AboutGreg 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,usage,etc.
Experience Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. 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, and offered instruction on use and care as well.I even have some Trade show Demo experience.
Organizations none at this time.
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"), local newspapers as well
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 by Major tool manufacturers, Delta, Powermatic, Performax, Porter Cable, Skil/Bosch to name a few.
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.) 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.), local Museums and Historical Societies.
Question QUESTION: We just put a new deck on our house last summer, the floor being trecks (sp?) and the hand railing a hand carved knotty pine. It turned out gorgeous! The woodworker that did our hand rail told us to put several coats of clear, glossy Helmsman spar urethane on it, sanding in between each coat. Now, a year later, my railing is peeling horribly. It didn't even make it through our entire Wyoming winter without a problem and was peeling prior to spring. Is there something else I can put on it that would protect it better. I don't want to stain it because of its natural beauty. I just want to know that it will at least make it from summer to summer without my wood turning gray on me.
ANSWER: Hi Tracy, first of all Knotty Pine will age rather quickly no matter what you put on it...it is not an ideal material for exposure to weather. Second of all, it expands and contracts substantially because of it's relative unstable nature, and the fact that it's a soft wood....so any surface coating will flake and peel rather quickly. A penetrating oil or hybrid type penetrating product would be the best choice, as these soak into the wood and harden from within without forming a film on the wood surface like a conventional or Spar Varnish. You'll have to chemically strip off ALL the Spar, down to bare wood, and then after a light sanding, apply a penetrating type finish made for decks, outdoor furniture, etc. Most of these will have some color to them, and will need to be re-applied during the life of the railings, which unfortunately will be fairly short as compared to a more stable species like Teak, Mahogany,Pressure Treated,etc. I would look at Flood, Cabot, etc for some of these products.......hope that helps- post back if need be- Greg
QUESTION: This all makes wonderful sense! Thanks Greg! Another round of questions...What product do you suggest to chemically strip off the Spar? Also, how many coats of a penetrating finish should I plan to apply?
Answer You'll need a pretty tough stripper to remove Spar and it will be a sticky gooey job, but any good paste type stripper will suffice. Just be sure to protect the surrounding areas and, read, understand, and follow all the directions on the product, (ALWAYS). Any good Hardware store can steer you in the right direction. As for the number of coats, the product will also tell you that on the directions.....it depends on the type of product. The Hybrid products, (oil based, soap and water cleanup), apply a bit differently than a conventional oil based product, for instance. You will probably want to reapply in 6 months to a year and then at an interval after that...but again it will depend on the product, and how the wood takes it up....just don't over (or under),apply. Regards Greg
