Hello to all.
I've not worked with wood before and am completely ignorant about selection and finishing thereof. However, I'm now in need of some of your knowledge. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Problem:
I have a thirty year old townhouse and need to replace the stair railing
- on a tight budget. Home Depot sales two kinds - don't like either style, but - one is hickory and the other is oak. The finished color needs to match, as closely as possible, adjacen wood - which is very dark.
Question:
How should I go about finishing the rails? Is it just a matter of sanding, preconditioning, a couple of coats of stain and then a protective clear covering? Will the color of the stain fairly closely match the color on the can - or does the type of wook affect how close of a match I will get?
Advice, thoughts and tips would be greatly appreciated.
Something else I will be working on in the future:
The house still has the origional kitchen cabinets and the color is fading in a couple of spots. Over the sink, the finish has become very spotty - there is a lot of "specles" of bare wood showing and the surface has become rather rough. Also, the top of the door under the sink (trash can area) has also faded where you put your hand on it to open up.
Can anything be done to treat these areas without having to refinish all of the cabinets to get a consistent look?
I will be very grateful for any help you guys could provide.
Andy Fern