Interior refinishing wood panels

[Excella3287]

Don't know for sure if they are oak or walnut. Sanded to bear wood and used an oil based gel stain, mahogany, let dry overnight. Applied minwax fast drying polurethane. Thin coat first sanded with 400. Applied second coat. The finish is uneven and the grain is not covering like the rest. Looking for a mirror finish without bubbles. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Calling minwax was of no help.

[PeterH-79MH]

you will get a better finish, if you use a slow dry poly.
Also, oak and walnut are open grain woods, it will take many coats to completely fill the grain.
some tool tips:
use a tack cloth (sticky cloth) to remove the sanding dust.
never shake a can of polyurethane or varnish, only stir it.
use a 'china bristle' brush for application.
use long even strokes, brushing back into the wet product.
avoid brushing into the polyurethane after it set for a few minutes.
use a lower sheen like satin finish, using semi-gloss or gloss will only magnify imperfections.
next time use a wiping stain, instead of a gel stain (makes for a nicer stain job)

[Excella3287]

Thank you for the reply. At this piont I'll try anything. Just looking for an update after seeing all the gloss interiors at the Pomona RV show. Again thanks.

[Martha]

I am proud new owner of a fine 68 Overlander!
Has some issues...more on that later....
Pretty good condition (thanks, John, for looking at it!)
I am about to hand rub a finish on the oak with a product I have used on other wood restoration projects.
I can't recommend it enough- you can order it on Internet...Tried and True -Orginal Wood Finish- linseed oil and beeswax- a non-toxic, non-petroleum, non-flammable product. Cleans with soap and water.
Best thing is no off-gasses...and does a beautiful job.from Trumansburg, NY.

[Pahaska]

I assume you made it home OK with your new Overlander. I really felt for you when I hit MOPAC and realized that the after work traffic was starting to roll pretty heavy.

The Overlander looked to be in pretty good condition overall for a 36 year old trailer. Axles looked to be fairly marginal, but the shell was in good condition overall. You have a lot of refinishing work to do in the interior, but everything I saw looked to be restorable.

I look forward to seeing it again after you work your magic on it.

[Stefrobrts]

Ok, I have a few refinishing questions, for the parts that the restore-a-finish can't help:

The piece behind the Gaucho that is like a shelf has a lot of wear, down to bare wood in spots. I would like to take it out and refinish it in my workshop so I don't mess up the rest of the trailer. Is it ok to unscrew it from the wall? It seems to be held on by three hinges with three screws each.

How can I fill/hide the little screw holes left behind when I remove the previous owner's additions? They had little things, thermometers, pen holders, a flourescent light in the galley, and eveytime I take something out it leaves little holes.

The frames around the cupboards appear to be painted brown, instead of stained like the cupboard doors. Is that typical?

The metal hinges are looking tarnished, is there any way to freshen them up a bit as well, now that the wood looks pretty nice?

Thanks for any advice you have to offer!

[Pahaska]

When I converted my International AS from a dinette to a couch, I was left with a number of exposed screw holes. I bought several items at my local hardware (Ace affiliate) that did a good job of filling and concealing them.

First was a squeeze tube of colored wood filler. It comes in a number of different wood shades. Next was two different shades of liquid wood color in little tubes with a shake ball in the tube. The tubes are kind of like magic markers. Again, these come in a lot of different wood colors. I bought one tube that was the best match to the darker shade of my laminate and a tube of a second, lighter shade.

I fill the hole with the squeeze tube, let it set up, and sand the patch flush. It almost matches my laminate as is. I then paint the patch carefully with the two colors to best match the wood grain in the laminate. The patches are quite hard to spot when I am finished.

[Stefrobrts]

Thanks, I'm going to be near a home depot in the morning, I'll see what I can find. Sounds like just the thing I need :-)