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Wooden Chair...What 'finish' after the stain has dried ?

HudsonValley NY

8 years ago

Old (maybe a library) chair - stripped of all old paint.

One coat of Minwax Wood Finish stain on it.

Says it "Penetrates,Stains, & Seals"

What should I do next ?

The chair will be used everyday as a normal chair (not something to rest a transmission on)....

Featured Answer

bobismyuncle

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

The two sources I linked to
HLM one is from an excellent finisher who was a long-time custom furniture maker and host of Wood Magazine's Finishing and Refinishing Forum before retirement.

Bob Flexner is a well-known author and finish expert. His advice is sound and always based on research, trials, and again many years of experience running a finishing and repair shop. He's my hero when it comes to finishing.

Neither is some "stranger" posting uninformed advice on someplace like Pinterest.

Unfortunately, sometimes the advice on the can is improper, though. Such as "do not thin" which happens to be related to VOC regulations and not performance. Another is the "Wood Conditioner" directions that say to apply stain within 30 minutes. They work much better if left to dry overnight (Flexner's advice, which I have confirmed with my own trials).

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Comments (8)

bobismyuncle
8 years ago
Minwax Wood Finish is really a misnomer (all to common in the finish aisle), it's really a stain and has to be top coated. Probably the easiest for a DIY application is a varnish and the easiest way to do that is a "wiping varnish." This is one that's been thinned down with mineral spirits either by you or the factory. Since you have used Minwax and have access to it (it's so ubiquitous even neighborhood my grocery store carries it) you could try their "Wipe on Poly." A number of thin coats

The way I like to do is is like this. http://askhlm.com/Articles/ArticleViewPage/tabid/75/ArticleId/5/Wipe-on-Varnish.aspx or http://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/finishing/the_basics_of_wiping_varnish2
klem1
8 years ago
Bobsmyuncle gave you good advice. I would only add that regardless what brand product you apply first,follow up with what is reccomended "IN INSTRUCTIONS ON THE CONTAINER". Questions like yours usually recieve's reccomendations for various mixtures applied in various ways. Useing a witch's brews picked up off the net from strangers is a recipe for disaster.
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Staining pine is always the hardest thing to do. It has extreme density differences that produce the kind of variation you are seeing. The Minwax Polyshades is a horrible product, I've never seen a good outcome come of it. I'd strongly advise choosing wood that is the color you want to start with and avoiding stain all together. If you must, sand back to bare wood, apply a seal coat of dewaxed shellac and then spray an alcohol soluble wood dye, eg TransTint (not an oil stain) over it, then finish. Pine frustrates the best pros, I'd just paint it and be done. If you must have stained pine take it to the best finisher you can find and let a pro do it. To be blunt, those are not boards I'd mess with for anything other than framing or concrete forms.
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PRO
C3WoodWerks
8 years ago
If you haven't already finished the chair, a bit of warning for you. I've used Minwax Wipe-On Poly before, and I won't apply it again as the first coat. Twice I tried it on different projects, and it changed the color of the stain dramatically from the "wiping" part. For example, I put it on a dark stain and it actually made the stain lighter. If you already have the wipe-on poly, my advice would be to get a can of the the Minwax polyurethane spray first, and spray on the first coat to seal it. Then, apply the wipe on after the spray coat has dried, or just do 2-3 coats of the spray.
HudsonValley NY
Original Author
8 years ago
Is "Wipe-On" the same as "Brush-On" ???
PRO
C3WoodWerks
8 years ago
No, although it's similar. The formula is slightly different, I believe the wipe on is a little thinner than the brush on. Wipe on can be applied just as it states, with a lint free cloth, so you don't get brush marks or runs. It still takes a few hours to dry though, which is the same as brush on.
bobismyuncle
8 years ago
Wipe on is just more highly thinned. You can buy it pre-canned or just buy a regular oil-based varnish and thin it. Most people start with 50% varnish and 50% thinner.
shipshape
8 years ago
I'm getting good results with Mixwax water-based poly satin finish. You apply with a synthetic brush, and it should provide very good protection for the wood -- capable of being easily cleaned later. I had stripped the legs of a walnut table down to bare wood, stained with two coats of mixwax wood finish, and I'm now have two coats of the water based poly on it. Looks really really good. The benefit of the water-based poly is mainly the ease of cleanup.

BTW, using this same poly product but in the spray can could be just the ticket for easily reaching all the various parts of a chair.

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