I've just bought to new oak doors. I don't want to change the colour of them with stain. Can I just wax them?

Answer 1

You have several finishing choices, which to pick depends on where the door will be installed. If it is an outside door, you will want to go with a urethane varnish, available in ranges from super-gloss to matte finish. Pick the type you thinks looks best.

If it is an inside door you have several options - waxing alone (Butcher's Wood Wax is the best) is possible but it won't protect the finish very much and will "yellow" the wood slightly. It will also allow moisture to penetrate, so I would not recommend it highly.

You can also go with an indoor urethane finish if you'd like, which is quicker drying and easier to apply than the outdoor-rated version. It dries harder so the gloss finishes are glossier.

An oil finish is the Rolls Royce of interior finishes. Use a Tung Oil or Danish oil product. It will darken the wood slightly but leave it with the most natural appearance of anything but pure paste wax. "Minwax" wood finish in a natural shade will also look fairly natural, but all wood finishes will darken the oak slightly.

Whatever finish you use, be sure to sand the oak carefully, using successively finer grades of sandpaper - 80, 140-160, and 220.

Apply oil with a rag, varnish with a good quality natural bristle brush. Work carefully do avoid air bubbles, which are to blame for most of the crummy looking wood finishes you see. (Even professional contractors are sometimes too lazy or hurried to do things right) It will take several coats to provide a varnish surface that glows, be sure to sand with very fine sandpaper (400+ grit) or steel wool (Grade 0000) between coats. For the final coat on a varnished project I like to rub it down first with pumice or rottenstone applied with a damp, soft cloth. This will really make the final surface shine.

Get some product guidance at your friendly local hardware dealer or big box home improvement store.

Answer 2

Use a water-based polyurethane. It is just as durable as an oil-based finish, but does not change the color of the wood like oil does. It also is much more environmentally-friendly (and health-friendly) since it doesn't have the volatile fumes you get with oil. Start by sanding the floor smooth. Then apply a sealer--this is important with a water-based finish, because the finish will otherwise raise the grain in the wood. After applying sealer, sand again lightly (the sealer will raise the grain slightly, but will also stiffen it). The apply several coats of a good quality finish coat. The better products have an interlink additive that you add to the last 1-2 coats for an extremely tough finish. With water-based products, you can re-coat in an hour. I'd suggest several light coats, and sand lightly every few coats, especially if you get any bubbles. If you use more than 3 coats (and I would), use a gloss finish for the first several coats, and semi-gloss only for the top coats. Semi-gloss is semi-transparent, and with multiple coats you could obscure the wood grain if you build it up a lot. You need to apply the finish with a light touch; squeezing it out of an applicator will cause a lot of bubbles in the finish. Good luck. Oak looks very nice with this kind of finish -- it gives a much lighter appearance to a room.

Answer 3

The best finish for any hardwood is several applications of oil, like tung oil or danish oil. Do not under any circumstances use polyurethane or yacht varnish it will flake.
If it is an exterior door the best finish is Sikkens micro porous varnish or similar.
But whatever clear finish you choose the doors will darken with time due to the effect of ultra-violet rays from daylight.

Answer 4

use #0000 steel wool to smooth the surface. Remember that the smoother the surface the better the final finish will be.

Use High Gloss Tung Oil, it is the best finish and readily accepts additional coats to give a deeper mirror like finish.
Just steel wool with #0000 wool between coats and apply thin coats.

Polyurethane is over rated. It is extremely difficult to add repeat coats as it is so resistant to scratching necessary to bond additional coats thus it will flake off over time.

Answer 5

sure you can - simple answer

( assuming they are internal doors )

If they get wet or subject to damp ( bathroom ) they will move a bit but be OK.. If its waxed you can trim and wax the doors without any worries.

No need to use varnish or anything - the oak will be there long after Yahoo answers closes down

Answer 6

Three coats of satin or semigloss laquer(sprayed). Lightly sand after the second coat with 320 grit just enough to smooth it out and remove any dust nibs. Then apply the third coat. When its dry you'll have a factorylike finish.

Answer 7

A great product to use that will be a nice finish without adding color is Tung Oil.

Wax could work, but may not hold up as long.

Answer 8

You can use a sanding block to smooth the surface. then use some wire wool with the wax and polish the surface. the longer and more you do it the smoother and nicer the effect will be. itll get like a babies bottom. the best thing to use is bees wax in my experience

Answer 9

Want you like to get instant access to over 16,000 woodworking plans?
Check it out https://tr.im/c7b6d
Along with stone, mud and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood. The development of civilization was closely tied to the development of increasingly greater degrees of skill in working these materials.

Answer 10

clear yacht varnish will not alter the colour of the doors it will only intensify the pattern of the wood but will protect the finish ..it is obtainable in gloss ...satin ...or Matt rub down between coats with "scotchbrite" or sometimes it is done with linseed oil but needs to be done on a regular basis only wax them after varnishing ,for a perfect finish its worth the work believe me