refinishing console wood

[dugald]

Now that spring is here, I finally got around to one of my winter projects, refinishing the console wood.

The finish on the shifter console was cracked and chipped, and the wood faded.

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The HVAC panel was better, but the finish was murky.

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I removed the varnish using a heat gun and a putty knife. This works well, as long as you are careful with the sharp corners of the knife.
If you wondered how they make wood look like plastic laminate, look at the old varnish. It's thick.

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I re-stained the wood with Minwax Special Walnut and gave it 4 coats of Pettit marine varnish. The marine stuff costs 3 times regular hardware store varnish but it's a lot more durable. Its disadvantage is that it darkens the finish. I happened to have some left over from a boat-building adventure.
You can see the inevitable nibs and nubs that come with brushing on varnish, despite sanding between coats and using a tack cloth,

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Sanding up through wet 2000 grit restored a flat and smooth surface.

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Instead of using rubbing and polishing compounds to give a shiny finish, I sprayed 3 topcoats of automotive clearcoat with an aerosol can.
I still had to rub that out a bit to remove slight orange peel.

The results are a big improvement to my eye:

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It would certainly be less work to substitute spray-on lacquer for the brush-on marine varnish, but I don't know how that would hold up to sunshine.
I thought I'd take the extra effort to ensure it lasts.

[ScottinSoCal]

It looks good.

[dugald]

Originally Posted by ScottinSoCal

It looks good.

Thanks.
Tedious work, but cheaper than buying new wood.

[bereng]

Intersting! I am in the middle of the process but I am taking a different approach.

I went for polyurethane with UV protection varnish and got, after many trials, the right brush. Now I am perfecting my brushing technique. I will probably go for 2 coats of varnish and leave it there.

Will post a tutorial.

Has anybody tried polyurethene? or any other experiences will be appreciated before I jump into it.

[dugald]

I have been building furniture and finishing wood a long time. I understand some people can lay down a flawless coat of varnish with a brush, but I am not one of them. I always have to rub out the final finish to remove imperfections.

[HalNineThousand]

Impressive!

Is there any way to do it without darkening the wood? I figure if I did that and it darkened it, I'd have to match the shift knob and the strips in the dash?

[bereng]

dugald,

that´s the problem I am trying to sort out. Some people tell me to tub it but I don´t know what with... 1000 sanding paper gives a matt finish, not shiny. Others tell me to forget the brush and get a polyutherene varnish spary can.

What should I rub with?

Thanks

[dugald]

Originally Posted by HalVaughan

Impressive!

Is there any way to do it without darkening the wood? I figure if I did that and it darkened it, I'd have to match the shift knob and the strips in the dash?

I darkened it with stain on purpose, for the wood was sun-faded.
The marine varnish itself would give an amber cast to the wood.

[dugald]

Originally Posted by bereng

dugald,

that´s the problem I am trying to sort out. Some people tell me to tub it but I don´t know what with... 1000 sanding paper gives a matt finish, not shiny. Others tell me to forget the brush and get a polyutherene varnish spary can.

What should I rub with?

Thanks

Steel wool 000 & 0000.
Or 2000 grit wet sandpaper.
Follow with rubbing and polishing compounds if you want high gloss.
Spraying is tricky too. You'll get runs and sags if you have a heavy hand, and orange peel if you're too light.

[Nascar Fan]

Looks good, and you get that good feeling knowing YOU did it.

I did the same thing except with steel-wool between coats. I used a med. color stain and then clear poly. Mine turned out lighter than most, but it was fine with me because I did all the wood the same. The little strips on the dash proved to be the hardest. I just replaced them with wood that comes in a roll from Lowes. It was almost the exact width.