Need help with finishing disaster

[milanuk]

Hello,

Nearly done with my first 'real' furniture project, a blanket chest for the teenage daughter. She's eager to have it and wants it in her room ASAP, but I've been stalling because to me, quite frankly, it looks like ****.

I don't have any aspirations of being the next David Marks, or even Norm anytime in the near future. But I do think the project should look reasonably decent. Part of me just wants to take a can of gasoline and a match to this one.

What I have: blanket chest built from plans in WOOD magazine. Used sugar pine from the local hardwoods dealer, and after a lot of trials and tribulations I got most all the joinery looking decent (ended up re-cutting a number of pieces). I put sanding sealer on per the directions, and then followed w/ a pecan colored stain. The color isn't an issue; the panels in the sides and ends of the chest, and the lid (all flat surfaces easy to apply stain to) look great. What looks terrible is all the mitered trim around the panels, and at the top and bottom of the chest. Basically anywhere that *wasn't* flat and smooth.

The stain I used was Minwax Polyshades Golden Pecan - two coats, sanding w/ 0000 steel wool in between. I used foam brushes of various sizes, which seemed to work fine when applying the sanding sealer. In hind sight, I have to wonder if a regular bristle brush would have worked better - it certainly couldn't have worked much worse.

I have basically a lot of dark blobs here and there around the corners and edges of the trim, and also a number of light spots where its almost like the stain didn't penetrate *at all*. I've tried sanding down the thick spots with no success thus far - barely seem to touch the PolyShades once its thickened like that, plus much of its in the contours of the molding. This really has me frustrated, as I made *sure* I had a nice even coat over everything, only to come back in the morning and find that apparently some stain had worked its way under the trim, and leaked back out to pool up, or that areas I'd covered apparently didn't take the stain - only along the edges, so I hesitate to think it was something with the sanding sealer coat.

The big question is... now what?!?

[Crash2510]

exposed end grain has a tendency to darken alot more than the long grain. This is usually magnified by pine which has a tendency to finish blochy. I have seen this site and other experts recommend a gel stain for pine. Sorry this doesn't help you with this project.

[dwlind]

I believe your problems started when you opened that can of Polyshades. With polyurethane you have to be careful of runs and drips pooling on the surface because it is difficult to repair. When you have a stain mixed in with the poly (ie. Polyshades) the runs and drips of finish are much more noticeable because the stain makes them much darker than the rest of the piece. I'm not an expert on repairing finishes but polyurethane will be almost impossible to sand off as you have seen. Perhaps you will need to scrape it off or strip the finish with a chemical.

From my own experience I have found Zinseer Sealcoat to be a better and more useful wood conditioner, and if I need to use polyurethane on a project I will now use a wipe on poly because it gives me much better control with no runs or drips.

Good Luck
Doug

[milanuk]

With polyurethane you have to be careful of runs and drips pooling on the surface because it is difficult to repair. When you have a stain mixed in with the poly (ie. Polyshades) the runs and drips of finish are much more noticeable because the stain makes them much darker than the rest of the piece.

Sounds like *exactly* what I'm getting. The plans spec'd a particular brand of finish (Varathane), which of course nobody local carries. Oh, HD and Lowes carry their spar varnish, but no stains. I thought I'd be slick and go w/ the Minwax Polyshades as it looked like exactly the tint I wanted (slightly darker than the picture in the magazine). Like I said, it worked beautifully when I did the flat panels and lids. But the bun feet and mitered trim are pretty bad.

I'm not an expert on repairing finishes but polyurethane will be almost impossible to sand off as you have seen. Perhaps you will need to scrape it off or strip the finish with a chemical.

Dang. Might have to finish it off and submit it as is, and come back and strip/refinish it at a later date. I was hoping for a quick-n-easy solution, but I kind of figgered that might not happen.

Thanks,

Monte

[Uncle Cracker]

I was hoping for a quick-n-easy solution...

That is what got you in the trouble to begin with. Often, those 2-in-1 products designed to remove a step from the process are a recipe for bad results. You got poor color, and locked it in with the poly finish. All in one step! Especially when you are dealing with end grains and resinous woods, it's best to go the long route, and get your color as right as you can up front, when you can touch up the weak spots. Then put on the finish.

[milanuk]

Got it!

Any suggestions as for what to do now?

[Uncle Cracker]

Got it!

Any suggestions as for what to do now?

Not much, unfortunately. You could try getting some tough sandpaper and having a go, but it's gonna be uphill against that poly, and you still might not get favorable results, as the poly will have soaked into the wood and locked the staining flaws in. Take solace in the knowledge that every one of us has had some projects that just didn't turn out the way we wanted. You can make it a positive event if you learn from it.

Another thing to consider is that your daughter will probably be thrilled with it just as it lays, because you made it.

[milanuk]

You're probably right there... I'm just a bit worried about it since she has some relatives that do high-end construction/trim work, so she has some idea what 'good' looks like - and some friends/cousins that can't keep their bloody mouths shut. Teenagers for ya.

Really wishing they made a poly remover right about now!!!

Thanks,

Monte

[MilDoc]

You might try a Formby's product. It worked better for me than other chemical strippers.

http://www.formbys.com/products/paint_poly_remover.cfm

[milanuk]

Thanks! I'll see if anyplace local carries that; probably not but at least it'll give me something to try.

[Bruce Cohen]

Not to sound flip, but there's always paint. Some of the new techniques are way nicer than stain (if you can stand to have a wooden piece painted)

Bruce

[Cheeky]

Thanks! I'll see if anyplace local carries that; probably not but at least it'll give me something to try.

milanuk,

sent you a PM, but you should make yourself familiar with General Finishes Arm-R-Seal.

and Bruce's idea might be an option.

walmart carries Formby's....of all places.