Michael Dresdner

Q: I refinished an oak floor using the Varathane eZV sander. I could not get close to the edges so I used stripper and a scraper, then sander. I thought it was clean enough, but after 4 coats of waterbased Varathane, I am unhappy with the amber showing through. I am tempted to put a coat of Varathane oil based on top and am planning to test it in a small area. Do you have any other recommendations?

A: None other than the obvious, that there is no substitute for uniform preparation, and sometimes it is quicker to go back and start over than to throw good money (and in this case, your good efforts) after bad. By all means, try adding a coat of amber floor finish on a test spot, but if I were a betting man, I’d wager that you won’t be happy with that result. Still, it is certainly worth the gamble.

Q: I bought a new red oak exterior door, sanded it, applied Varathane wood conditioner and after 20 minutes, applied Varathane Gunstock stain. I didn’t wipe it off because I liked the color. I let it dry for 12 hours, took my finger and rubbed it in a couple of spots and there was no stain on my finger and it felt dry, and was not sticky. I applied Minwax Polyurethane Satin top coat. When it dried I noticed about a dozen spots where it looked like the stain came off. Can I fix this without sanding the whole door and starting over?

A: You can certainly fix it without sanding, but probably not without removing the finish, which you can do with paint remover instead of sanding. Let’s first go back and recap what went wrong so you are not tempted to repeat the same mistakes.
First, wood conditioner is used on certain woods prior to staining to make them absorb stain more evenly. Some woods, such as red oak, do not ever need wood conditioner. You should have used stain alone on the raw wood. For the record, the proper way to use wood conditioner is to flood it on liberally, wipe it all off, then stain while the wood is still wet with the conditioner.
Stain should be applied the same way; flood it on, and wipe it off leaving only what the wood is able to absorb. Most liquid stains do not contain enough binder in them to form a contiguous film, so applying a ‘coat’ of stain as if it were paint will generally cause delamination at some point down the road. Yours happened quickly, but it was a disaster waiting to happen in any case, and odds are good more problems will arise in the future. If you want to paint stain on in layers, you must use tinted topcoat, a combination of pigment and clear finish. Several companies sell that in lacquer and polyurethane formats.
Although you probably don’t want to hear this, you should remove the finish completely and start over, this time avoiding the pitfalls from the first time around.

Q: I am getting too many fibers in the oil-based clear coat finish on white oak with a lamb’s wool applicator and wanted to see if there is another applicator that you would recommend.
A: Flooring and floor finishing supply outlets sell paint pad applicators for both oil and waterbased finishes. Many people find them both faster and less problematic than the more traditional lamb’s wool applicator. You’ll also find oversized floor application brushes, if you prefer to work with bristles.

Q: Do you have books that explain how to achieve an aged/weathered wood appearance? I watched a show last week where a gentleman used a  scratch awl to leave the appearance of worms eating at the wood, and  then sanded off sharp edges. Right now I’m preparing a solution of vinegar and steel wool to see if that really does give me a ’stain’ of sorts to  make the wood look grey. I was thinking of trying a sandblaster, but wondered if there’s another way.

A: No, I have not done any books specifically on aging wood. There are not enough people who want to buy such a book to warrant publishing one. As for ways to do it, there are indeed many, including the ones you named, because there are many ways that age and wear show their hand on wood.

You can make worm holes with tiny drill bits, which work better than awls because the holes won’t close up or go out of round. A sharpened thin blade knife or scraper paired with a mallet lets you make split ends. I use a custom made distressing tool to mimic the myriad of dings and dents old furniture gets. Paint can be chipped off by putting random dots of wax on the wood prior to painting, and both painted and clear finishes can be eroded with sandpaper, steel wool or nylon abrasive pads either on the edges or flats to show wear.

There are also ways to bubble finish, crackle it, and discolor both wood and paint. You can add color to the raw wood itself with natural stains, like the iron buff you are currently making from vinegar and iron, or with more traditional staining materials. Glazes added on top of the finish can help you add what looks like accumulated dirt to dents and corners, and you can lodge what looks like dust into corners and carvings with rottenstone and wax. Which combination of techniques you choose depends on what look you are going for, and they can be simple or very complex.

Here’s a very simple recipe, by way of example, for making old barn wood. First, scrub softwood with a wire brush to washboard it by eroding the early wood bands. Follow that with a stain made from a mixture of white and black latex paint and water, wiped on and off to ape the look of aged, driftwood colored barn siding.  

Q: Any guess on how long untreated exposed cedar will last in the dirt?

A: Assuming it is not old growth, it will depend on how thick it is, but the buried surface will start to compost in a year or so. How long it takes to get through the board depends on the climate and board thickness. Where I live, in the wet Pacific Northwest, a three quarter inch board buried in soil will compost to loam in about two years.

Q: I’m looking for something non-toxic to finish my raised cedar vegetable garden.

A: You don’t need a non-toxic finish; merely one that won’t have any adverse affects on your plants, and that’s not the same thing. In truth, most any exterior deck finish will work just fine, and for that matter, so will leaving the cedar unfinished. While unfinished cedar will turn gray, it is not particularly harmed by that process. Incidentally, I’m going to assume that there will be some sort of liner between the cedar and the soil inside. If not, the soil in constant contact with the cedar will eventually rot it from the inside out, in which case what finish you did or did not use will be the least of your problems.

Q: Can you recommend a place to buy milk paint colours?
A: There are two companies that sell genuine milk paint. Both sell it in powdered form that you mix with water. Therefore, it can easily be shipped anywhere. The company websites are http://www.milkpaint.com/and http://www.realmilkpaint.com/. Both are very reliable and make good products.

Q: Is milk paint mainly iron oxide pigment with casein powder?
A: Yes, that makes up the bulk of most real milk paints, but you should be aware that some companies sell so called milk paint colors that are actually latex paints made to mimic the look of milk paint.

Q: Can I use oil based polyurethane as a sealer over milk paint?
A: Yes, once it is dry.

Q: What product would be best to seal pine timbers and ceiling?
A: For indoor wood, you can use any of the easy to use wipe on finishes, such as Danish oil or wipe on polyurethane. For exterior wood, use a wood siding stain, which, in spite of its name, is also available in clear or almost clear versions. You’ll find both items at most home improvement stores.

Q: I searched for food safe sealers and couldn’t find anything.
A: Both Behlen and General Finishes make food safe salad bowl finishes. Click on the links and they will take you to online sellers of the two.

Q: We have beautiful custom kitchen cabinets in natural maple. They are now about 7 years old and showing some wear. The finish is worn around the pulls, and there are some minor scratches. What is the best way to clean them and restore the finish?

A: Assuming you have been doing routine cleaning all along, you probably don’t need any major cleaning effort. However, it sounds as if you want to do more, and I’m guessing that means removing the hardware and adding more finish to help alleviate scratches and repair the worn areas.
Prior to any repair or recoating, I do suggest a more stringent cleaning schedule, as follows. Clean the surface by scrubbing with mineral spirits or TSP on fine nylon abrasive pads. The solvent will remove any surface grease or oil while the pad lightly abrades the surface. At that point, you can add another coat of finish, but first add one coat of Zinsser SealCoat, a clear primer that works over and under just about anything. After that, you can spruce up the finish with a coat or two of polyurethane. Incidentally, oil based polyurethane is slightly amber and will add some color, but waterbased goes on clear and stays clear. You can decide which will look better in your case.

Q: Can I dilute oil based polyurethane with something called Penetrol to make it easier to brush?

A: You certainly can, but it is a whole lot cheaper and easier to dilute it with mineral spirits, and in this particular case, just that will probably give you the results you want. I find that virtually all oil based varnishes and polyurethanes need to be reduced by at least 15% to behave well on a brush.