Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Jan 13, 2000 05:26pm | #1

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   Ryan,

   Think you should get small cans of those stains that are available, some rags, a brush, Stain Control etc. Use each one and find the one YOU like. If you're staining all the trim in your house by hand, you'd better be happy with the process and the results. You won't believe the amount of trim you're gonna have. Try to match up pcs. that will go together whether casing or base. Drastically diff. grain or dark/light look bad in the fin. product.

   Personally, I don't like the gels. Find them too hard to work with. Seem to want to leave a muddy covering on the wood. Definitely hard to wipe on. Prob. have to use a brush to apply. Wiping off so it looks good is a bear. I like penetrating oil stain the best. Have more control over the end result. Finish, latex dries quick. Can get much more done and stacked and out of the way. Sun or water areas I might think something else.

   I have absolutely no experience with spraying any of these, but maybe you'll get an answer to that.

   There's my HO, hope you get many more. best of luck

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   Guest_ | Jan 13, 2000 07:17pm | #2

   *I'm with Calvin. Use a penetrating oil, like Watco. It wicks down into the poors of the wood and 10 years from now, after tricycles and roller skates have left their marks, all you have to do is wipe some more on. I like to put a clear finish over Watco, too, but you have to wait until it completely dries if you use water base finish. I recently tried an all natural oil finish by <ahref="http://www.livos.com/">Livos that I really liked. They have a whole line of stains, finishes and paints that are toxin free. Their "Meldos" is very similar to Watco, but has none of the bad fumes. They uses citrus liquids so it has a gentle orange scent. I really liked working with it and an old floor finnisher I met swears by the stuff.If you are doing even one house it would be well worth it to invest in a small airless sprayer, like those small Wagners, and spend the time to learn to spray. It's way easier than you might expect and many, many, many times faster and better than brushing or wiping on a finish.There is a whole section dedicated to "Finishing" over at Knots, the Fine Woodworking board. You might want to read up on it over there too.

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   Guest_ | Jan 15, 2000 05:14am | #3

   *ryanI posted a similar question a few months back, check out this post in the archives "Suggestions for staining/ finishing pine trim". There were a lot of good suggestions,Thanks again to all who replied. I spent a small fortune experimenting with stains and finishes. Decided against Gel stains because getting the gel out of all the nooks and cranny's looked like a lot of work. I have used Bartly's Cherry Gel stain (on a cherry cabinet)in the past though and I liked it. The Bartly's oak was a bit redder than the Watco natural on oak. Used Watco natural on 6 panel oak veneer doors and door trim, liked the color and relative ease of application. I flooded each side, then flooded each side again, then a rubbed final lighter coat of Watco on each side, took quite a while coating and flipping 14 doors. Took a while for the odor to leave. Used more than 1/2 quart per door. Lowe's carries it ~$9.00 per quart, the local woodworking shop ~15.00. Window and base board trim are pine. Tried differnt shades of Watco on the pine but used 2 coats of Minwax satin oak polyshades, thought it was a closer match. Some light sanding of the trim to get rid of heavy cutter glazing or chatter marks. Then minwax conditioner to reduce blotching, a coat of polyshades,a light sanding with a non-serrated sandpaper to get rid of bumps and add some tooth, then a second coat of polyhades which turned out pretty smooth. The Polyshade is a toned polyurethane, I used it thinking that I could add additional coats to get a deeper color if needed. If I pick the right piece of oak w/Watco natural and place it next to the right piece of pine woak polyshades, and the lighting is just right it's a satsifactory solution. The Watco has a flat finish and the Polyshades has a satin, I might put a satin Polyurethane over the Watcoto match the sheen of the Polyshades.You might try trimming each side of a door or window with pieces from one long lenght of moulding, you may get better color and grain matching than with wood from different trees. Best of luckMike

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   Guest_ | Jan 15, 2000 11:21pm | #4

   *I just finished a set of kitchen cabinets where the customer did not want any hint of red in the finish, but insisted that they be made from oak. To solve this problem I chose white oak as the material. They then gave me a sample of the color they wanted for the finish and I found a stain made by Olympic that matched their sample. I wiped it on the cabinet face frames, doors, drawer fronts, and exposed carcase sides. After 5 hrs drying time I wiped on a wiping varnish made by Watco. After 3 coats of of the varnish the finish was outstanding and relatively easy to apply. As for the insides of the cabinets and drawers I used the wiping varnish only. I would recommend this method to anyone who does not have the equipment to spray on finishes. Frank "Mad Dog" Maglin

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   Ryan_ | Jan 15, 2000 11:24pm | #5

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   I am having red oak trim put in my new house. Can anyone recommend the best way / brands of stains and finish? Gel or oil? Brush or whip on ?