Hello, I got a vintage vanity I would like to restore and would appreciate any advice. I’m a complete beginner. The finish is coarse and peeling on everything but the top. There’s also some missing veneer and splintering molding I’m planning on filling with epoxy putty and then coloring with a wax stick. Is there any way I could just strip the finish on the drawers and sides and then top coat it? Or will I need to strip, sand, restain and refinish?

Thanks so much!

We made this table with redwood and tried staining it with Varathane Golden Pecan oil based stain. I've given it several coats and it's still too washed out looking. I was hoping for a richer more pecan-caramel-honey look, as shown below. Because i've already given it several coats can i not stain it anymore? Or should i use a gel stain? Or is it not possible to achieve a rich deep golden color on redwood?

Any advice on how to fix this. A hot tea pot was placed on it and has discoloured the finish.

The third photo is what the wood looked like before. I used oxalic acid and then followed with baking soda and water to neutralize it and some sort of chemical reaction happened resulting in pics 1 and 2. How do I fix this 😭😭

I posted about how to go about this project the other day. I didn’t notice this in that picture, but there seems to be bubbling (?) around the cup holder.. how do I fix this?

ETA: it doesn’t feel like air underneath when I press down, so maybe it’s swelling?

I have a butcher block countertop that I'd like to refinish. I believe it's made of beech wood. Over the years, the finish has faded, and there are a couple of cracks around the sink, which I assume are from moisture exposure.

What's the best way to make it look new again? Should I lightly sand the entire surface and then apply mineral oil? If sanding, what grit would be recommended?

Also, what's the best way to repair the cracks? I've read that epoxy is a good option, but I'd want to use something that's food-safe once it's fully cured. Is epoxy the best approach, or is there a better method for repairing cracks in a butcher block countertop? Going to make sure whatever you is food safe.

So against my better judgement, I decided to try a new finish on a desktop (1/3 liquid beeswax, 2/3 tung oil with citrus) without first trying it on a test piece. It ended up with grey splotches everywhere, which I presume is wax as it buffs out a little when rubbed. I'm guessing the pores are a huge problem on this panel, judging by where the wax seems to be pooling.

What's the best way to salvage this apart from planing and using danish oil? I'm guessing a wipe down with a solvent like methylated spirits to remove as much of the wax as possible?

Here's more info to help:

• Specrite 2200 x 600 x 26mm Golden Teak Acacia Multi Use Panel
  • Only found out after that this panel is already stained and lightly finished (with what I'm not too sure, the tung oil definitely penetrated)
• Finish
  • 1/3 Gilly's liquid beeswax
  • 2/3 Gilly's tung oil with citrus (20% citrus solvent)
  • Applied 4 coats, 24 hours apart

Coffee table top. Gloss finish. Yakisugi technique. It looks good in the sun. Under other light it reflects light horribly & looks all over the place & looks extremely glossy. Anything I could / should have done.

Sounds pretty crazy right?

Problem is the press I'm using is #1 Cast Iron #2 old enough that I've no clue what the interior (food contact surface) was coated in...if anything. Every press was "Japanned" (Gilsonite / Turpentine / Boiled Linseed Oil) on the outside at least. "Japanning" the interior would be possible, but I've 0 information as to if that's as smart as eating paint chips instead of potato chips.

So #1 Safe for food contact #2 adheres to Cast Iron #3 Doesn't break down from fruit acids (lemons/tomatoes being the most aggressive. Apples being the most common. #4 can survive washes with soap.

Any thoughts/inputs on the matter would be greatly appreciated. At minimum - I can just hand wash with dawn dish soap before use, and coat in mineral oil between uses.

Hi all- I’ve been looking for a dining table and found one at the thrift store today that I absolutely love. The style and size is perfect!

However- I feel like the color/tone is outdated. What are your thoughts on the photos below? Any easy ways to change the color/tone to make it less outdated without having to sand it and restain it?

Hello friends!

My fiancé and I recently picked up this beautiful drop leaf table with matching chairs on FB Marketplace for our apartment. It looks like whoever had it prior to us tried to restore it, but didn't have too much luck with it.

Hoping to get some pointers or ideas to help us at the very least bring it to its original form (or close to it!)

Last week, we had a rough redwood fence installed. Per the contractor the wood they use is ready for staining and doesn’t need to wait.

This fence is a mix of sapwood and heartwood, so red and pale all over, and while I love it, I am trying to find something to make it more neutral because our house is quite cool toned.

I chose three stains to test today and they all look awful to me. The roughness of the boards really soaks up the stain and makes it so dark in those areas. This hasn’t dried the full 48 hours yet, but I feel like I’m not going to see much of a change.

Is the answer just to sand the fence? I read that it shouldn’t be necessary on a new fence but maybe I need to.

There are three semi- transparent stains here. The first 3 from the top down are applied with a paintbrush -Armstrong Clark chestnut, armstrong Clark rustic brown, Armstrong Clark natural oak. the second set of 3 are the same stashing the same order but applied with a foam brush. They all look awful to me. Is this just normal? Does it look off to me because I’m only seeing small sections up close?

I’ve also attached some pictures of how rough some of these boards are along with some of the nicer boards.

Any advice is appreciated! Any stain recommendations to bring this more neutral as well as recommendations on application.

I’m trying to refinish these nightstands but the color of the mahogany is super variable between each board, so I tried to stain it hoping it would even out the color but I think it came out pretty poorly lol. (First pic is after, second is before.) I sanded it down to 150 grit beforehand but didn’t use any pre-stain conditioner.

Should I sand, use some pre-stain, and then re-stain? Or my other thought was using some toned lacquer on the whole piece, because it still doesn’t look really cohesive to me, but I’ve never used it before so not sure how easy it is to apply well. Also open to any other suggestions!

Just moved to a new house. Want to finish some raw pieces to match these ones.

What kind of stain/finish should I get??

Not sure this is the right place but I'm looking for recommendations for an oil-based finish for an outdoor, brand new Juniper wood handrail exposed to morning sunlight, summer rain and snow. Prefer a natural-looking matte or satin finish. Would be open to a slightly-tinted oil to reduce UV graying (I don't mind if it darkens the natural light Juniper a bit).             

I’m buying a new house and some cabinets and drawers in the kitchen seem to have been faded away. I’m not experienced in any kind of woodworking, but what would be my best bet in finishing these to make them look nice again?
I really don’t want to get them professionally painted since the actual wood cabinets itself look nice, just some parts have faded with wear and tear.

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance :)

I'm nearly done with this project but one last thing is bugging me like crazy. The veneer edge is ALWAYS resulting in a dirty look. I sand with 400 grit and wipe with dry rag then wipe with mineral spirits. Let it dry then put down the poly. But the edge seems to dry differently than the rest every time. I am using a staining pad as an applicator. I'm using arm-r-seal oil Topcoat.