Expert: Eileen Cronk - 8/2/2009

Question
Hi! I hired a painting contractor to paint my house and stain my mahogany front door that gets direct sunlight and has not been touched for 6 years. They used a Minwax oil based product and the stain is English Chestnut 33. The stain is too red. I think they should have used Walnut which is closer to the original stain and it came out uneven and bubbled. They did sand first but applied a second coat before it was completely dry.
My question is after it is completely dry, can they sand and apply a new stain such as walnut, wait for it to dry like they were supposed and then apply a second coat to get a more even finish? They have not applied a top coat yet and overnight it still does not look dry.

Also, they did use a brush. but in some areas it looks like they should have used a cloth to blend in paneled areas.

Thank you for any advise you can give me on how to tell them to proceed.

Cathy

Answer
Hi Cathy
Nice to hear from you.
I think you are a bit confused with the process Cathy but please correct me if I misunderstood.
You say the contractor applied Minwax oil stain in chestnut color. He sanded but applied a second coat of the same thing before the first was dry and it bubbled. Correct?
OK..heres the thing. Minwax oil stain cannot bubble. you could apply 5 coats if you wanted and it would not bubble. And there is no harm done if you apply a second coat before the first is dry although its not the thing to do.
So I'm thinking what the contractor applied was "Minwax poly shades".
This product has the stain and finish all in one.
And yes it could bubble if applied incorrectly.
If in fact this was what was used, then the answer to your question is a definite "yes".
The contractor can sand and apply one or two more coats of the poly in the color of your choice over what has been done already.
Cathy a cloth should only be used to apply poly if the can states "wipe on poly".
If it doesn't, a brush should be used.

Hope this helps
Kind Regards
Eileen