Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/finish on woodwork

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Expert: - 2/10/2010


Question

wood door
We recently bought our house which is about 3.5 years old. The finish on many of the solid wood doors has been rubbed off or worn off and looks terrible. I'm enclosing a picture. I've heard from the neighbors that the builder used a gel stain and maybe it wasn't sealed properly. At first I thought they were just fingerprints as the wearing is wear the kids of the previous owners would be grabbing the door. I tried a few wood cleaners but it isn't dirt or oil from hands. The finish is gone. Any ideas on how I can make repairs without re-staining the whole door(s)?

Answer
Hi Jen, this looks like a Mahogany door, and it does not look stained to me...it looks like it just has a thin clear coat of some type on it, and it's just wearing away, perhaps hastened by your trying to "clean" it....take some mineral spirits and wet the door with a cloth soaked in it and see if the light areas disappear...if they do, and it looks new again, perhaps you could just prep the whole door and put a few coats of a clear coat on it....if not, then it would likely need refinishing to get an acceptable, even, proper look....there's usually no easy way to do that....post back if need be- regards- Greg

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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