Getting the most from Minwax Interior Stain and Finishes

Getting Started: Preparation
Always sand your unfinished furniture before applying a stain or clear finish. Sand the wood in the direction of the grain, first using medium-grade sandpaper (#120) and work your way to fine-grade sandpaper (#220). Take care not to round off square edges. When sanding is completed, wipe the surface of the furniture with a clean, dry cloth. Make sure the surface is dry, clean, and free of dirt, grease, glue and old coatings before finishing.

Many furniture pieces are made of softwoods such as pine, alder, and aspen. To help ensure even stain color penetration and beautiful results, it is essential to pretreat soft or porous woods with Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner. It is not necessary to pretreat furniture with Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner if only a clear topcoat is applied. Apply Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner; allow to penetrate 5-15 minutes, then wipe off excess with a clean, dry cloth. Apply stain within 2 hours of pretreatment.

Woodfinishers Tip: To determine if you are working with softwood, press your fingernail against a hidden section of the wood. If you make a dent, the wood is soft and needs conditioning.

Selecting and Applying a Stain and Clear Finish
Before staining a piece of furniture, test the selected stain on a hidden area of the wood or on a scrap piece of wood that is the same species as the furniture.

Minwax Wood Finish, Minwax&Mac226; Gel Stain, and Minwax Pastels are penetrating stains that color and seal wood surfaces. These products penetrate into wood fibers, so that minor surface scratches will not expose bare wood. Wood Finish is available in 20 wood tone colors, and can be used to enhance any interior bare or stripped wood surface (especially unfinished furniture). Gel Stain provides rich uniform color for wood, fiberglass, metal and other non-wood surfaces. Gel Stain has a convenient non-drip formula, which is great for vertical surfaces like doors and is available in 8 wood tone, finishes. Minwax&Mac226; Pastels available in Winter White, is a penetrating stain that’s ideal for achieving an attractive white wash effect.

Woodfinishers Tip: To help minimize wood swelling and shrinkage due to changes in humidity or temperature, apply stain and clear finish to all surfaces, even inside drawers, and under tables and chairs.

Selecting and Applying a Clear Protective Finish
Minwax&Mac226; Fast Drying Polyurethane is the toughest topcoat for long-lasting protection. Polycrylic&Mac226; is a hard, crystal clear, ultra-fast drying finish. It is low odor, making it ideal for year-round use and easily cleans up with water. Wipe-On Poly, when applied with a soft, lint-free cloth provides hand-rubbed beauty and durable protection. Both Fast Drying Polyurethane and Polycrylic&Mac226; are available in Satin, Semi-Gloss and Gloss sheens. Wipe-On Poly is available in Satin and Gloss.

Woodfinishers Tip: If using Polycrylic&Mac226;, do not use steel wool to smooth the wood or first coat. Strands of steel wool fiber caught in the wood can cause rust spots when coated with any water-based product. Instead, use fine (#220) sandpaper to smooth the wood or first coat.
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One-Step Finishes: Many customers like the convenience and the timesavings that a one-step stain and finish product offers. Minwax&Mac226; Polyshades&Mac226; is ideal for the convenience-oriented consumer who is looking for rich stain color and polyurethane protection in one step. Polyshades&Mac226; provides the beauty of rich stain and protection of polyurethane in one brush stroke. Polyshades&Mac226; is available in 9 wood-tone colors in both gloss and satin.

Care And Maintenance
• Filling nail holes and covering-up minor imperfections in bare, stained, and finished wood is easy with Minwax&Mac226; Wood Putty. Available in 10 shades, Wood Putty is designed to match Minwax Wood Finish stain colors.

• Touching-up nicks and scratches on furniture, molding and cabinets is easy with Minwax Wood Finish Stain Markers, available in 8 Wood Finish colors.

• Quickly repair minor imperfections in wood with Minwax&Mac226; Blend-Fil&Mac226; Pencils. Blend-Fil&Mac226; Pencils are available in 8 shades to match all Wood Finish stain colors.

Woodfinishers Tip: While Minwax&Mac226; stains and one-step products are not prone to fading, wood will stay beautiful longer if you keep it out of direct sunlight. Also avoid exposing wood to severe changes in temperature. Even with stain and topcoat protection, wood will expand and contract in response to rapid or extreme temperature and humidity variations.

Professional Products from DAP®

DAP CrackSHOT is a specially-formulated, knife grade spackling paste designed for easy application and superior paintability. Its creamy texture applies smoothly, dries hard and sands effortlessly, delivering quality results every time. This professional formula will not shrink and will not “flash” paint. Use indoor or out.

DAP DryDex spackling offers something new in spackling. Its Dry Time Indicator causes the product to change color when optimum dry time is achieved. Goes on pink, then dries white indicating its ready to sand and paint. Easy to use indoors and out on drywall, plaster, wood and more. Helps prevent the need for reapplication due to premature sanding or painting.

A great winter choice in caulk/sealants is DAP’s SIDE Winder. Latex caulks have their limitations in winter since they take longer to cure in lower temperatures and can even be washed away by rain before curing. SIDE Winder Advanced Siding & Window Sealant can be applied even in wet and freezing conditions, skins over in 30 minutes, remains flexible and is paintable in only 2 hours. It’s easy to gun out and tool with no shrinkage and adheres to almost any type of surface. Try out SIDE Winder in white, or a variety of colors.

Quick Setting Cement is designed for fast concrete repairs. There’s no need to wait days before putting a patched area into use. Walk on it in only 30 minutes – great for repairing chipped steps without using forms. Quick Set is a non-shrinking, durable sand mix, which dries to a gray cement color. Contains no calcium chloride or discoloring metallics. You can even use it in freezing temperatures!

“Domestic distributors had lower than normal inventory levels because of economic uncertainties. US government purchases of plywood and current restrictions on logging due to extreme fire danger has kept distributor inventories at all time lows. Combine an increase in consumer confidence and increase in purchases with reduced supply and lumber prices are pushed up rapidly.”
– Ron Liebelt Exterior Wood

“Strong demand (low mortage rates), inadequate inventory throughout the pipeline, tropical storms and fires, with one of the biggest government purchases in 10 years have sent the market to record price levels.”
– T.R. Cauthorn Hampton Affiliates

“A classic example of supply and demand. Canadian housing starts are up 28% and western US states up 20%. Mill orders on OSB are out months with no relief in sight. There is anticipation of an unusually active hurricane season. 1 or 2 large storms hitting the East coast could send the market into the stratosphere.”
– David Jacobson Weyerhaeuser

“Forest fires in BC dominate discussions about lumber prices today. Almost every mill in the southern third of the province is affected, from limited logging hours to complete mill closures. This supply situation coupled with low field inventories and a very robust US housing market has, and will continue to put upward pressure on lumber prices.”
– Steve Parkinson Taiga