CONTINUOUSWAVE

I have an original 16-foot console and have stripped off and sanded off all the old varnish. I've also been able to remove some of the mildew stains, as well, but, given the age of the console, it should not be surprising that the now unfinished wood has a very uneven surface color. I was thinking about using a dark stain to try and even out the color and cover the blemishes.

Any suggestions on brands and colors? Or is this just a bad idea?

Thanks

Gordon

You probably need to just recondition the wood. It is completely dried out so add most any oil like minwax clear stain. It will substantially darken the wood. Varnish or continue to oil with Teak Oil, Sikkens, or what ever product you desire. I don't think you need to add any color. You will be surprised how much the wood will darken and how good it looks when you are finished. It just sucks that you will have to do the same thing again in a few years.

If you have an old 16-footer's center console, I think it was built using mahogany, and probably mahogany plywood, not all mahogany lumber. The usual finish treatment for mahogany is a varnish.

To restore a bit of color to the mahogany with some wood stain would not be blasphemy. I'd go easy on the stain, and test it first on some inconspicuous area of the wood to see what happens. But take my advice with some caution. My expertise is NOT in wood working or finishing.

I just refinished a few wood items on my boat (Outrage 20) with teak oil. I really like it. Water beads, easy to redo, looks great.

HTH.

Thanks for these suggestions and the console is built primarily out of plywood, which looks like it has the mahogany veneer. I do plan on finishing it with varnish once its completely prepped - and I have decided on/experimented with stains in an inconspicuous place.

padrefigure wrote:You probably need to just recondition the wood. It is completely dried out so add most any oil like minwax clear stain. It will substantially darken the wood. Varnish or continue to oil with Teak Oil, Sikkens, or what ever product you desire. I don't think you need to add any color. You will be surprised how much the wood will darken and how good it looks when you are finished. It just sucks that you will have to do the same thing again in a few years.

Would you recommend:

1) using pre-stain?

2) using tradtional or water-based stains, noting that I will be varnishing over the stain?

Thanks

Gordon