Stains and deep hi gloss finish - Woodworking Talk

fudu · 07-03-2009, 06:40 PM

Hi new to this forum and not much of a wood worker, which is why I am here.

I make corn hole boards from time to time and like to stain them instead of painting them.

I've noticed when I stain them if I do not apply a coat of lacquer the boards do not have the proper finish to allow the adequate amount of slide for the bags when they land on the board. However too much lacquer and the bags slide off way too fast.

I recently saw a set of boards with a very deep glossy finish that didn't have to much slide. I never got a chance to ask how they got that nice look and still kept the slide factor down.

So my question is what would be the best way to get the appearance of a nice moderate tone of stain with a deep hi gloss finish without making the boards too slick?

Any suggestions?

Wood4Fun · 07-05-2009, 10:40 AM

perhaps a coat of wax?

I don't know what a corn hole board is, or what they are used for, so i don't know if waxing makes sense or not

fudu · 07-05-2009, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wood4Fun

perhaps a coat of wax?

I don't know what a corn hole board is, or what they are used for, so i don't know if waxing makes sense or not

A corn hole board is the board used to play corn hole, the bean bag game.

The boards need to have a certain level of slickness to them so bags can slide when playing the game.

I am just assuming that the more hi gloss the finish the more slick the surface becomes?

Gerry KIERNAN · 07-07-2009, 11:05 AM

You can purchase a non-slip wax, or a non-slip varnish, to finish your boards.

Gerry

BoatTed · 07-09-2009, 06:15 AM

Hi...I'm another newbie, and I have a problem I have been wrestling with for the last 24 hours. I am refinishing a forty-year-old transom on my wooden motor yacht. Several boards (all mahogany) have been replaced and are a different color from the original ones. After stripping and sanding all the boards I applied a thinned (65/35) coat of polyurethane on the transom to seal the boards. After they dried I tried to stain all the boards to get an even color and all I got was a thick dark brown color. I realize I should not have put on the first coat of thinned poly, but what can I do to lighten the dark stain color? It looks awful. Any suggestions besides laughing loudly about my error?

Gerry KIERNAN · 07-10-2009, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoatTed

Hi...I'm another newbie, and I have a problem I have been wrestling with for the last 24 hours. I am refinishing a forty-year-old transom on my wooden motor yacht. Several boards (all mahogany) have been replaced and are a different color from the original ones. After stripping and sanding all the boards I applied a thinned (65/35) coat of polyurethane on the transom to seal the boards. After they dried I tried to stain all the boards to get an even color and all I got was a thick dark brown color. I realize I should not have put on the first coat of thinned poly, but what can I do to lighten the dark stain color? It looks awful. Any suggestions besides laughing loudly about my error?

Probably your best bet would be to strip the finish off and resand the mahogany. Stain a test piece to establish the colour you want, and then refinish your transom boards. You can lighten the stain before you apply it by thinning it. Then, after you apply it wipe it off so you get a lighter colour. With a little practice you should be able to get exactly the shade you want.

Gerry

BoatTed · 07-10-2009, 02:03 PM

I have just finished stripping and have applied a coat of varnish sealer. I'll live with the different colored boards in favor of a beautiful gloss and grains. Thanks for your suggestion.