate it a ton.

I recently sanded down my dining table (acacia) and finished it with boiled linseed oil (BLO). I used the method where you pour quite an amount on the table, let it sit for 20 minutes and then wipe off the excess.
I did this 4 times.

After weeks of waiting the table was still leaking a lot of oil, it felt a bit sticky and some clothes were ruined in the process. Even though I wiped it down a few times a day.

I then decided to redo the entire table and sanded it down again. Now, a week later, after I sanded it down almost daily to remove the leaking oil its still leaking oil like on the first day. Little darker spots appear until they merge into a larger spot.

How should I proceed now?

My desire is to remove all or most of the BLO, stain it and then use 'osmo TopOil' as finish. But I figure I should remove the BLO first.

Does anyone have advice for cleaning up and refurbing a set of lignum vitae bowls (pic attached). Most of what I've seen on Reddit is people turning these on a lathe to create new pieces but I'm curious to know how they might be refurbed to look good again, whether for actual lawn bowls games or just to make them pretty.

https://preview.redd.it/4ktzu5zqq3yd1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=955b4623d4e3b80f1cb87370eaa7dac1aff3d61a

I'm going to be using this butcher block as a desk top: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sparrow-Peak-Acacia-5-ft-x-30-in-Espresso/5001792763

Since I haven't done this before, I have a few questions regarding the process.

1. Since it will need to be sealed, do you have any advice on what to use? From my searching, I would like to know more about water-based polyurethane options (I would like a durable finish that cures relatively quickly). I'm also open to other options since you're more knowledgeable about this than me!
2. For a smooth finish, is there any certain brush type I should use? I've also seen sanding with steel wool between coats can help.
3. To seal both sides, I'm planning to use painter's pyramids after each side does its initial drying. This should allow to finish the entire block in a day and then will let it cure for ~10 days. Anything I should do differently to make sure the finish looks good?

Feel free free to answer one, all, or none.