Expert: Greg Scholl - 7/31/2010

Question
Hello,
My wife just made a molding repair on an old vanity. It looks very nice but she is having problems with the stain. It doesn't want to get dark like the original and it dries with a gloss finish. The wood filler is ELmers Probond wood filler and the stain is Miniwax Polyshades stain and Polyurethane, antique walnut.
How can she make that gloss become a satin finish?
Save her butt please,if you can. She needs to deliver this tomorrow.
Thanks Muchly
Paul

Answer
Hi Paul, not sure I can reverse this in less than 12 hrs....Polyshades is not a stain, but technically a "toner", meaning a finish (polyurethane) with color in it, and  not a product I would use OR recommend. It does dry too glossy for most applications, and so the only way to tone it down (the gloss level), would be to apply a satin or flat clear coat over it, and that has to be a urethane too....but you could use an Acrylic Urethane, (waterborne), which would dry quickly (1/2 hour or so) For touch up of wood filler, she should be using a dye stain (alcohol, or water based), or possibly a gel stain ( Gel stains are a heavy bodied stain with a some polyurethane carrier, the opposite of Polyshades which are a polyurethane with a little color in it, but being oil based they also take 12+ hours to dry). Oil based stains will not stain filler or hard woods dark either, and take 12+ hours to dry. Dye stains dry in minutes.If she's doing this on a regular basis, she needs to start using dye stains and Lacquer toners in an aerosol, or custom mix the toners (and stains) using dye concentrates.....I use TransTints.Almost ALL commercially made furniture of the last 80 years or so is finished with lacquer, so when doing touch up and repair work, it's important to use lacquer or shellac when replacing/restoring the finish, and spot finishing when trying to blend a repair. Using solvent based poly's over lacquer is a no-no, and will likely have issues down the road, as well as be very difficult to blend with lacquer.Solvent based polys are modified varnishes, and each coat is a separate layer sitting on top of the previous one....while lacquers and shellac have the ability to "burn" into each layer, so essentially the finish film is one layer and not several layers...this makes them repair much easier and feather, rub out, and restore easier as well, with almost NO chance of witness lines, adhesion issues, and changes over time.....this is the standard in restoration/touch/repair spot finishing for a few reasons...the other has to do with dry times, and being able to apply 4-5 coats of stain, sealers, toners, and finish in one day when doing touch or trying to blend a repair....the new waterborne technologies also give one the ability to apply several steps quickly, but it's imperative to use compatible products and finish types so your repairs/restorations will last and perform as well or better than the original finish. Hope that helps a little- post back if need be- regards- Greg