Re: Stain?Finish?
Reply #4 –
In my opinion a sanding sealer (no matter who makes it) is not suitable as a final finish. These are very soft finishes with a high solids content to fill grain and allow easy sanding to a smooth surface ready for a final finish. All of the 1/4" (6mm) plywood FT used in cabinetwork was prefinished.
The durability of FT cabinetry to hold up over time against moisture and fingers makes me pretty sure they used a spray-on lacquer (maybe catalyzed) finish. For production work it dries quickly and is tough enough to hold up over time. Polyurethanes available 21 years ago (and still) have drying times of 4 hours. This can be accelerated using drying ovens but it doesn't seem likely FT had them.
It appears that there was no stain used either, just the natural color of the wood with the applied finish.
If you want to refinish the window sills I would remove them and sand the flat top surfaces completely starting with 100 or 120 grit and work up to 220 grit. Use steel wool or a 3M Scotch Brite pad do dust up the edge contours and edge. Clean well and spray with a satin lacquer (several coats following instructions) or use a brushable lacquer.
If you want to use polyurethane do the same prep and use a wipe-on satin polyurethane like Minwax. Minwax 40910000 Wipe-On Poly, 1 Pint, Satin - - Amazon.com Very thin coats, recoat at 3-4 hour intervals, 3 coats, let dry over night, smooth any dust bits with steel wool or a fine 3M Scotch Brite. Be careful to not be too aggressive on the edge profile and apply 3 more coats. I usually start with the gloss variety for the initial coats and than then go to a satin version. The gloss variety has no solids and dries clearer and harder.
A brushable option that I like is ZAR 33912 Oil Based Polyurethane Wood Finish, QT, Clear - Household Varnishes...
Your final result will only be as good as the prep work.
I use Howards Feed'n'Wax, great results.
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Topic: Stain?Finish?