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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Mahogany doors not sealled
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Question
Hi there
We have a big problem, recently we had some mahogany doors fitted, well in march this year. They weren't sealed at the time, due to the company that fitted them said it is not in their policy to seal/ paint doors. we never got round to it, as we didn't know what were doing...
The doors after much rain have swollen and now the doors are so tight in the frame they wont open, this i can fix, by plane.
What should i do with the doors to seal them?
Should i wait till the summer for them to shrink and then seal them? or should i do it immediately?
What should i use to seal them and by what process?
Would be great to hear some advice...
All the best
Ralph P
Hi Ralph, the doors need to be dried to around 10-15% moisture, which they probably were when they were installed, and as evidenced by the swelling, they are now damp.Planing a damp door and trying to then finish the damp door is not advisable....it should have been done when they were installed as you know...but the only way to do this properly is to remove the doors and allow them to dry again, then fit them and finish them. It's imperative to do this when the doors are first installed, and I've never heard of a company that would install a high quality wooden door and then tell the customer they have a policy of not finishing them.Typically the finishing has to be done before the doors are hung for the final time, because it's critically important to finish the bottom and top of the door(where there's open end grain that will wick up moisture).....a good quality exterior urethane varnish would be the best,but if the doors are discolored, or stained, they'll need to be sanded or more to bring them back to looking good. Sanding is advisable anyway to open the grain and reveal some new wood to allow the best adhesion of the finish........post back if need be...but it's always MUCH harder to go backwards on something like this then to do it correctly the first time I'm afraid- regards- Greg
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Answers by Expert:
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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