Wood Finishing and Refinishing
Questions and Answers

Here you will find questions and answers about wood finishing and refinishing. If you have a question about stains, clear coats or stripping paint then this is the place for you. Included in this category are cabinets, fiberglass doors and how to clean off those pesky paint splatters.

Many painting questions I receive are a little vague and this makes them difficult to answer. Try to add as many specifics as possible. You will also have the option to include other info. Like a photo, your location, name and email address.

• Photo - You have the ability to upload a photo through the same form. "A picture is worth a thousand words" and could give me some vital clues that will produce a better answer. Please upload a photo when ever possible.
• Your Location - Your location can give me clues and allow me to tailor your answer to your region, if possible.
• Your Name and Email Address - These are optional and will allow you to receive confirmation emails that your painting question or comment has been received or answered.

Offer Your Own Answers

The idea here is simple? Ask a Question or Answer a Question! Offering your thoughts and opinions can save others the trouble of asking the same painting questions or become my co-expert on this subject by rating and submitting comments.

I could really use your help answering some painting questions. I get a lot of questions and do the best that I can to give a detailed answer, but maybe you have a better answer to offer.

Feel free to answer as many painting questions as you want. To answer a question simply click on it and navigate to "Comments" form at the bottom of the page. Add your ideas then press submit. It's that easy!

I'd appreciate a little help! :-)

If you have a particular question and cannot find the answer, use the form below and I or a site visitor will provide the answer ASAP. To answer a question simply click on a question and navigate to "Comments" at the bottom of the page.

Feel free to type your question below and check back soon to view any answers or comments. I always do my best to answer or reply to your queries as soon as I can. You may use your real first name or not, it's up to you, but please state the real location where you live.

You also have the option to upload a photo; this could be very helpful with giving you the best possible answer.

Your Wood Finishing and Refinishing Questions Answered

Click below to see questions and read the answers from other visitors to this page...

Stain Drying Problem 
I am refinishing my kitchen cabinets. I removed old finish, sanded, pre-conditioned it and applied Minwax gel stain. After a few dried coats, I decided ...

Removing Dry Gel Stain From a Fiberglass Door 
Painter did a very poor job using a gel stain on a very expensive fiberglass and leaded glass door. It looks pretty bad and I would like to remove the ...

A white antique look on 2 small pine chest of drawers. 
I have just sanded the 2 chest of drawers as they had a number of coats of varnish which made them look very orange! We are trying to achieve an 'antique'...

I would like to stain a checkerboard pattern on my heart pine floor. How can I make a straight line without the stain bleeding under tape? 
My old kitchen floor was covered with 2 layers of vinyl. We stripped the old tar paper off using hot water and towels. Now I have bare heart pine. I would ...

Fiberglass Door  Not rated yet
Just bought and install a new Fiberglass door, The sales person at the Home Depot told me to used regular car wax in order to keep the door looking new....

Paint Plastic Laminate Cabinet  Not rated yet
I would like to update the look of my white plastic laminate cabinets. The doors are 'raised panel' type, and I was thinking of just painting in the 'trench'...

Painting a bathroom wood vanity.  Not rated yet
What should I do first before I start to paint the bathroom wood vanity. (Preparation) Anything you can tell me that would help me with this project.

Answer ...

Contractor Error With Sealer  Not rated yet
We purchased Pella sliders and put stain on them. The contractor then accidentally sprayed varnish on prior to the sealer. He has now sprayed the sealer ...

How do I refurbish an old wood stained front door?  Not rated yet
We live in a beautiful 1929 English Tudor home in Cincinnati, Ohio. The wood on the exterior of the front door is cracking and bowing and needs refurbishing....

Painting Stair Treads and Risers  Not rated yet
I want to paint my stair treads and risers. What type of paint and primer should I use for each? Should I top them with a polyurethane to protect them ...

Staining a fir french door.  Not rated yet
After staining a new stainable fir french door I noticed several sections of wood that did not take the stain. The wood even appears different than the ...

Can I stack moulding that has been stained, sealed and lacquered?  Not rated yet
I have 122 1 x 6 x 12' tongue and groove boards to put up on a vaulted ceiling. The room is already painted so I wanted to stain, seal and lacquer all ...

Lighten the gel stain on a fiberglass door.  Not rated yet
I have a fiberglass door I stained with Gel stain. I would like it to be lighter than it is, but am not sure if there is anything I can do to lighten ...

Polyurethane Varnish Over Polyurethanr Latex Varnish  Not rated yet
My question is; Can you put polyurethane varnish over poly. latex varnish?

Answer
Yes you can. But, you will need to sand the surfaces first. Use ...

Can you stain over crackle paint?  Not rated yet
I'm painting my cabinets with crackle, and I would like to stain over the crackle. Will it work?

Answer
I suppose you can stain over your crackle ...

Painting the front exterior door on the inside.  Not rated yet
Would it be tacky not to paint the inside of a front exterior door or should the wood door be painted?

Answer
The interior side of your door is a ...

What primer should I use before painting interior fire doors?  Not rated yet
I have stripped my interior fire doors using Nitromos and have sanded them as best I could. Some parts of the door aren't as smooth as others. Will a ...

Paint Peeling On Painted Cabinets  Not rated yet
I painted my kitchen cabinets 1 year ago. I used 2 coats of water based primer sealer and painted 2 coats of 100% Semi-Gloss Enamel (no sanding was done)...

Solvent for cleaning hvlp sprayer?  Not rated yet
Spraying Sherwin Williams Sherwood sealer with Graco HVLP sprayer and it is clogging and spitting.

Answer
Use either Lacquer thinner or Acetone for ...

Changing color of wood windows  Not rated yet
We have eighteen windows in a new addition on our home. The stain turned out too yellowy-orange and now we're faced with what to do to rectify this situation....

How do you restain already stained bathroom cabinets.  Not rated yet
I have heard you can strip the top-coat down and just restain. The cabinets are so old, it doesn't look like there is a top coat.

Answer
You can ...

Stain a Painted Vanity  Not rated yet
I have a vanity that was once painted. I do not like the color of the paint and would love the dark wood look, is there any way to get this look without ...

How dry does the doug fir have to be before I can stain it?   Not rated yet
It's October in Oregon and I am about to have my old patio structure torn down and rebuilt. We chose to use inexpensive fir for the horizontal boards ...

What are the out-gasing and health aspects of using a catayltic lacquer?  Not rated yet
I'm concerned about the health concerns related to use of job site and shop applied catalytic lacquers for installation into green rated homes.

Answer ...

Painted cabinets peeling  Not rated yet
I just painted my kitchen cabinets and put up the doors and now the paint is peeling where the doors meet the cabinet frame. I was told that in lieu of ...

Stripping Poly & Stain off Wood Veneer  Not rated yet
We ordered a wood veneer countertop to be stained (Minwax Dark Walnut)and poly. It came out awful.

Because the counter was for an "L" shaped desktop,...

Flaking Paint On Previously Painted Cabinets  Not rated yet
The cabinets must have been painted with either enamel or semi gloss latex and the prior owner painted over them with flat latex, they are horrible. The ...

How to strip a stained fiberglass exterior door?  Not rated yet
The door is stained and has a polyurethane coating. the stain has begun to wear in spots so instead of just recoating it I would like to strip it down ...

Changing the stain color of a oak vanity to a mahogany look.  Not rated yet
I have a oak vanity with some kind of protective coating on it and I need to know the steps I can take to change the color to a mahogany look?

I have ...

Removing old stain from a fiborglass door.  Not rated yet
I have used Magic stripper for a fiberglass door and it removed most of the stain, but there is still a lot on the door. What else can I use on the door ...

Which polyurethane is the best for wood that is dry?  Not rated yet
I have a t&g pine ceiling. Our fireplace has made the wood very dry in places. The ceiling was clear coated before. I was told to use oil base polyurethane ...

Refinishing An Old Wood Vestibule Door  Not rated yet
I have an old vestibule door that has the pretty beveled or led glass that matches the glass in my front windows. The door is old and I am thinking of ...

How can I make my bed frame color darker?  Not rated yet
I have a bed that's solid wood (maybe oak or something) and they stained it an orangy red...or like a light cherry. I want to have the wood be darker. I ...

Can I restain a piece of furniture darker?  Not rated yet
I have a bedroom set that is solid wood and very well made but would like to make it darker. Is it possible and do I have to take the old finish off completely?...

Applying Gel Stain  Not rated yet
What is best way to apply gel stain?

Answer
The best application method depends on the gel stain, each manufacture is a little different. I like ...

Lighten Already Stained Cabinets  Not rated yet
Is it possible to lighten already stained cabinets. My cabinets are stained darker then I want them. I used cherry wood stain. I prefer them lighter without ...

Restain Front Door  Not rated yet
My son bought a new unfinished front door and stained it without sanding it and it looks awful!!! His stain job has streaks and it's running all over the ...

Yard Sale Shelves  Not rated yet
We bought two book shelves 8' x 3'11in made of plywood they are painted white. What can we (my husband) do to make them look nice, maybe natural?

Answer ...

Matching Stain For Pine and Maple Cupboards  Not rated yet
What type of stain is needed to make pine and maple cupboards match in my kitchen?

The pine cupboards are very orange with age so I was hoping to bring ...

Restaining a kitchen dining set laden with grease.  Not rated yet
I have a 20 yr old early American dining set. I would like to strip all the grease and dirt off and restain and finish with urethane. How best to obtain ...

Staining-Finishing Pine T&G Ceiling  Not rated yet
I will be finishing about 800 sq ft of 1x6 pine T&G prior to installation on a very high (24')cathedral ceiling. I would like a very light or natural low ...

Remove Paint Splashes From Wood Cabinet  Not rated yet
I splashed latex paint on an oak cabinet while trying to get into a deep corner of the wall. Is there any way to remove it without damaging the oak finish?...

Restaining Already Stained Wood  Not rated yet
I would like my kitchen cabinets a different color. I am looking into possibly painting or just restaining.

Answer
It is possible to change the ...

How can old stain be removed from wood.  Not rated yet
The doors inside my home that were stained with a dark stain many years ago. I would like to bring them back as much as possible to their natural color ...

Can I restain a fibreglass entry door?   Not rated yet
The fiberglass door is a fruit wood stain color. I want to match other doors nearby, stained a darker oak color. Which product should I use?

Answer ...

Wood Staining  Not rated yet
Whenever I use an oil based wiping stain, I find it difficult to get the color to darken even with successive coats. Is there a good brand of wiping stain ...

Wood Front Door Refurbishing  Not rated yet
We are about to put our house on the market and realized how faded the front door is. It has been protected from the weather/sun, but has probably been ...

Fiberglass door was stained wrong color.   Not rated yet
I have a fiberglass door that has been stained. The stain is to dark. Can it be lightened or removed to start over? The door has been stained for many ...

Staining and finishing 30 eight foot raised panel poplar doors.  Not rated yet
My father in-law, whom I work for, just took on a job for me and its 30 eight ft tall solid poplar raised panel doors to sand, condition if needed, stain ...

What kind of paint should I use for bathroom cabinets?  Not rated yet
I have light cherry cabinets in my kitchen. I would like to paint my cabinets in the bathrooms to compliment my kitchen to save money.

I don't like ...

Paint Chipping on Cabinets  Not rated yet
I have built in cabinets in my bedroom and recently we painted them. I have used at least two coats and yet I still get these spots after it dries like ...

How do I remove wood stain from doors and door surrounds?   Not rated yet
My doors and door surrounds, as well as the skirting boards, are a dark brown wood stain and I want to change the dark wood stain to a mahogany wood stain....

I have a new fiberglass door, how do i stain it?  Not rated yet
I have a new fiberglass door how do I stain it? I plan on using Olympic gel stain.

Answer
The first part of staining a fiberglass door is deciding ...

Getting dryed on old latex paint off of woodwork.  Not rated yet
I need to know, what is the best solution to get old paint off woodwork? I have tried everything!

Answer
Removing old dried latex paint can be difficult ...

Applying Wood Stain Then Finishing With Tung Oil  Not rated yet
Can I stain a piece of wood first to a color of choice and then finish with Tung oil? Also does Tung oil need a protective finish coat when the final coat ...

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