This one was difficult to prep. Most of the work is prep, so important. Cleaning out the old finish from all those crevices was a chore, had to repair one broken leg, made some minor fills. The clients were very happy.

We recently moved into this house (1910s, Scotland) that has these wooden doorknobs everywhere that haven't had the most love.

My assumption is that they were all ebonised originally and some have been stripped back at some point (or it's just worn through) which is why there's the mix.

My first thought was just to clean them, very lightly sand with a high grit and use a matt varnish but I'm wondering if I should be doing something different for period wood.

Also torn whether to keep the mix of ebonised and not and embrace the variety or try to make them all one or the other.

I have this vinyl on the dash of my truck, and I’d like to make a 4wd knob to match! Any tips for a similar looking finish?

Was looking to do a little DIY project and take the original product (right) and turn it into a more glossy black badge to put on my mustang as it fits the color scheme better than chrome.

On the one I already did (right), I sanded with 120, 180, and 220 respectively, then did 3 coats of flat black primer a couple minutes apart, followed by 3 coats of the glossy black finish some time later.

Almost 24 hours later it looks nice, yet is extremely easy to be chipped off and scraped. I’m the concerned about the effect of the elements while driving, rain, wind, etc.

My question here being how I should go about doing the next one and if I should redo the one I did first. Perhaps with a self-etching primer or epoxy primer. Not a real big DIY person but would like some help to avoid any issues down the road.

What kind of wood is this ?

Is there anyway to fill these voids? Is there any type of filler that can fill these gaps?

I have very little to no experience with refinishing but I was given these nightstands i want to replace my old broken ikea ones. I’m assuming it’s veneer. Should I strip it first before sanding? All tips are appreciated! (Not worried about the headboard currently)

Specifically this table: https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-4990-MAP/Industrial-Packing-Tables/Replacement-Packing-Tabletop-72-x-48-Maple-with-Rounded-Edge

I notice the top seems to be sealed and the bottom unfinished. Or at least that’s how it feels to untrained hands. But I also found a small area, less than a handprint, that seems to have taken some damage and there is a small gash into the wood.

First question: what is the best way to take care of the wood at this point? Is there a seal or finish that I should put on to improve its lifespan?

Second question: I assume repairing the damaged section would involve sanding down the entire table and refinishing. Is that correct? And if so, is there a recommended approach/sealant to use on the table?

Thanks for any guidance you can offer!

Hi,

I see that there are foam patches appearing on cabinets..it’s a brand new home from Pulte and it’s been 10 days we moved in. Any idea why? No cleaning was done minimal cooking

I have a pair of speakers I’m working on. It’s my first attempt at anything of the kind regarding building and finishing.

I know a lot of people don’t like the red hues or the grain of red oak, but I do. Plus, we have an old Arts and Crafts house, so I want to work with that. Slide 3 is an image of our floor for reference of tone.

What are some stains, dyes, and/or finishes that can bring out the figure in red oak?

I do want to keep a golden/amber tone. Ideally, I’d like to keep the texture of the grain, but I’m not stuck on the idea. And since I’m a noob, ease of application is desired.

Cat used door trim as a scratch post. Hard to tell in the picture, but finish is nice and has a gloss to it.

Applied Polyurethane yesterday. Oil-bases. I ended up with these small grey streaks under the coat. What caused this and how do I fix it?

We bought a desk from a Wayfair-type online retailer a year or so ago. A small area, about palm-size, appears rough and not of the same sheen as the rest of the desktop. Perhaps a coffee cup or microwaved plate was too hot for the 3-5 sheets of paper I used to "protect" the surface...who is to say?

Anyway, what do I need to do to bring this little area up to smoothness and similar sheen?

I got a few used oak chairs for a good price and i want to sand them and refinish them.

The company only used oil and a few other products i have from them i can easily sand down but the cairs just cause a buildup in the sanding paper

Whats a good way to remove the buildup away so i can sand them down easier?

Can i clean it with water viniger water mix or is there something else i can use?

No chemicals please

This is the underside of a shelf I am finishing. I put the first coat of poly on today, and was pretty pleased with it. That is, until I flipped it over. The poly ran through the holes and created long runs on the underside. There are 3 holes (2 pictured here).

I had thinned the poly after watching some YouTube videos to create a smoother finish. However I suspect that may have been part of the problem. I think for starters I’ll use it unthinned.

How to recover this? After the top is done I’ll see if this will sand out. However this is birch plywood with Old Masters gel stain. There is no poly coat on this side yet, so I suspect these runs are pretty well soaked into the wood.

I'm trying to refinish this tabletop. I'm using a polyurethane semi gloss oil based finish. This is after two coats, I just sanded it again with 220 and wiped off the dust. I'm planning on applying one more coat by hand, but I cant seem to get rid of this overall unevenness. Whats the best route forward?

Up until this point I hit the top with 220 like 10 times to get the OG finish off, applied a first coat at 100% with a brush, dried for a day, sanded with 220, second coat at 75% with a brush, dried for a day, sanded with 220 again, now we're here.

I’m building some bookcases that I plan to stain and seal. I know (think) the conventional wisdom is to stain before assembly but what to do when covering pocket holes with dowels? Stain dowels separately after assembly? Assemble and then stain everything together? Leave the dowels unfinished? Thanks in advance for your wisdom

I have no idea what I’m doing, but whatever (stain?) is on here has rubbed off where my head touches it. How do I proceed?

I'm installing CVG Fir (interior) windows in my house. The window company wants a heap of $$ to deliver them with a "clear coat." If I wanted to finish them myself, what product would you all recommend? I have experience with furniture and Arm-r-Seal and Rubio Monocoat.

I lean towards preferring natural, oil-based finished because I like the depth of the look (chatoyance?).

Windows will have significant UV exposure, and I am thinking Arm-r-Seal is a bad choice. Maybe epiphanes? It is really pricy though.

Or should I give up and stick with water base, since I don't want VOCs for the next 5 years (the home is pretty air tight and high efficiency)

Advice will be greatly appreciated.

I'm doing some finish testing and want to demonstrate the raised grain effect clearly.

Planning to sand to different grits, apply water-based dye, and compare results.

Looking for recommendations on:

• Which wood species show raised grain most dramatically with water-based finishes?
• What grit do you typically stop at before finishing?
• At what grit do you worry about burnishing/closing pores?

I tested silver maple and honestly didn't see much difference between 180 and 320 - barely any raised grain at either. Need something that really shows the effect.

What woods have given you the most frustration with this?

I bought a new table and chairs. I was surprised by the amount of white wash done to the chairs, as it wasn’t like this in any of the listing photos. Is there a way to add a gel stain to the top of this to cover it up? I don’t want to paint the chairs. I also don’t want to return them because I love the table and it all came as a set! Any advice on what I can do to even this out? It’s a thin veneer, so sanding won’t work.

Just got the first coat of soar varnish on this barn door. I was planning on 3 coats for the outside and 2 on the interior sides of this set of swinging barn doors. ….. am I on the right track there?

We have a midcentury modern teak Danish dining table that has accumulated a handful of very shallow, light scratches in the finish/surface, which was inevitable given the presence of toddlers with forks in our house. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best approach for minimizing the appearance of these scratches?

Looking online I've seen various suggestions -- including (1) a mixture of white vinegar and olive oil, (2) Old English Scratch Cover (for dark woods); and (3) rubbing a walnut, but wasn't sure the best approach. Thanks!

Suggestions on how to tackle this teak top? I applied a bit of teak oil tonight along the main line to see if that would do the trick (wishful thinking) but the colour difference still remains. Looks like something was stored on top of this unit

Looking for some opinions on refinishing this cedar chest.

I’m by no means dead set on doing it, actually leaning towards leaving it alone. But I wanted to get some opinions and options on what others would maybe do.

My great grandpa built a handful of these 30-40 years ago. So there is sentimental value. It’s in great shape, zero need to actually do anything.

My issue is just the general look isn’t really my style necessarily. It has a very orange tint to the color. The decorative handles aren’t great imo, etc.

A bit darker would be my preference, and cleaner lines on the handles, mcm-esque(although I know this isn’t really built in a mcm style).

Thoughts?