Stupid woodworking question (1 Viewer)

[Guest]

I'm in the process of building my canopy (actually, a pendant) to add VHO actinics to my halides. Today I finished the frame and "skinned" it with some oak paneling. Tomorrow I am planning to do the finishing - sanding, staining, and adding molding on the edges to hide my lack of carpentry skills.

My question is, do I attach the molding before or after staining? IOW, if I go ahead and attach the molding before I stain it, will you be able to tell at the seams? And if I stain it first (without the molding), then do I stain the molding separately before I attach it, or do I attach it and then stain it?

 

[darrin]

i always stain seperatly... that way it does not clump un the jints...

 

[Guest]

Thanks. That's what I was looking for.

 

[Guest]

Just out of curiousity, where did you get your oak paneling?

 

[Guest]

Just out of curiousity, where did you get your oak paneling?

I went to Bison and they don't carry any of the pre-finished stuff. I didn't really have time to run all over looking for it, so I just bought the unfinished oak paneling they sell at Home Depot. It was $9 for a 2'x4' sheet and is about 1/8"-3/16" thick.

 

[Guest]

With the paneling being that thin, I hope you don't have a problem with it bowing from the heat and humidity over time. If it does you could probably add some more bracing.

 

[Guest]

I would stain seperately

I would stain seperately, and you could even let the trim soak up a little more stain, that way it woudl still be same color, but trim would stand out slightly, and hide you carpentry skills
Either way, I think DIY is the way to go. I gotta give you credit for doin' it yourself!!!
Take some pics of the finished product....

 

[Guest]

With the paneling being that thin, I hope you don't have a problem with it bowing from the heat and humidity over time. If it does you could probably add some more bracing.

Good point. I have it nailed all around the edges, which will be covered by the trim. I do have 2 cross braces along the front and the back (about 1/3 and 2/3 of the way across). I guess I could go ahead and nail the paneling to those braces to keep it from bowing in the middle. I need to make sure I can find some filler first to hide the nail holes, but I'll need that for the trim anyway.

Man, this staining is a PITA. The process itself is really easy, but they conveniently forget to tell you that in order to get it as dark as the color in the brochure, you have to use 4 coats. :-x I've put on 2 coats already, and although the color looks like it will be a close match, I still have at least 1-2 more coats to get it dark enough to match my other furniture.

 

[Guest]

Are you brushing it on? Use an old T-Shirt to stain with then wipe down with another dry T-shirt it works the best for stain.

 

[Guest]

I'm using some old shop rags to put it on. I can't get it to go on any thicker that way and still look even, but at least I don't have brush marks like when I tried to use a brush.

I dunno, maybe I'm doing it wrong. I'm using a shop rag but then I smooth it out like paint. The instructions did say to come back after 3 minutes and remove the excess with a clean rag. So, am I supposed to just glop it on there really thick and then take the excess of later?

BTW - I'm using MinWax gel stain, which I thought was supposed to cover a lot easier than the regular stuff.

 

[Guest]

As it drys you pick up the excess I don't think you are applying enough with your method. When I have done it we had two people working one would glob it on, enough that it was too much but not dripping. The other person was about 5 minutes behind wiping up and smothing everything out.

 

[Guest]

Sounds reasonable. I'll try it that way when I apply the next coat tonight.

 

[Guest]

Use a high quality water resistant gule on your extra braces and you don't have to worry about fillers.