(Part 2) Top products from r/finishing

I've refinished more than a few 100 year old doors. If you want bare wood and stain it'll take time and care, if you're going to repaint it'll take sightly less time and care. Depending on condition just a simple paint scraper can do the trick nicely. If there's a lot of detail you'll want a contour scraper like this

https://www.amazon.com/Allway-Tools-Contour-Scraper-Blades/dp/B000BQMZ9C/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?keywords=paint+scrapers+for+wood&qid=1566143184&s=gateway&sprefix=paint+scraper&sr=8-14

If it doesn't scrape easily my next move is a heat gun and a putty knife. You'll still want the contour scraper if there's a lot of detail.
I've also used one of the electric paint strippers called "the silent paint remover". IMO it covers more ground at once but you can accomplish the same thing with a simple heat gun. Depends what you want to spend I guess.


I've had good luck with these methods on many doors and I've never had to resort to chemicals, at least on doors and windows I've done. As another poster said, chemicals will just get everywhere if you're not using sawbucks.

Arm-R-Seal is an oil-based urethane. You wouldn't want to use a polyurethane over it; you're essentially finished. 3 coats of that stuff should be fine, adding any more is kind of unnecessary. The only time you add more layers of finish is when you're working with tung oil, shellac, or high-end finishes like conversion poly/lacquer.

Your best bet would be to possibly shine this up with some Johnsons Paste Wax that you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot if you don't use Amazon. Wait a week or 2 to let the finish gas off, and dry up a bit more, and use this paste wax every 6 months to a year. It's been around forever, and works really well.

Edit - If you haven't, make sure you've sealed the bottom of the butcher's block as well. You don't want one side sealed, and the other unsealed; granted, this type of butcher's block with multiple pieces glued together will not move as much as a panel glue up would, but it's still a good practice to always finish the bottom as well.

This is a good one. Lots of recipes and good explanations. I also like Teri's promotion of step boards so you can see the progression of different steps on your own https://www.amazon.com/Foolproof-Wood-Finishing-Revised-Publishing/dp/1565238524/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Unfortunately, repairing porcelain enamel surfaces isn't a DIY job. There are some products for bathtubs and there are high temperature enamel paints, but those aren't porcelain enamel coatings. There are companies that can refinish the item for you, like this one, http://www.ipe-porcelain.com/, no idea if they are any good though.

If this for an oven, and the part doesn't actually touch food, I'd contact Rustoleum, they make high temp enamel paints for grills, I'd imagine an oven a similar enough to be okay, though you might need bake in the finish before cooking food in it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0010O0C94/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_x0J3BbHXPYC45

Do you have any specific Flexnor book in mind, are they all the same, or should someone read them all:

• Wood Finishing 101: The Step-by-Step Guide
  
• Understanding Wood Finishing: How to Select and Apply the Right Finish
  
• Applying Finishes: Techniques, Tips, and Problem-Solving Tricks
  
  ...Are the Flexner books mostly about brushing/rubbing on finishes? Any recommendations for good books on spraying a finish for a beginner? Like explaining the various setups (HVLP, etc.) and the finishes available?
  

I'd need to see the piece in person to decide if it was a wood veneer or just a picture of wood before I advised doing anything more drastic than polishing the existing surface.

That said, pick yourself up a tin of this or this or any other clear paste wax and rub it into the damage well before doing the whole box. Hopefully that makes it acceptable.

The chemical paint removers might actually be safer too. Old woodwork is likely to have lead paint on it. Sanding will turn it into dust that can be inhaled and will settle throughout the flat.

To get the best results with stripper buy a shavehook set like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Larson-620-1450-Shavehook-Blades/dp/B0012XP6ZS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468860049&sr=8-2&keywords=shavehook+set

There are cheaper ones available but this is a high quality tool.

No. It would just spatter little droplets on the wood and make a mess. A spray bottle doesn't atomize the finish. A spray gun does if the pressure is high enough. A spray gun shouldn't be a pain... can your compressor handle the CFM requirements of the gun? Check out turbine HVLP systems. It is the same gravity fed spray gun you would use with the compressor, but with a turbine to continually make air instead. It will set you back some $$$, but they are great. You don't need a compressor. Those airless sprayers are really more for thick house paint, since they don't atomize the finish. Atomizing the finish is a must for getting it to flow out nicely and not splatter and orangepeel.

chec the Fuji HVLP out. It is not professional but it is better than the homegamer stuff.

sure thing, here is a picture of the print itself. This is the ink that was used. The print is on a lid to a box as well

How does it look without the grille cover? If your room is modern or whatever, then perhaps paint the wood black or a solid color with a dark gel stain like General Finishes Java.

Not super cheap but a legit option:

This can works well.

It's also important to understand why rags catch fire. It is a chemical reaction so even if it is cold in your shop they can catch fire.

A clothesline with clothespins is another great budget option.

Once they have cured off/dried hard they can go the regular trash without concern.

So then, do your gel stain, let that dry for a day. Get a can of shellac and put on a coat of that. Let it dry for an hour or so, then 3-4 coats of a wipe on poly and you should be set

Dark Walnut comes close. BLO doesn't "protect". For outdoor protection use some Polyurethane made for the outdoors, such as:
Minwax 33250000 Helmsman Spar Urethane Aerosol, 11.5 ounce, Gloss https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Z8DGJE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9ScUzbY3QPPYS

https://www.amazon.com/OXALIC-Crystals-Cleaning-Removal-Remover/dp/B0793F89NT/

Howard Products FW0016 Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish and Conditioner, Beeswax &, 16 oz, orange, 16 Fl Oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BKQYGW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7lT0DbCBGF871

Used this Feed-N-Wax on a table I received from my parents. It was disgusting and my wife and I hid the top from view with table clothes for a while. Bought this on a whim and years of rings and marks on it were taken off on a single wipe.

If I remember correctly from https://www.amazon.com/Great-Book-Woodworking-Tips-Photo-Illustrated/dp/1565235967/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1523536711&sr=8-7&keywords=Wood+working+book

Lay sand paper on the trim rough side out, then rub the sort of foam you’d stick fake plants into on it. Now you have somethingin the shape of the trim. Use sand paper, rough side toward the wood this time with the foam as a sanding block.

Read.. Flexner on Finishing: Finally - Answers to Your Wood Finishing Fears & Frustrations by Bob Flexner

https://www.amazon.com/Flexner-Finishing-Finally-Answers-Frustrations/dp/144030887X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500064483&sr=8-1&keywords=Flexner+on+Finishing%3A

Your plan sounds wrong to me. I don't like to mix chemistries

Behlens rock hard is varnish. The various different wipe-on products are thinned varnish. Polyurethane is varnish with a slightly different chemistry than alkyd. Shellac is a dried and powdered bug parts in alcohol

If I was going for a varnish finish, I would start with varnish, let it dry well, sand and apply another coat, and repeat until you have the build you want

And yeah, marketoids lie all the time. So-called "Tung Oil" finish is most often varnish, thinned with mineral spirits