Am refinishing old pine stear treads that were covered by carpet.
The carpet and felt underlayment were stapled, and I have removed the
old staples.
I want to sand, stain and poly the pine treads, but am looking for
advice on how to fill the many staple holes prior to staining. Is
there a wood filler tpe that takes stain well, so that the holes will
not be unsightly when I'm finished staining?
Thanks for your help!
Vic
Prometheus wrote:
> It doesn't stick- it's a suggestion from Flexner's book. Supposedly
> the mineral oil will evaporate slowly out from under the stain,
> allowing the stain to film over and float over the pores instead of
> soaking in and looking blotchy. I haven't tried that one yet myself,
> because I always have shellac (I use a 1/4# to 1/2# cut, and it works
> nicely), and never have mineral oil. Most of Flexner's other
> techniques have worked for me, so it seemed like a safe enough bet
> that this one does as well.
Well, it would be a better man than me that would put the same thing on
his project that I put on my cutting boards and wooden cooking
utensils. May have to give it a whirl when I am trying out new
finishes.
Like you, I use 1# shellac or on some bare woods a good lacquer thinned
by about 50 - 75%. I like the lacquer because when i finish sanding if
I miss a little nib or a tiny bit of dust it will melt into the the
next coat of finish. Now I am really wanting to try out some of the
new high performance sealers that are supposed to be the end of all
problems in surface prep. (Yeah, right.) But they sure look
interesting and seem to be compatible with just about everything.
Every once and a while I go to one of the holy trinity; Flexner,
Dresdner, or Jewitt. And if I do what they say to solve my problem I
am usually OK. So no reason to think that ....... mineral oil........
under a finish wouldn't work. I do hope that you post some results if
you try it!
robert
On 3 Jun 2006 17:52:31 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>
>Prometheus wrote:
>
>SNIP
>
>> Forget the holes, the pine itself isn't going to stain well. Use a
>> washcoat like mineral oil first, >
>
>SNIP
>
>Mineral oil wash coat? What sticks to that? I am assuming a typo....
It doesn't stick- it's a suggestion from Flexner's book. Supposedly
the mineral oil will evaporate slowly out from under the stain,
allowing the stain to film over and float over the pores instead of
soaking in and looking blotchy. I haven't tried that one yet myself,
because I always have shellac (I use a 1/4# to 1/2# cut, and it works
nicely), and never have mineral oil. Most of Flexner's other
techniques have worked for me, so it seemed like a safe enough bet
that this one does as well.
"Prometheus" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 3 Jun 2006 17:52:31 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>
> >
> >Prometheus wrote:
> >
> >SNIP
> >
> >> Forget the holes, the pine itself isn't going to stain well. Use a
> >> washcoat like mineral oil first, >
> >
> >SNIP
> >
> >Mineral oil wash coat? What sticks to that? I am assuming a typo....
>
> It doesn't stick- it's a suggestion from Flexner's book. Supposedly
> the mineral oil will evaporate slowly out from under the stain,
> allowing the stain to film over and float over the pores instead of
> soaking in and looking blotchy. I haven't tried that one yet myself,
> because I always have shellac (I use a 1/4# to 1/2# cut, and it works
> nicely), and never have mineral oil. Most of Flexner's other
> techniques have worked for me, so it seemed like a safe enough bet
> that this one does as well.
>
Hello Prometheus,
Mineral oil does not sound right at all. Where in Flexner's book does
it state using mineral oil as a wash coat for anything? I did not find
references to using mineral oil with respect to a wash coat but I did find
mineral spirits. Mineral oil will NOT evaporate. It is far too
non-volatile.
Thanks.
On 2 Jun 2006 05:34:46 -0700, "vic" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Am refinishing old pine stear treads that were covered by carpet.
>The carpet and felt underlayment were stapled, and I have removed the
>old staples.
>I want to sand, stain and poly the pine treads, but am looking for
>advice on how to fill the many staple holes prior to staining. Is
>there a wood filler tpe that takes stain well, so that the holes will
>not be unsightly when I'm finished staining?
No. Define "unsightly". It's called "character" in an older home,
and people have been known to pay more for that, not less, in homes
and in older furniture.
In article <[email protected]>,
"BobS" <[email protected]> wrote:
> If these are just small holes, I would just sand the stairs and push some of
> the sanding dust into the holes - then finish. Doubtful you will find a
> better match than the wood dust itself.
You can take this one step further - which is how I fill gaps and holes
in all my woodworking, both flat and turned.
Use a sander with a dust collection container. As you sand and empty the
container, save the dust in a lidded container. When you're ready to
apply finish, you can do two things to address the holes, cracks or
whatnot.
A) dip a finger in the finish, then into the dust and wipe across/press
the paste into the hole.
2) Mix up a batch of your customized filler by mixing small quantities
of finish and dust to a peanut butter consistency. Use your finger or a
putty knife to fill the holes with the paste.
When you've got everything filled, allow it to dry completely and resand
with 320 or 400 grit to smooth. Repeat if necessary. Then apply the
finish to the entire section of wood. The finish acts as the glue for
the dust so there's no issue with incompatibility or uneven color
changes over time.
--
Owen Lowe
The Fly-by-Night Copper Company
__________
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
Corporate States of America and to the
Republicans for which it stands, one nation,
under debt, easily divisible, with liberty
and justice for oil."
- Wiley Miller, Non Sequitur, 1/24/05
"vic" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Am refinishing old pine stear treads that were covered by carpet.
> The carpet and felt underlayment were stapled, and I have removed the
> old staples.
> I want to sand, stain and poly the pine treads, but am looking for
> advice on how to fill the many staple holes prior to staining. Is
> there a wood filler tpe that takes stain well, so that the holes will
> not be unsightly when I'm finished staining?
> Thanks for your help!
> Vic
>
Vic,
If these are just small holes, I would just sand the stairs and push some of
the sanding dust into the holes - then finish. Doubtful you will find a
better match than the wood dust itself.
Bob S.
On 2 Jun 2006 05:34:46 -0700, "vic" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Am refinishing old pine stear treads that were covered by carpet.
>The carpet and felt underlayment were stapled, and I have removed the
>old staples.
>I want to sand, stain and poly the pine treads, but am looking for
>advice on how to fill the many staple holes prior to staining. Is
>there a wood filler tpe that takes stain well, so that the holes will
>not be unsightly when I'm finished staining?
Forget the holes, the pine itself isn't going to stain well. Use a
washcoat like mineral oil first, stain (or use a gel stain) then fill
the holes with a wax pencil that matches the color in the area where
the hole is- get a few colors, as pine tends to get pretty blotchy
with anything but a "golden oak" or "natural" stain. You can poly it
after that's done. There really aren't any fillers that take stain
well, despite the claims on some of the packages.
Your other option, if you have a sprayer, is to use a sealer first,
then give it a dusting of analine dye before the topcoat.
In either case, the wax pencil is the way to go filling-wise. Of
course with staple holes, I'd just let them go.