hello
I have just finished some office cabinets and shelves for a client. I delivered the cabinets and prepared to install them when she decieded she wanted a much darker finish. I typically use hydracote’s lacquer finish and do a lot of tinting to even out the color on softer woods, however on this project I used some minwax polyurethane. I was wondering if I can tint this poly, and just add a few more coats to darken up the cabinets? I typically use transtint dyes but they dont mention compatability with oil polys. Any experience would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
nat.
Replies
nat,
Instead of trying to tint the finish to get it darker;
Sand the coating with 320 and clean the dust.
Use one of the darker gel stains to darken the surface. This is called glazing. Thin the gel down a little with mineral spirits to make it thinner.
Apply it with a pad and lightly brush it out to even the surface. Let it dry well and apply your topcoat.
When you use a tinted finish, which is called a toner, it may take multiple coats until you get the color you want. You also run the risk of streaks in the finish if you add too much color to it.
Glazing is much more forgiving. If you don't like what you see when the color is going on simply wipe it off before it dries. Since it's going over a sealed surface you have lots of leeway.
I always like to have control over my finish, not the other way around.
Good luck.
Peter
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