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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/waxing an internal pine door

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Expert: - 10/10/2009


Question
QUESTION: Hi i have just brought 4 kiln dried timber doors which it says must be stained and varnished or painted and not suitable for polish, wax and oils! i was hoping to wax it with a coloured wax! what is the reason why i cannot do this and what will happen if i do??
thank you
Dave

ANSWER: Hey Dave, what type of wood? I think you should be able to use what you want to finish them, especially on interior doors.. but there are drawbacks to wax as a primary finish. First off, it contaminates the wood making it difficult to ever use any other finish, and second it really offers little protection when compared to other finishes......you certainly could use a few coats of a Danish oil, or modified Tung oil finish like WaterLox, and then paste wax them after they've cured. That would seal the wood from the wax penetrating too much, yet still give you a durable finish that would look similar to the wax alone.Hope that helps- post back if need be- regards- Greg

http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2000767/Watco-Penetrating-Danish-Oils.aspx

http://www.waterlox.com/desktopmodules/fathomecom/catalog/category.aspx?tabid=42



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door colour
door colour  
QUESTION: hi mate thanks for that!! its just a knotty pine door untreated at the moment! i was looking to colour it similar to attached pic! but dont want it with a shine. Was hoping for more like as it is untreated but not natural pine coloured! dont want to use varnish and not sure about staining incase this adds a shine! any ideas??
Thanks Dave

Answer
Wax is pretty shiny when buffed properly, and most stains will dry pretty flat, especially if you can find a water based dye stain....I have no idea what products you have over there, but I do know Fiddes, and they have a line of colored waxes, finishes, stains, etc....they have a product called "Pine water stains" that might suit your usage...

http://www.fiddes.co.uk/content/pine-water-stains.html

You could wax over that or find a Matte or Satin finish to seal the stain with........a coat of the stain and a single coat of wax or finish will give you a fairly matte, nicely colored finish.Poke around on their site too, as they have quite a range of useful and time tested woiod finishing products..hope that helps- post back if need be- Greg

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Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

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