Replies

1. 
   FastEddie | May 15, 2006 10:07pm | #1

   Since it's not a real "stain", all you're doing is wiping stain off the high spots and leaving it in the "pores" of the texture.  You could stain it with an oil based stain, or a glaze.  Clean the surface well with TSP, rinse & dry, then apply the stain of your choice.

    

    

   "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

1. 
   user-153449 | May 17, 2006 02:46am | #4

   Thanks for the help.

   Chuck

2. 
   DanH | May 15, 2006 10:12pm | #2

   Since the surface has essentially zero absorbancy, you need a stain with some body (ie, a "gel" stain -- really more of a tinted varnish). It has to be applied fairly thickly and manipulated somehow to produce a faux grain. To some extent the "grain" texture of the door helps with this, but some "artistry" is needed besides, especially if the door is already stained and the texture filled in to a degree.

   Note that most door manufacturers now specify the brand of finish to be used. Whether there is an advantage to using this specific brand is hard to say.

   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
3. 
   RW | May 16, 2006 12:58am | #3

   You can strip it. I have done that. Not that its fast or fun, just possible. You need to find out first what finish is on top of the stain, and use that to choose your solvent. Most solvents will do little or nothing to the door itself. Some of the hotter ones, like acetone, I'd be cautious with, and if you do end up having to use something very strong like that test it, watch it, and don't let it sit very long.

   But the gel itself will disintegrate with lacquer thinner. And If you restain it, honestly, if you haven't done it before, it really is easier to hire it out. If you know what you're doing and just want stain advice, old masters is a thousand times better than minwax. I have 0 idea why, I've just used them both. (Trying Minwax is how I figured out how to strip a fiberglass door of stain...)

   "Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think -- there are no little things" - Bruce Barton