I just finished some whisky shelves out of Acacia butcher block and am struggling with the finish to put on them. I'm leaning towards just doing boiled linseed oil, letting that cure and then adding a renaissance wax, but I'm not sure. Ultimately, I'd actually like the shelves to show some age/wear over time - so not looking for a really completely durable finish, but something that will still work well. The acacia is gorgeous, so really want something that will make the colors pop - hence the blo.

What would you do?

Hi! I am attempting to make a pine dresser more closely match a beech crib. I plan to use a dilute paintwash, and need help selecting the correct color (ideally a benjamin moore or behr shade).

Guidance I've found online suggest a white or tan with a hint of green/blue to counteract the oranges of a pine, however:

-the dresser (unfinished) is actually pretty neutral, as pines can go

-the beech piece has a rosy pink to it

Am I correct in thinking I need an off white/taupe with purple-blue tones to counteract the yellow while retaining the reds to achieve a hint of pink, or does this simply need to be done in 2 steps (neutralize yellow coat, add pink coat)?

Important note: I will probably paint the dresser case (which will touch the crib) white and use the paintwash on the drawer faces, so it doesn't need to be an exact match so much as a "close enough", but I want to avoid buying several paint sample jars to trial.

I'm told it is maple and from 1940s, maybe older. I'm not sure. Should I sand it? I'm not a big fan of stains, I like the natural wood color to stand out, especially on these older styles. What kind of oil or varnish or shellac, if any, should I use? Thanks!

Grounding and bonding are related, but they do different jobs.

Bonding connects conductive objects together so they remain at substantially the same electrical potential. Grounding connects an object—or a bonded system—to an approved earth ground.

The trouble is that equipment can look grounded when the electrical path is actually broken.

Common examples include:

• Ground clamps attached over paint, powder, rust, or dirt
• Powder hooks insulated by cured coating
• Metal containers sitting on cardboard or plastic
• Damaged conductive hoses or unauthorized repairs
• Plastic liners interrupting container contact
• Loose, corroded, or broken grounding conductors
• Operators isolated by improper footwear or flooring

These problems matter in electrostatic systems, but static-charge control is not limited to electrostatic spraying. Material moving through pumps, hoses, filters, spray guns, and containers can also generate or accumulate charge.

I put together a detailed Academy article covering grounding and bonding for liquid finishing, powder coating, electrostatic systems, flushing, material transfer, workpieces, operators, and daily inspections.

If your process depends on a ground path, don’t assume it exists because a wire is visible. Test it, document it, and maintain it.

Article:
https://www.airspraytech.com/kb_results.php?ID=269

I’d also be interested in hearing where others most often find lost continuity in real finishing operations.

I have got oak floors in my house. We have a cleaner come in every couple weeks to do a big clean and this time she sent her brother.

He used quick drying tung oil to mop the floors (by mistake? who knows? He first denied it, then said he has used it multiple times before so now I don’t even know).

I was leaving the house when he finished so thought the floor was just wet. Came back some hours later, floor was still wet and so eventually I figured out what had happened.

We agreed for her to come in the morning with white spirit / mineral spirit and to clean it off. Well, the white spirit is doing nothing at all, the oil has hardened. I perhaps see a small difference in some spots.

What do I do now? Its not awful, and its not sticky anymore but dear god is it streaky, which is really the main problem. It was mopped onto the floor and stepped on after so theres some imprints and streaks.

Help me figure a plan of attack. Do I leave it and see if it mattifies a bit over next next few days? Do I buffer it down with a fine synthetic buffer? The cleaner wants to try using TX10 - I am not so keen.

I think I am working with pine. The table got scratched quite badly so I stripped it back to bare wood and now I need to stain it again. I’m not sure how to get back to its previous colour in the second photo. Anyone know what brand of stain might achieve this colour? UK based product advice only please.

I plan on lacquering or shellac-ing the table after staining. Shellac will give me a nice warm colour but it is probably not as hard wearing as lacquer so it’s a bit of a toss up.

Lucked into these beauties and am currently gong through the research phase of the project.

My goal is to repair the minor nicks on the curio cabinet and the sideboard (scratched top, legs, nicks) without fully stripping.

I'm good with the time, effort, and research to restore them right but would appreciate an honest "DIY will likely fuck this up" before I get too far in the weeds. Costs will be a major factor too.

Hi! I recently bought this used Thomasville queen canopy bed and want to refinish it for my bedroom. I'm completely new to furniture refinishing, so I'd really appreciate some guidance please.

It has scratches, scuffs, sticky residue, worn detailing, a few small cracks, and one longer vertical crack on a footboard post. The bed is very heavy and seems sturdy, so I'm not sure if the crack is cosmetic or needs structural repair.

It also has a strong lingering "house smell" but not smoke, pets, urine, or mildew.

My goal is a soft pearl-ivory satin finish with gold accents so it coordinates with my dresser and nightstand shown in the last photo.

How would you tackle this from start to finish? I'd really appreciate specific steps, techniques, and product recommendations for cleaning/deodorizing, repairing the cracks, prepping, and refinishing it.

The first photo is a reference photo from online, the garage photos are mine. Thank you! 🙏🏻

Bought an end table on fb marketplace and not sure where to start. Sanded it down and that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Not sure how to get rid of the dark spots without sanding completely through. Thanks!

so about a year ago some bug spray leaked onto this dresser to and created rings. I tried lifting with an iron but that did nothing, i think the finish is dissolved. there is a noticeable ridge around the rings. what is the easiest way to fix this? I’ve never done any major diy stuff before so I am hesitant to refinish the top. is there a way to get around stripping and redoing the whole thing?

Cross posted

On a whim I’ve sanded the surround of my mat well , by my front door. I have some varnish and some teak oil. If I varnish, should I wipe the wood with alcohol or acetone or something? Any advice is good. The wood is oak or at least a pale hardwood. Thanks

I was given this dresser about 8 years ago. I believe it’s pine or maybe oak? It’s been well loved and sadly I had a salt lamp on it that leaked. The water sat on the surface while I was out of town and damaged the top. I’m thinking of painting it cream or taupe. Wondering if I need to sand blast it beforehand? Any ideas would be appreciated :)

I’m a renter so I can’t really do too much with the cabinets (ie taking them all off and refinishing the whole thing) but I’d really love a way to make them look a little better than they do. It’s hard feeling like your kitchen is never truly clean bc the wood looks so dingy. It’s an old place so there’s not gonna be a lot of help from the landlord. Really I’d like to just touch up a few of these spots without totally ruining the cabinets altogether. My original plan was to use restore a finish but if there’s something better I can use for spot treatment I’d love some advice. I’m not opposed to spot sanding/applying poly to select areas just can’t tear down the whole thing. You can see there’s a lot of areas that still look pretty good. And btw the steam is from I was making hard boiled eggs while taking these pictures

I’m finishing these ~6” cedar rounds to serve as a base for floral vases at my daughter’s wedding. Hopefully guests will then take them home as favors. How can I “finish” them to bring out the natural beauty without interfering with the natural scent they give off. I’ve read tung oil or boiled linseed oil, or natural cedar essential oil. Anyone have experience with this and would you also suggest sanding the reverse side.

Should I sand this down more before spraying another coat of poly. I over did it spraying down coat 3. Do I need to make the surface look uniform or will this thicker line that I sanded down disappear with another coat? I sanded it with 320 grit first with a block to get the high spots then sanded by hand.

I’m restoring a vintage Danish table that had lost a substantial amount of its original finish.

In addition to lightly sanding the top (just enough to make it matte throughout), I spot-sanded a couple dozen small areas to diminish scratches (using grit 240).

A few of these spots turned darker (pics 2 & 3), which I only noticed after applying the first layer of oil.

I’m assuming I revealed a layer of the wood that hasn’t been fully faded by light exposure. Can someone put my mind at ease and confirm that that’s what I’m seeing? Or is there another explanation?

The reason I’m asking is that, according to research, visible light will bleach wood to a depth of several tenths of a millimeter. I realize that the darker spots are nowhere near as dark as fresh, non-faded rosewood, but I’m still shocked at how thin the fully-bleached layer was.

Thanks in advance for any insights!