UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Wooden cabinet re-finishing

Stuart R · 31st Oct 2018, 11:19 am

Five years since starting this, I think there is some progress. I take on board the comments about wood filler and the final challenge will be matching those-in.

Firstly, the water-based wood stain seems quite forgiving, I've managed to get rid of dried streaks with a light rinse with water and a gentle going over with fine (wet) wet and dry paper. Not sure if I am diluting the stain or sanding the top of the veneer away, but the colour of the waste water suggests the stain is coming out.

I found an on-line video from a wood coatings company based in the USA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QnrhELTJkc
In it, they advised how you should get the wood thoroughly wet with the stain, so wet that you can write into the wet stain with a finger-tip. Then work it around with a sponge applicator until the whole area is covered. Then you can wipe the excess wet streaks off with a paper towel before they dry. Things dry-out too quickly if you don't apply enough stain to begin with.

It's suggested that you don't work on too large an area, so I carefully masked off the top section and by following their instructions achieved a good result with the first coat. The trick for me seemed to be getting the wood very wet and then getting an even coat by spreading around with the sponge applicator. After each wipe of the sponge across the cabinet, I removed the excess off the sponge before giving the cabinet another wipe. There comes a point when, if not careful, you start to dry the stain and lighter areas patches appear. It's definitely a skill in deciding when to stop the sponge work! Once I was happy with the even colouring I wiped a paper towel very lightly over the wood, just tickling the surface.

After drying, I tried a second coat which wasn't so good. I decided not to do the paper towel wipe. When dry, this left the very fine streaks from the sponge applicator which spoilt the appearance of the grain.

A few pictures, sorry for variable lighting......

As left from last Spring's efforts
Removing streaks with some wetted fine wet and dry paper
First coat applied
Second coat applied
Fine streaks left behind

31st Oct 2018, 11:19 am	#13
Stuart R Heptode Join Date: May 2011 Location: Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 693	Re: Wooden cabinet re-finishing Five years since starting this, I think there is some progress. I take on board the comments about wood filler and the final challenge will be matching those-in. Firstly, the water-based wood stain seems quite forgiving, I've managed to get rid of dried streaks with a light rinse with water and a gentle going over with fine (wet) wet and dry paper. Not sure if I am diluting the stain or sanding the top of the veneer away, but the colour of the waste water suggests the stain is coming out. I found an on-line video from a wood coatings company based in the USA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QnrhELTJkc In it, they advised how you should get the wood thoroughly wet with the stain, so wet that you can write into the wet stain with a finger-tip. Then work it around with a sponge applicator until the whole area is covered. Then you can wipe the excess wet streaks off with a paper towel before they dry. Things dry-out too quickly if you don't apply enough stain to begin with. It's suggested that you don't work on too large an area, so I carefully masked off the top section and by following their instructions achieved a good result with the first coat. The trick for me seemed to be getting the wood very wet and then getting an even coat by spreading around with the sponge applicator. After each wipe of the sponge across the cabinet, I removed the excess off the sponge before giving the cabinet another wipe. There comes a point when, if not careful, you start to dry the stain and lighter areas patches appear. It's definitely a skill in deciding when to stop the sponge work! Once I was happy with the even colouring I wiped a paper towel very lightly over the wood, just tickling the surface. After drying, I tried a second coat which wasn't so good. I decided not to do the paper towel wipe. When dry, this left the very fine streaks from the sponge applicator which spoilt the appearance of the grain. A few pictures, sorry for variable lighting...... As left from last Spring's efforts Removing streaks with some wetted fine wet and dry paper First coat applied Second coat applied Fine streaks left behind More on this in the next post..... SR Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Stuart R; 31st Oct 2018 at 11:22 am. Reason: Readability.